Art Not Evidence’s new spoken word film challenges use of rap lyrics in UK courts
Art Not Evidence has released a new spoken word film, challenging the use of rap lyrics in UK courts. You can watch this below.
The video stars Leicester-based poet, arts leader, and campaigner Ty’rone Haughton, who performs his piece ’16s to Life’ from a jury box and prison wing. The clip aims to raise awareness about the dangers of removing music from cultural and artistic contexts, and taking creative output as fact.
“Rap isn’t a documentary. It’s performance, exaggeration and imagination, inspired by what’s around us, but not a record of events. The danger comes when people in power choose to ignore that and decide to read art as evidence,” said Haughton, who first shared his spoken word piece at an event last summer which raised money and awareness for Art Not Evidence.
The campaign launched in 2023 following a rise in the submission of lyrics as evidence in British courts. According to research at the time, 70 trials involving more than 240 defendants featured ‘rap evidence’, with the majority of defendants young, Black men and teenagers.
The organisation has garnered support from MPs such as Nadia Whittome and Kim Johnson, barrister and human rights activist Baroness Shami Chakrabarti, and DJ Annie Mac. In 2024, UK rapper Giggs also threw weight behind the movement.
“Creative expression does not exist in a vacuum,” said a spokesperson from the Stephen Lawrence Research Centre at De Montfort University, Leicester, which funded this latest project. Haughton is an alumni of the institution.
“When art is removed from its cultural and social context, it can be dangerously misunderstood, with real consequences for individuals and communities,” the statement continued. “This film powerfully reminds us why institutions must approach creative work with care, understanding and responsibility.”
Revisit DJ Mag’s 2020 feature exploring the UK legal project fighting the use of rap lyrics in court here.
