The Pennsylvania Supreme Court is upholding charges against rapper Jamal Knox for his rap lyrics which were deemed "threatening" to police and "highly personalized."
On Tuesday, the court ruled the song is not protected under the First Amendment.
According to The Washington Post, a YouTube video for "F**k the Police," a song which Knox and his friend, Rashee Beasley, recorded in 2012, particularly threatened two officers, Daniel Zeltner and Michael Kosko, with their photos to match. The officers had previously arrested then 20-year-old Knox and Beasley on drug and weapon possession charges, and the rappers felt a way about it.
So, as with many artists, the duo vented through their music.
In one of the lyrics, the pair raps, “Let's kill these cops 'cause they don't do us no good."
Although Beasley also participated in the song, Tuesday's trial focused solely on Knox who was sentenced to three to six years of imprisonment for the song in 2014. Beasley was sentenced to one to three years. Both were convicted of terroristic threats and intimidation reports CBS Pittsburgh.
The song is a spin on N.W.A's 1988 classic “F**k Tha Police,” which, interestingly, did not receive the same court ruling nor did it result in jail time for the rap group.
Here's a brief comparison of Knox's lyrics alongside the first verse in N.W.A's anthem, "F**k Tha Police":
In 2012, Knox rapped:
"Takin' money from Beaz and all that s**t away from me? Well your shift over at 3 and I’m gon' f**k up where you sleep"
In '88, Icecube rapped:
"Beat the police out of shape, and when I'm finished, bring the yellow tape, to tape off the scene of the slaughter."
Can you spot a difference?
Billboard reports Knox claimed, "The song was strictly artistic in nature, and he didn't intend to threaten police or have the video released publicly."
Chief Justice Thomas G. Saylor upheld Knox's conviction but stated in his decision the court does “not overlook the unique history and social environment from which rap arose.”
Contradicting, he wrote, “In many instances, lyrics along such lines cannot reasonably be understood as a sincere expression of the singer’s intent to engage in real-world violence.” But the song performed by Knox and Beasley “is of a different nature and quality,” he maintained.
University of Richmond associate professor Erik Nielson studies rap lyrics and criminal proceedings and claimed, "Rap music has long been a point of contention within the courts."
"I was disappointed with the decision. I absolutely do not agree with it.”
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