New Jersey Supreme Court Disallows Hip-Hop Lyrics as Evidence in Criminal Cases; Decision Cites Bob Marley and Edgar Allen Poe

There's a huge gap between hip-hop music and those who run this country, and the difference isn't strictly racial. If anything, it's a question of age and of older generations being unable to comprehend the skill sets required for hip-hop and the narratives typically held within. Understanding this, the New Jersey Supreme Court deserves special kudos for voting unanimously to disallow lyrics from hip-hop tracks as evidence in criminal cases.

Vonte Skinner was convicted of murder in New Jersey, partially thanks to his lyric sheets being read in court by prosecutors. The raps featured numerous references to murder and even rape, but the Supreme Court overturned the conviction, arguing that artistic expression was not admission of guilt. Justice Jaynee Lavecchia was clever when writing the opinion of the court, citing classics from more family-friendly forms.

"One would not presume that Bob Marley, who wrote the well-known song "I Shot the Sheriff," actually shot a sheriff, or that Edgar Allan Poe buried a man beneath his floorboards, as depicted in his short story "The Tell-Tale Heart," simply because of their respective artistic endeavors on those subjects," she wrote. "The Court reasons that defendant's lyrics should receive no different treatment."

That logic seems obvious but few law bodies have been as unbiased when considering creative work as New Jersey's Supreme Court was. Nevada's Supreme Court upheld a decision to convict Antwain Steward based on similar evidence.

Well done New Jersey. Let's hope some other states will follow your lead.