Two Congressmen, Hank Johnson (GA-04) and Jamaal Bowman Ed.D. (NY-16), have reintroduced the Restoring Creative Safety Act (RAP Act) to guard artists from being persecuted and prosecuted for his or her lyrics in prison and civil court docket instances.

Initially offered within the 117th Congress, this invoice would be the first to be launched on the federal degree. The RAP Act would make it such that the Federal Guidelines of Proof would restrict the submission of proof from an artist’s work that constitutes their inventive or inventive expression towards that artist in court docket.

Since 2020, prosecutors in additional than 500 prison instances have used artists’ lyrics as proof towards the accused.

“This laws is lengthy overdue,” mentioned Congressman Johnson in a written assertion. “For too lengthy, artists – notably younger Black artists – have been unfairly focused by prosecutors who use their lyrics as proof of guilt, although there isn’t any proof that the lyrics are something greater than inventive expression. Once you permit music and creativity to be silenced, you’re opening the door for different realms of free speech to be curtailed as properly. The federal government shouldn’t be capable of silence artists just because they write, draw, sing, or rap about controversial or taboo topics. The Restoring Creative Safety Act (RAP Act) would defend artists’ First Modification rights by limiting the admissibility of their lyrics as proof in prison and civil proceedings.”

The First Modification ensures the suitable to freedom of expression on this nation. But, that freedom of expression is stifled when inventive expressions from recording artists are wrongfully used as proof towards the artist. 

The RAP Act places these safeguards in place to make sure that First Modification safety is a actuality for all artists in America.

The case towards rapper Younger Thug is only one instance of prosecutors using track lyrics towards artists.