She went on to say in a footnote, "The Court cannot help but note that odious themes - including racism, misogyny, and homophobia - can be found in a wide swath of genres other than rap music," citing songs by the Rolling Stones and troubling country music artist Jason Aldean.
A number of high-profile cases have made rap lyrics a central element of the prosecution's case, most notably Young Thug's current racketeering trial.
The court in that instance permitted the lyrics to be played during the trial, which the defense team claims is an act of racial "character assassination" aimed at further discrediting rap music among the jury.
Courts should exercise caution when considering whether to admit hip-hop lyrics as evidence against criminal defendants, according to Hall's Tuesday judgment.
This is due to the fact that "artists should be free to create without fear that their lyrics could be unfairly used against them at a trial."
In instances when the lyrics describe the exact facts of a specific crime, she said that there may be certain exclusions.Accused of approaching and shooting Mizell in the head in 2002 at his music studio, Jordan and an accomplice, Ronald Washington, face charges. The state contends that the defendant committed the crime as retaliation for being excluded from a narcotics trade.
After decades of trying to solve the murder mystery, prosecutors claimed to have made significant progress in the past five years thanks to further interviews, ballistic testing, and cooperating witnesses. The government allegedly took too long to indict Washington and Jordan, according to their defense attorneys, which made it more difficult for their clients to mount a defense.
The two men and a third defendant, who was also accused in May but will face separate trials, have all entered not guilty pleas.
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