{"product_id":"rap-on-trial-erik-nielson-9781620973400","title":"Rap on Trial: Race, Lyrics, and Guilt in America","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eA groundbreaking exposé about the alarming use of rap lyrics as criminal evidence to convict and incarcerate young men of color\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eShould Johnny Cash have been charged with murder after he sang, \"I shot a man in Reno just to watch him die\"? Few would seriously subscribe to this notion of justice. Yet in 2001, a rapper named Mac whose music had gained national recognition was convicted of manslaughter after the prosecutor quoted liberally from his album \u003cem\u003eShell Shocked\u003c\/em\u003e. Mac was sentenced to thirty years in prison, where he remains. And his case is just one of many nationwide.\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eOver the last three decades, as rap became increasingly popular, prosecutors saw an opportunity: they could present the sometimes violent, crime-laden lyrics of amateur rappers as confessions to crimes, threats of violence, evidence of gang affiliation, or revelations of criminal motive--and judges and juries would go along with it. Detectives have reopened cold cases on account of rap lyrics and videos alone, and prosecutors have secured convictions by presenting such lyrics and videos of rappers as autobiography. Now, an alarming number of aspiring rappers are imprisoned. No other form of creative expression is treated this way in the courts.\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eRap on Trial\u003c\/em\u003e places this disturbing practice in the context of hip hop history and exposes what's at stake. It's a gripping, timely exploration at the crossroads of contemporary hip hop and mass incarceration.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/b\u003e Erik Nielson, Andrea Dennis\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-10:\u003c\/b\u003e 1620973405\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-13:\u003c\/b\u003e 9781620973400\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e New Press\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eLanguage:\u003c\/b\u003e English\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 11\/12\/2019\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 224\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eFormat:\u003c\/b\u003e Hardcover\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 0.80lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 8.40h x 5.70w x 1.00d\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eReview Citation(s): \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eLibrary Journal\u003c\/i\u003e 10\/01\/2019 pg. 112\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eBooklist\u003c\/i\u003e 11\/01\/2019 pg. 8","brand":"Erik Nielson","offers":[{"title":"Hardcover","offer_id":44044136022271,"sku":"9781620973400","price":24.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0662\/2982\/9887\/files\/img_b7a96cab-07c1-48b6-a34a-2fd1228ce208.jpg?v=1684971141","url":"https:\/\/www.whiterainbookhouse.com\/products\/rap-on-trial-erik-nielson-9781620973400","provider":"WR Book House","version":"1.0","type":"link"}