US EditionRap Lyrics Were Used to Send a Man to Death Row in Texas. The Tactic Is More Common than You Think.
- James Broadnax, scheduled for execution on April 30, appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court, arguing prosecutors biased the jury by presenting his rap lyrics as autobiographical evidence of his 2008 crime.
- Prosecutors frequently introduce rap lyrics to establish motive or confession; Broadnax's attorneys claim this strategy relied on racial stereotypes to secure a death sentence from an almost all-white jury.
- Erik Nielson, co-author of 'Rap on Trial,' notes that juries often view rap as literal rather than artistic expression, a prejudice that almost exclusively targets young men of color.
- Legislators have introduced at least 27 bills in recent years to limit use of creative expressions as evidence, with Maryland becoming the third state to pass such legislation on April 9.
- Researchers warn that treating artistic work as literal diary entries denies its value while exploiting systemic assumptions about young men of color to influence court outcomes.
28 Articles
28 Articles
Los Angeles Times
Independent EspañolWhen he was 19, James Broadnax scored rap lyrics, thoughts, and even work contacts in a notebook that would become evidence in his capital murder trial.
Prosecutors used rap lyrics to help sentence a man to death in Texas. That strategy is more common than you may think
When he was 19, James Broadnax jotted down rap lyrics, thoughts and even job leads in a notebook that would become evidence at his capital murder trial. Prosecutors selected lyrics with alleged references to gang affiliation and shootings to convince jurors that instead of life in prison, Broadnax, who is Black, should be put to death after his conviction — a move his lawyers argue biased the almost all-white jury. Broadnax isn’t the only defend…
Rap lyrics were used to send a man to death row in Texas. The tactic is more common than you think.
Rap lyrics have featured in hundreds of court cases in more than 40 states over the past 50 years, though judges often exclude other forms of creative expression from being used as evidence, researchers have found.
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