50 Cent wants rappers to be careful when using gang banging lyrics in their music.
A song or piece of music can tug at a listener’s emotions, which can lead to various actions based on the actual vibe the song brings and how the listener interprets it. Based on the lyrical prowess of the writer, a song also has the ability to send a message or tell a story. Since there is freedom of speech and one’s ability to express art in their own way, there are hundreds of songs that cover various topics. While music is an art form, some songs are so detailed that you cannot help but believe in its authenticity.
Hip hop music and some other genres, such as dancehall, ever so often tiptoe the line of what is real and what is art, especially when the lyrics place emphasis on acts society tends to look down on. Sadly for some artistes, their songs have not only brought attention from their fans but also law enforcement. For many of these artistes, their lyrics played pivotal roles in cases stacked against them.
Rapper 50 Cent is speaking out about the act of rappers putting certain content into the song.
He wrote, “I told you in 03 /i do what i gotta do/ i don’t care if i get caught/the DA can play this mother f***ing tape in court/i’ll kill you HEAT,” mentioned 50 Cent, quoting a few lines from his 2003 track “Heat” from his Get Rich or Die Tryin’ album.
He continued, “(This is not new) if you say crazy s**t on these records they are gonna use it. if you in a gang on the song then you in the gang when the indictment come fool. LOL”
Over the past two decades, there have been many rappers who have had run-ins with the law and have faced tough times as a result of prosecutors using evidence from their songs to solidify cases. However, many groups have spoken out against prosecutors’ ability to use rap lyrics to paint an image of the individual, even when the crimes they are being charged for do not have anything to do with the actual lyrics of the song.
Further arguments to prohibit prosecutors from using rap lyrics hang on the fact that the game of hip hop and rap music relies heavily on the players’ ability to paint the most colorful picture, whether it be themselves as gangsters, casanovas or self-made billionaires, with most claims proving to be untrue.
Some of the biggest rap names that come to mind are Lil Boosie, now known as Boosie Badazz, who indicted in 2010, Texas rapper YNB Ny-Nizzle, Tay-K, and Bobby Shmurda. There have been many other cases in the past.
Fif is no small fish in the pond of rap music, let’s hope that some of the world’s favorite rappers take his foolish advice.
