Below is scholarly research related to rap on trial, including experimental studies showing the prejudicial impact of rap lyrics in criminal cases.*
Key Word Legend (Use Key Words to find articles on specific topics with CNTL-F)
Authenticity Discussion of authenticity, truthfulness, autobiographical nature of rapper/lyrics/videos
Best Practices Tools/best practices for challenging Rap on Trial in courts
Black Creative Expression Discussion of artistic expression, conventions, general practices
Canada Rap on Trial in Canadian Context
Case Analysis Discussion of specific cases
Character Evidence Discussion of evidentiary purpose: Character evidence
Drill Discussion of Drill subgenre
Evidentiary Purpose Discussion of rap's evidentiary purpose, admissibility or inadmissibility
Experimental Research Empirical Experimental Study
Expert Testimony Discussion of expert witness use
Gangs Discussion of gangs
Historical Analysis Historical analysis of rap and its use in criminal trials
Jury Bias Discussion of jury bias and probative value vs. prejudicial impact of evidence
Legal Analysis Provides legal analysis
Qualitative Research Empirical qualitative study
Quantitative Research Empirical quantitative study
UK Rap on Trial in UK Context
USA Rap on Trial in USA context
Research Articles:
The Beat of the Gavel: Rap, “Race” and Criminal Injustice by Lambros Fatsis (2025). [Drill, UK, Black Creative Expression]
Rap Reflections: A Scoping Survey by Tochi Ejimofo (2025). [Drill, Qualitative Research, USA]
What’s Said in the Booth Never Stays in the Booth: A Comparative Analysis of the Use of Rap Lyrics in American and English Criminal Trials by Yekaterina Shrayber (2024). [Evidentiary Purpose, Drill, Character Evidence, Historical Analysis, Legal Analysis, UK, USA, Best Practices]
‘It’s Tantalising Evidence . . . . But You’ve Got to Look at the Wider Picture’: Rap Music as Evidence in Joint Enterprise Cases by Tara Young & Susie Hulley (2024). [Qualitative Research, Authenticity, Character Evidence, Evidentiary purpose, Gangs, UK]
Restricting the Use of Rap Lyrics as Evidence in Courts: A Targeted Approach to Tackling Discrimination in Criminal Procedure by Paige Walker (2024). [Legal analysis, Jury Bias, Case Analysis, USA, Best Practices]
All Eyez on Rap & Hip-Hop: Analyzing How Black Expression Is Criminalized and the Language of the Rap Act of 2022 by Maia Young (2024). [Black Creative Expression, Authenticity, Legal Analysis, USA]
Rap on Trial: A Brief History by Jack Lerner (2024). [Legal analysis, Historical Analysis, Jury Bias, USA, Best Practices]
Racist Inferences and Flawed Data: Drill Rap Lyrics as Criminal Evidence in Group Prosecutions by Eithne Quinn (2024). [Legal Analysis, Case Analysis, Expert Testimony, Drill, Evidentiary Purpose, UK]
Rap Rhyme, Prison Time: How Prosecutors Use Rap Evidence in Gang Cases by Charis E. Kubrin, Kyle Winnen and Rebecca Rogers (2024). [Gangs, Drill, Evidentiary Purpose, Character Evidence, Case Analysis, Historical Analysis, Jury Bias, Expert Testimony, Legal Analysis, Best Practices, USA]
Rhyme and Reason: How Intellectual Property Law Can Inform the Use of Rap Lyrics as Evidence in Criminal Trials by Amanda Wang (2024). [Legal Analysis, Best Practices, USA]
My Life in Your Ears: The Admissibility of Rap Lyrics as Evidence by Spencer White (2023). [Legal Analysis, Case Analysis, Historical Analysis, Evidentiary Purpose, Best Practices, USA]
Decriminalising Rap Beat by Beat: Two Questions in Search of Answers by Lambros Fatsis (2023). [Black Creative Expression, Authenticity]
Lyrics in Limine: Rap Music and Criminal Prosecutions by Kelly McGlynn, Jacob Schriner-Briggs, & Jacquelyn Schell (2023). [Evidentiary Purpose, Legal Analysis, Best Practices, USA]
Rap on Trial: Rap Lyrics as Evidence in Criminal Cases by Bennet Herbert (2023). [Historical Analysis, Legal Analysis, Evidentiary Purpose, Best Practices, USA]
