We took a big step toward making things more fair for artists in court this year.
Legislation was passed by the New York State Senate back in May, limiting the ways that “creative expression”, including lyrics, can be used in court as evidence. The bill does not “ban prosecutors from presenting lyrics or other material to a jury, but would require them to show that the work is “literal, rather than figurative or fictional.”
The bill was supported by artists like Jay-Z, Meek Mill, Killer Mike, Fat Joe and Robin Thicke.
In late September, California Governor Gavin Newsom signed the Decriminalizing Artistic Expression Act into law.
In October, New York Congressman Jamaal Bowman introduced a proposal for new federal legislation along the same lines, called the RAP Act.