Rapper B.G. Must Have New Lyrics Approved by Government Under Judge’s Ruling
A federal judge denied the request of the Department of Justice that would have prohibited rapper B.G., real name Christopher Dorsey, from “promoting and glorifying gun violence/murder and obstructive conduct in his songs and during his concerts” as a condition of his supervised release. B.G. is currently on supervised release after serving 11 years in prison after he was convicted of being a felon in possession of a firearm and obstruction of justice charges. The government claims that artist’s song lyrics are “inconsistent with the goals of rehabilitation” because they allegedly glorify violence and other illegal activities. Although the judge denied the request, the judge did rule that the artist, creator of the hit song “Bling Bling,” must submit the lyrics of any new song to the United States Probation office before he publishes or promotes new songs. This will allow the government to review them and file any objections it may have prior to publication. The government initially flagged his supervised release for violations after he appeared in a concert with Boosie Badazz and appeared on a track with Gucci Mane, who both have felony convictions and a standard condition of supervised release is that one has to refrain from associating with felons. Understanding that the music industry may involve interacting with others with criminal records, the judge ruled that any interactions with felons must either be preapproved or immediately reported after the fact, and strictly for work purposes only.
RAP Act Seeks to Protect Artists
This is not the first instance we have covered concerning the government and rap lyrics related to criminal proceedings, as prosecutors routinely attempt to introduce rap lyrics in criminal cases around the country. However, there are efforts underway that are seeking to curtail its worst abuses. Under the “Restoring Artistic Protection Act” (“RAP Act”), a bill first introduced to congress in 2022, artists would be protected from the introduction of their lyrics into civil and criminal matters by creating a presumption limiting instances in which lyrics could be used in legal proceedings. In a statement from one of the sponsors of the bill, Rep. Hank Johnson said, “It is no longer enough that the Bill of Rights guarantees that freedom: without further Congressional action, the freedom of speech and of artistic expression present in music will continue to be stifled, and that expression will be chilled, until the voices behind that protected speech are silenced.” The bill was welcomed by many in the music industry and free speech advocates but has yet to receive a vote on the floor of the house.