When explaining the reasons for crime, people often resort to explanations that center free will and personal responsibility as the culprits (pun intended). However, the reality of why people commit crimes is manifold. Some crimes can be chalked up to mistakes like insider trading or copyright infringement. There are even some intensely studied preventable causes of crime like poverty, hunger, and early on-set lead exposure. As an aside, you should probably take those Lunchables out of your kid’s lunch.
Some theories on crime’s genesis are just a bit too far out. Forgive me, I held back there. Some shit is just stupid. Occasionally that blinding stupidity makes it all the way to the courtroom, and for that we have who else to thank but some of the lawyers involved in the YSL trial.
Are you shitting me? Are we seriously to believe that rap lyrics are sufficient enough a force in themselves to spontaneously cause murders? When did this happen? Because growing up I’ve met a few edgy souls that have listened to Dance With The Devil by Immortal Technique and if that song isn’t enough to “motivate people to commit violence”, I don’t know what is. Also, why does rap only get hit with causational accusations when bad shit happens? I didn’t see Jay-Z getting any applause for doing his part on helping the housing market in 2017 when he told people listening to The Story Of OJ to invest in property.
If I’ve said it once I’ve said it a thousand times. Relying on lyrics from a genre that frequently relies on hyperbole, metaphor and just making shit up as if they are signed confessions is an insult to due process and the rule of law.
Earlier: Desperate For Evidence, Prosecutors Will Use Young Thug Lyrics In Trial
I Don’t Think People Understand How Silly It Is To Use Song Lyrics As Evidence
Chris Williams became a social media manager and assistant editor for Above the Law in June 2021. Prior to joining the staff, he moonlighted as a minor Memelord™ in the Facebook group Law School Memes for Edgy T14s. He endured Missouri long enough to graduate from Washington University in St. Louis School of Law. He is a former boatbuilder who cannot swim, a published author on critical race theory, philosophy, and humor, and has a love for cycling that occasionally annoys his peers. You can reach him by email at cwilliams@abovethelaw.com and by tweet at @WritesForRent.
