By Malik Brown | RollingOut.com
In a motion filed Nov. 29, Young Thug’s legal team said it was seeking to remove his lyrics, music videos and social media posts as evidence in his RICO lawsuit.
According to the motion, the use of Young’s lyrics, poetry, words, speech or art as evidence could be considered a violation of the Constitution and an abuse of discretion. The legal team says the rapper’s lyrics are protected by the First and Fourteenth Amendments and that using them against him is racist and discriminatory.
The lyrics used in the case are “I never killed anyone, but I have something to do with this body”, from his song called “Anybody” with Nicki Minaj, and “I shot his mommy , now he doesn’t talk about me,” from Juice WRLD’s song “Bad Boy.”
In May 2022, Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis said the First Amendment was “one of our most precious rights,” but it did not protect someone from using his words against him in criminal proceedings. Since taking office, Willis has used the lyrics as evidence in at least three RICO indictments against gang members.
Music industry groups and members of the United States Congress introduced the Restoring Artistic Protection Act to limit the use of artists’ words or expressions as evidence in cases in federal courts.
This article originally appeared on RollingOut.com.
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