| A self-described rap aesthete, I have long absorbed the musical genre's latest developments — groundbreaking beats, innovative taglines and industry news — with a fervor. Accordingly, I remember the day rappers Young Thug and Gunna were arrested on gang-related charges. It was in May, just a few months after Gunna dropped his third studio album, "DS4Ever," featuring collaborations from other legends in the industry: Future, 21 Savage, Lil Baby and Young Thug, among others. In the past decade, all five Atlanta rappers have steered the trajectory of trap — a subgenre of rap defined not only by its brilliant synth and hypnotic bass, but also by its profound politics and scathing social commentary. Cultural critic and scholar Jesse McCarthy meditates on the subgenre's impact in his compelling 2018 essay, "Notes on Trap." "Trap," he writes, "is the only music that sounds like what living in contemporary America feels like." In May, Young Thug and Gunna were charged with conspiracy and street gang activity under Georgia's Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act. Some of the evidence used against them? Their lyrics. The two trap artists — whose recent hit with Future, "pushin P" (synonymous with "keeping it real" or "acting with integrity," according to Gunna), went viral on social media — have been accused of gang activity in part based on various song lyrics that boast about violent activity that prosecutors claim attest to their role in gang-related murders and home invasions. There is a long history of using lyrics against rappers charged with criminal activity, from Snoop Dogg in the 1990s to Young Thug and Gunna in 2022. But the state of California recently became the first in the country to mandate protections against using a rapper's "creative output" — including lyrics and music videos — as evidence to prove they are guilty of a crime. Washington Post general assignment reporter Kim Bellware has the story. Thanks for reading About US, and see you Friday.  (MARK J. TERRILL/AP) Lyrics have been used in criminal cases against rappers Snoop Dogg, Young Thug, Gunna and more. California now restricts that practice. By Kim Bellware ● Read more » | | | |
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