From Rhyming Bars to Behind Bars: The Problematic Use of Rap Lyrics in Criminal Proceedings by Lucy Litt (2023). [Evidentiary Purpose, Legal Analysis, Black Creative Expression, USA]
Protecting the Right to a Meaningful Defense: Criminal Trial Storytelling by Annabelle Wilmott (2023). [Jury Bias, Evidentiary Purpose, Case Analysis, Expert Testimony, Gangs, Legal Analysis, Best Practices, USA]
Scrutinising Rap Evidence: Heslop by Abenaa Owusu-Bempah (2023). [Evidentiary Purpose, Character Evidence, Jury Bias, Legal Analysis, Gangs, Case Analysis, UK]
Guilty Pleasure: The Legal, Social Scientific and Feminist Verdict Against Rap by Ummni Khan (2022). [Black Creative Expression, Canada]
“Rap Music on Trial:” Examining the Consequences of Rap Lyrics Being Admissible at Trial by Malik Stewart (2022). [Drill, Legal Analysis, USA]
Prosecuting Rap: What Does the Case Law Tell Us? by Abenaa Owusu-Bempah. [Evidentiary Purpose, Character Evidence, Case Analysis, Authenticity, Legal Analysis, UK]
The Irrelevance of Rap by Abenaa Owusu-Bempah (2022). [Evidentiary Purpose, Legal Analysis, UK]
Sounds Dangerous: Black Music Subcultures as Victims of State Regulation and Social Control by Lambros Fatsis (2021). [UK, Drill, Black Creative Expression]
Rap Music as Evidence: A Prosecutorial Tactics of Institutionalizing Racism by Claire Ruder (2021). [Qualitative Research, Jury Bias, Evidentiary Purpose, Case Analysis, Legal Analysis, UK]
Bars Behind Bars: Rap Lyrics, Character Evidence, and State v. Skinner by Vidhaath Sripathi (2021). [Black Creative Expression, Legal Analysis, Evidentiary Purpose, USA]
Violent Music vs Violence and Music: Drill Rap and Violent Crime in London by Bennett Kleinburg & Paul McFarlane (2020). [Drill, UK, Black Creative Expression, Quantitative Analysis]
Digital Street Culture Decoded: Why Criminalizing Drill Music is Street Illiterate and Counterproductive by Jonathan Ilan (2020). [Black Creative Expression, Historical Analysis, Drill, UK]
Challenging Racist Stereotypes in the UK Justice System by Keir Monteith (2020). [Article, Legal Analysis, UK, Drill]
“Every Rhyme I Write”: Rap Music as Evidence in Criminal Trials by Reyna Araibi (2020). [Legal Analysis, Case Analysis, Jury Bias, Historical Analysis Evidentiary Purpose, USA]
The Extremes of Rap on Trial: An Analysis of the Movement to Ban Rap Lyrics as Evidence by Michael Conklin (2019). [Evidentiary Purpose, Legal Analysis, Best Practices, USA]
Rap on Trial: Race, Lyrics and Guilt in America by Erik Nielson and Andrea Dennis (2019) [Gangs, Evidentiary Purpose, Character Evidence, Case Analysis, Historical Analysis, Jury Bias, Expert Testimony, Legal Analysis, Best Practices, USA]
Policing the Beats: The Criminalisation of UK Drill and Grime Music by the London Metropolitan Police by Lambros Fatsis (2019). [Drill, Gangs, Historical Analysis, Black Creative Expression, UK]
When Music Takes the Stand: A Content Analysis of How Courts Use and Misuse Rap Lyrics in Criminal Cases by Erin Lutes, James Purdon, and Henry F. Fradella (2019). [Quantitative Research, Gangs, Evidentiary Purpose, Legal Analysis, Case Analysis, Character Evidence, USA]
Rap Music, Race, and Perceptions of Crime by Adam Dunbar (2019). [Qualitative Research, Black Creative Expression, Historical Analysis]
Control, Crime and Culture: Rap Lyrics and Videos as Criminal Evidence by Norbert Ebisike (2018). [Jury Bias, Evidentiary Purpose, Gangs, Case Analysis, Admissibility, USA]
A ‘Bad Rap’: R. v. Skeete and the Admissibility of Rap Lyric Evidence by Ngozi Okideghe (2018). [Canada, Evidentiary Purpose, Legal Analysis, Case Analysis, Jury Bias]
Lyrics for Lockups: Using Rap Lyrics to Prosecute in America by Briana Carter (2018). [Historical Analysis, Black Creative Expression, Case Analysis, Legal Analysis, Best Practices, USA]
