Bobby Shmurda is chiming in on the recent news of the passing of the legislation, “rap music on trial.”
New York’s state Senate passed a bill limiting the admissibility of a defendant’s song lyrics or other “creative expression” as evidence of an alleged crime. The legislation doesn’t ban rap music entirely from being used; under Senate Bill S7527, the lyrics will have to be proved to be “literal, rather than figurative or fictional.”
Brooklyn legend, Bobby Shmurda, chimed in on the bill passing. Although it’s great for the New York rap scene, he wants the movement to be nationwide. Complex reports Bobby said, “I’m grateful for it. I feel like it needs to happen all around the country, especially what’s going on in Atlanta right now.” Bobby is referring to the recent news of Young Thug and Gunna getting indicted on RICO charges. Bobby continued, “But I feel like it needs to happen. I feel like rap is targeted the most. Rap is expression.” He ended with, “When they say rap can be used against you, it limits your art because sometimes people just wanna be free.”
It was first introduced last November by New York Senators Brad Hoylman and Jamaal Bailey. They want lawmakers to see that “art is creative expression, not a blueprint of criminal plans.” Bailey said, “The right to free speech is enshrined in our federal and state constitutions,”
Bailey said at the time. “The admission of art as criminal evidence only serves to erode this fundamental right, and the use of rap and hip-hop lyrics, in particular, is emblematic of the systemic racism that permeates our criminal justice system,” The Guardian reports.
The bill got support from goats in hip hop like Jay-Z, Meek Mill, Killer Mike, Fat Joe, and more. A few months ago, in a statement, Hov’s lawyer Alex Spiro said, “This is an issue that’s important to [JAY-Z] and all the other artists that have come together to try to bring about this change. This is a long time coming. Mr. Carter is from New York, and if he can lend his name and his weight, that’s what he wants to do.”