Forbes contributors publish independent expert analyses and insights. I write about the business and law of music. Two men were convicted in federal court on Tuesday in Brooklyn of murdering Jason ...

READ ALOUD in court, the words sounded like a confession: “Fuck the judge…this that mob life…cookin’ white brick.” Not long ago the defendant, Jeffery Williams, was rapping these lines on stage. Now ...

Atlanta rapper Young Thug, whose real name is Jeffery Lamar Williams, is seen on a monitor as he waits for a virtual appearance before a Fulton County magistrate judge on May 10, 2022. (Arvin ...

On the afternoon of March 16th, 2017, aspiring rapper Anthony Murillo stood to hear the jury’s verdict – the culmination of a weeklong trial in which prosecutors argued that he had used a rap song to ...

As district attorneys across the country have used rap lyrics to build criminal cases against artists with growing frequency since the early 2000s, state lawmakers are looking to implement a legal ...

Musicians including Jay-Z, Kelly Rowland and Killer Mike are backing a bid by two US senators to ban the use of rap lyrics as evidence in criminal trials. What is in the Police, Crime, Sentencing and ...

The rapper's indictment in Georgia spotlighted the controversial practice. The indictment of rapper Young Thug on gang-related charges in May 2022 sparked a movement in the music industry against the ...

As the high-profile criminal trial of rapper Young Thug began this week, Black rappers who have had their lyrics used against them by prosecutors as evidence of criminal activity have renewed calls to ...

The nonprofit organization Free Our Art is partnering with elected officials, educators, and music industry organizations to combat the criminalization of rap. Together, they’re advocating for the ...

Rap is a lyrical expression of social, cultural, and political issues in present society. Unsurprisingly, rap music is the most popular genre of music and features predominantly Black artists ...