Rap on Trial: The Case for Nonliteral Interpretation of Rap Lyrics by Dre’Kevius O. Huff (2018). [Legal Analysis, Evidentiary Purpose, Black Creative Expression, USA]
Grime: Criminal Subculture or Public Counterculture? A Critical Investigation into the Criminalization of Black Musical Subcultures in the UK by Lambros Fatsis (2018). [Gangs, Historical Analysis, Black Creative Expression, UK]
Imagining Violent Criminals: An Experimental Investigation of Music Stereotypes and Character Judgments by Adam Dunbar and Charis E. Kubrin (2018). [Quantitative Research, Experimental Research, Jury Bias, USA]
Art or Confession? Evaluating Rap Lyrics as Evidence in Criminal Cases by Adam Dunbar (2018). [Jury Bias, Quantitative Research, Experimental Research, USA]
Rap Lyrics as Evidence: What Can Music Theory Tell Us? by Nicholas Stoia, Kyle Adams, and Kevin Drakulich (2017). [Black Creative Expression, Historical Analysis, Authenticity, USA]
The Threatening Nature of “Rap” Music by Adam Dunbar, Charis E. Kubrin, and Nicholas Scurich (2016). [Experimental Research, Quantitative Research, Jury Bias, USA]
Murder Was the Case That They Gave Me: Defendant’s Rap Lyrics as Evidence in a Criminal Trial by Michael Gregory. [Legal Analysis, Evidentiary Purpose, Case Analysis, Character Evidence, Best Practices, USA]
Rapping Honestly: NaS, Nietzsche, and the Moral Prejudices of Truth by Mukasa Mubirumusoke (2016). [Character Evidence, Authenticity, Black Creative Expression, USA]
R v Campbell: Rethinking the Admissibility of Rap Lyrics in Criminal Cases by David M. Tanovich (2016). [Case Analysis, Legal Analysis, Best Practices, Evidentiary Purpose, Canada]
Rap Music and the True Threats Quagmire: When Does One Man’s Lyric Become Another’s Crime? by Clay Calvert, Emma Morehart, and Sarah Papadelias (2015). [Evidentiary Purpsoe, Legal Analysis, Black Creative Expression, USA]
Beating the Rap by Stephanie Ward (2014). [Case Analysis, Legal Analysis, Evidentiary Purpose, USA]
The ‘Rhyme or Reason’ Behind Prosecutorial Use of Rap Lyrics as Evidence in Criminal Trials by Robert Nothdurft, Jr. (2014). [Legal Analysis, Evidentiary Purpose, USA]
Rap as Threat? The Violent Translation of Music in American Law by Lily E. Hirsch (2014). [Case Analysis, Legal Analysis, Evidentiary Purpose, Authenticity, USA]
Rap on Trial by Charis E. Kubrin and Erik Nielson (2014). [Historical Analysis, Black Creative Expression, Case Analysis, Jury Bias, USA]
Poetic (In)Justice? Rap Music Lyrics as Art, Life, and Criminal Evidence by Andrea Dennis (2007). [Legal Analysis, Case Analysis, Evidentiary Purpose, Black Creative Expression, Best Practices, USA]
Rap Sheets: The Constitutional and Societal Complications Arising from the Use of Rap Lyrics as Evidence at Criminal Trials by Sean-Patrick Wilson (2005). [Black Creative Expression, Historical Analysis, Authenticity, Evidentiary Purpose, Legal Analysis, Jury Bias, USA]
The Freedom to Speak and the Freedom to Listen: The Admissibility of the Criminal Defendant’s Taste in Entertainment by Helen A. Anderson (2004). [Evidentiary Purpose, Legal Analysis, USA]
Gangsta’ Rap and a Murder in Bakersfield by Stuart P. Fischoff (1999). [Experimental Research, Quantitative Research, Case Analysis, Jury Bias, USA]
Who’s Afraid of Rap: Differential Reactions to Music Lyrics by Carrie B. Fried (1999). [Experimental Research, Quantitative Research, USA]
Bad Rap for Rap: Bias in Reactions to Music Lyrics by Carrie B. Fried (1996). [Black Creative Expression, Quantitative Research, Experimental Research, USA]
Introduction: Discourse of Violence by Patricia O’Connor (1995). [Black Creative Expression, Qualitative Research, USA]
* Scholarly articles provided for educational purposes only. Not intended for distribution.