The Threatening Nature of "Rap"

• In Event: Nontradition Look at Traditional Forms of Injustice

Abstract

Rap music, a form of artistic expression that prioritizes black voices, has had a historically contentious relationship with the legal system. Recently, rap lyrics have been introduced by prosecutors in order to establish guilt at trial, and fears have been expressed that the lyrics will be interpreted as literal, threatening, and dangerous because of the use of stereotypes. Few studies have examined the possibility that rap lyrics are evaluated using stereotypes; these were conducted in the 1990s – a period of heightened scrutiny for rap music – and used non-optimal methods. To replicate and extend this research, our first two experiments manipulated the musical genre (rap vs country vs. no genre) while holding constant the lyrics and had participants evaluate the content. In study 3, the race of the artist was included (black or white). Across the studies, participants deemed identical lyrics more literal, offensive, and in greater need of regulation when they were described as rap compared to country or when no genre was specified, regardless of the songwriter’s ascribed race (study 3). These findings highlight the possibility that rap lyrics could inappropriately impact jurors when admitted as evidence to prove guilt, which may perpetuate the policing of black communities.

Authors

• Adam Dunbar, University of California, Irvine

• Charis Kubrin, University of California, Irvine

• Nicholas Scurich, University of California-Irvine