The California state legislature’s Assembly Bill 2799 – also known as the Decriminalizing Artistic Expression Act, preventing the use of rap lyrics in criminal prosecutions – was signed into law on Friday September 30 by California governor Gavin Newsom. The bill, first approved in August aims to restrict the use of song lyrics as evidence, banning them from being referenced in court unless the prosecution can prove a direct relevance between a song’s lyrics and a particular case, and that the process will not “inject racial bias into the proceedings”. The legislation will help courts hold prosecutors accountable and prevent the criminalization of artistic expression.
Which tunes could be used as evidence of a crime either through lyrics or title?
