In a motion filed on Nov. 29, Young Thug’s legal team stated they are looking to remove his lyrics, music videos, and social media posts as evidence in his RICO trial.
According to the motion, using Young’s lyrics, poetry, words, speech or artistry as evidence could be considered as a Constitutional violation and an abuse of discretion. The legal team says that the rapper’s lyrics are protected under the First and Fourteenth Amendments and using them against him is racist and discriminatory.
The lyrics being used in the case are “I never killed anybody, but I got something to do with that body,” from his song titled “Anybody” featuring Nicki Minaj, and “I shot at his mommy, now he no longer mention me,” from Juice WRLD’s song “Bad Boy.”
In May 2022, Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis said that the First Amendment was “one of our most precious rights” but it didn’t protect someone from having their words used against them in a criminal proceeding. Since being in office, Willis has used lyrics as evidence in at least three RICO indictments against gang members.
Music industry groups and members of the U.S. Congress have introduced the Restoring Artistic Protection Act to limit the use of artists’ lyrics or expressions as evidence in federal court cases.
