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The Supreme Court is currently hearing the case of Jamal Knox v. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. The case revolves around Knox, a rapper who was 19 when he was sentenced to 2-6 years in prison in 2014. He was charged with terroristic threats and witness intimidation, with prosecutors alleging his lyrics targeted specific police officers in Pittsburgh. The case has made its way to the Supreme Court, where Knox’s lawyers assert that his First Amendment rights are being violated.
Now, Run the Jewels’ Killer Mike and a group of other rappers—including Chance the Rapper, Meek Mill, 21 Savage, Yo Gotti, Styles P, and more—have filed an amicus curiae brief in the Supreme Court case in support of Knox, as The New York Times reports. The brief contains a “primer on rap music and hip-hop” as well as intricate breakdowns of the lyrics that were condemned as “terroristic threats.”
“In short, this is a work of poetry. It is told from the perspective of two invented characters in the style of rap music, which is (in)famous for its exaggerated, sometimes violent rhetoric, and which uses language in a variety of complex ways,” the brief reads. “It is not intended to be taken literally, something that a reasonable listener with even a casual knowledge of rap would understand.” Find the full brief here.
For More:
- Killer Mike, Chance the Rapper and others file Supreme Court brief to educate justices about rap music.
- Rapper jailed for song threatening police tries a free speech appeal — and loses.
