Rapper facing 25-to-life in prison over song lyrics

[MCgrease08]

Rapper Tiny Doo facing long prison sentence over lyrics | Fox 59

California is up to its usual shenanigans, this time going after the First Amendment.

They have a little known statute that makes it illegal to benefit from gang activity. They found a rapper who sings about gang life, so they are trying to put him away for 25 to life despite the fact that he has no criminal history or arrest record. He's already spent 8 months in jail awaiting trial.

I have no idea how prosecutors think they'll be able to make this case stick. This seems like it would be blatantly unconstitutional.

 

[other dave]

Typical PRK B.S.

 

[TECKS]

That is sad... Snoop dogg profits off of claiming to be a crip why do they not go after him?

 

[jd4320t]

Unreal. I couldn't care less about his music but he has the right to make it.

 

[Lebowski]

Where is Al? For once he is needed.

This is a bunch of BS. It's like they've never heard rap before. Eminem talks about killing his ex wife, strangling people to death in parking lots. Anyone remember NWA... (Then again, Ice Cube is now making family friendly movies...) I'm not familiar with much rap since I don't really listen to it but a lot of it is angry and violent and promotes that sort of culture.

 

[bingley]

Prosecutors point to Tiny Doo’s album, “No Safety,” and to lyrics like “Ain’t no safety on this pistol I’m holding” as examples of a “direct correlation to what the gang has been doing.”

Must be a Glock owner...

 

[Kutnupe14]

That is sad... Snoop dogg profits off of claiming to be a crip why do they not go after him?

Because it's all about color..... green. Snoop makes too much money.

 

[OakRiver]

Prosecutors point to Tiny Doo’s album, “No Safety,” and to lyrics like “Ain’t no safety on this pistol I’m holding” as examples of a “direct correlation to what the gang has been doing.”

From the land that brought us Ghost Guns why am I not surprised at this statement. Is there any part of the Constitution that CA is in favour of for it's citizens?

 

[Kirk Freeman]

Unreal. I couldn't care less about his music but he has the right to make it.

Not unreal. Prosecutors have been using rap music against defendants for a while now, Rap lyrics used as evidence in criminal cases | PBS NewsHour

In Indiana courts you will see tweets, Facebook posts, Instagram photos all used. I do not know of a song being used as evidence here, matter of time I suppose.

 

[ModernGunner]

IF Duncan's in a known gang, have no concern about locking him up for the next century.

However, if it's simply his music (personally loathe the genre, but it's not meant for me) and it's not promoting violent actions, then I must side with Duncan.

The First Amendment is NOT to protect those with whom I agree. If I believe in the First Amendment, I must protect the rights of those with whom I vehemently disagree, something libtards refuse to do. I believe the adage is, "I disagree with what you say, but I'll defend to the death your right to say it".

That's the discipline.

 

[phylodog]

Another example of why I will never willingly step foot into that state. That is beyond ridiculous.

 

[indiucky]

Thank goodness no one pays attention to Bluegrass music....I have heard a couple that were not about a murder but they just don't come across as genuine...Ah Newgrass....The death of the classic "my woman's pregnant so I am drowning her on the banks of the Ohio"....Or "I want her so I am killing her husband"....Or this jewel "If I can't have you no one will so here comes my blade"...Informative Bluegrass Murder Porn is sadly falling by the wayside...

"Barbara Allen" anyone????


Oh yeah...That's a pile of horse manure about that young rapper...Not my music of choice but have guilt free listened to "Gangstagrass" and find it a neat blend of rap and bluegrass.....Often heard on "Justified"....

 

[Lebowski]

Not unreal. Prosecutors have been using rap music against defendants for a while now, Rap lyrics used as evidence in criminal cases | PBS NewsHour

In Indiana courts you will see tweets, Facebook posts, Instagram photos all used. I do not know of a song being used as evidence here, matter of time I suppose.

Tweets/Facebook posts/Instagram is a bit different though, that's social media and where people generally post about their day to day. That's not typically a platform used for 'artistic expression'. (Instagram maybe but that's a stretch since it's mostly crappy photos) So I can understand how those would appear in court since people blindly post to that platforms about what they're doing, what they did, where they're going, etc.

This rap lyric case is like charging a crime novelist with murder even with no evidence because they had written a book that included a murder that is similar to one that actually happened.


EDIT: Only the above is directed at Kirk's response, below is my own ramblings.


Did Johny Cash actually murder someone? By god he sung about it. And here I am sitting when some good ol' Johny Paycheck came on: http://youtu.be/AG5XN2BucAQ

Momma always stopped me short of stealing
I guess thats why I had to steal that car.


She told me not to smoke it
But I did and it took me far away
And I turned out to be
The only hell mama ever raised.

I pulled into Atlanta, stolen tags and almost out of gas
I had to get some money, and lately I'd learned how to get it fast
Those neon lights was calling me and somehow I had to get downtown
I reached into the glovebox, another liquor store went down.

Drug use, stolen cars, armed robbery. Tsk tsk.

Dang, good ol' country even has exaggerated or falsified claims of crime.

Same with a bunch of genres of music, for that matter. (Punk rock, metal, rock-and-roll, etc)


I really hope this guy gets off or it's a huge slap in the face to artistic expression and free speech. Even if you disagree with his lyrics as I do, he has every damn right to make them just as Johny Cash "killed a man in Reno just to watch him die."

FFS.

 

[rambone]

IF Duncan's in a known gang, have no concern about locking him up for the next century.

Really? What if the person never did anything to harm anyone else?

 

[Arthur Dent]

Really? What if the person never did anything to harm anyone else?

Exactly. He has no arrest record.

 

[OakRiver]

Really? What if the person never did anything to harm anyone else?

Guilty by reason of association