Okidegbe on "A 'Bad Rap': R. v. Skeete and the Admissibility of Rap Lyric Evidence @NgoziOkidegbe @CardozoLaw

Ngozi Okidegbe, Cardozo School of Law, has published A ‘Bad Rap’: R. v. Skeete and the Admissibility of Rap Lyric Evidence at 66 Crim. L.Q. 294 (2018). Here is the abstract.

This paper explores the evidentiary treatment of violent and prejudicial defendant-authored rap lyrics in Canadian criminal trials. It argues that the current evidentiary threshold jeopardizes trial fairness by allowing the Crown to adduce highly prejudicial rap lyric evidence at trial. It also problematizes the judicial reliance on corroborative evidence, which does not establish the truthfulness of the lyrics tendered, to admit these violent rap lyrics at trial. It argues that the reliance on such corroborative evidence results in a misapprehension of the lyrics’ evidentiary value and ultimately in the admission of defendant-authored rap lyric evidence of low probative value at trial. This result is particularly concerning in the case of young black male defendants, since the introduction of their lyrics at trial can prime a jury’s unconscious anti-black bias and therefore serve to increase the distortive effect of this type of evidence on the fairness and integrity of criminal proceedings. It concludes by advocating for a rap specific approach to the admissibility of this evidence.

Download the article from SSRN at the link.