Rap Lyrics on Trial By Erik Nielson and Charis E. Kubrin The New York Times Jan. 13, 2014 1 SHOULD rap lyrics be used in court as evidence of a crime? 2 Next week, the Supreme Court of New Jersey will hear a case that could help decide just that. At issue is a prosecutor's extensive use of rap lyrics, composed by a man named Vonte Skinner, as evidence of his involvement in a 2005 shooting. 3 During Mr. Skinner's trial in 2008, the prosecutor read the jury 13 pages of violent lyrics written by Mr. Skinner, even though all of the lyrics were composed before the shooting (in some cases, years before) and none of them mentioned the victim or specific details about the crime. 4 In keeping with rap's "gangsta" subgenre, the lyrics read like an ode to violent street life, with lines like "In the hood, I am a threat / It's written on my arm and signed in blood on my Tech" a reference to a Tec-9 handgun. "I'm in love with you, death." 5 The other evidence against Mr. Skinner was largely testimony from witnesses who changed their stories multiple times. And yet, the jury found him guilty of attempted murder, and he was sentenced to 30 years in prison. 6 But in 2012, the conviction was overturned by an appellate court that ruled that the lyrics should never have been admitted as evidence. The majority opinion stated, "We have a significant doubt about whether the jurors would have found defendant guilty if they had not been required to listen to the extended reading of these disturbing and highly prejudicial lyrics." The state appealed the ruling to the Supreme Court. 7 Mr. Skinner