the breeze always feels better in colder months

that rap lyrics must be literal admissions of action and intent, that a rapper is necessarily speaking as themself and not from the perspective of a fictional[ized] narrator or artistic persona—unlike for any other genre of music or creative writing—is a legal tool to criminalize and prosecute Black artists

Lyrics are art. Art is not evidence. Mapping Rap On Trial Our research has identified nearly 700 cases, from the late 1980s to present, where rap lyrics have been used as evidence, usually in a criminal context. In some cases the lyrics were presented as evidence at trial; in many others, the lyrics were used to justify charging a suspect, to secure an indictment, to compel a plea bargain, and/or to justify sentencing recommendations. As you zoom in, the map shows the following case information: -- State -- Jurisdiction -- Individual case name (where available)* Note: We have also made a CSV file of this data available here. (*The locations of the pins are approximations and do not indicate the precise location of the case.)