Rappers coming under fire for the explicit content of their lyrics isn't anything new. Cam'Ron and Bill O'Reilly taught us that on national television. Certain media pundits will always have their conservative, less enthusiastic take on hip-hop—just last week, the Washington Post ran this headline after the Shady CXVPHER: "How Eminem uses misogyny to sell records." For a media member to view hip-hop as a societal negative is one thing, but as seen in the ABC News report above and other recent coverage, the content of rap songs is starting to have legal ramifications too.
San Diego rapper Tiny Doo, a man who allegedly has gang affiliations but no criminal record, is facing an attempted murder charge—and it's all because he just released an album. Along with 14 other gang members, Tiny Doo has faced the first day of a two-day preliminary hearing to decide whether or not the case should move to trial.
Now, Tiny Doo isn't alleged to have ties to the attempted murder in any way, but prosecutors are using a little-known law to bring him onboard. A state law that was passed in 2000 allows for the prosecution of gang members if they benefit from crimes committed by other gang members. In the case of Tiny Doo, the prosecutor is arguing that the shooting in question raised the gang's profile, which in turn helped sell more copies of Tiny Doo's album.
Deputy District Attorney Anthony Campagna was blunt in his feelings for No Safety: "We're not just talking about a CD of anything, of love songs. We're talking about a CD [cover]... there is a revolver with bullets." We'll update with more details when they become available.
[via ABC 10 News]
