Rap lyrics are verbal jousting, court told

Researcher called in expulsion case

August 20, 2005|Associated Press

PITTSBURGH -- The violent rap lyrics that got their teenage author expelled from school are typical of a genre that emphasizes verbal jousting, not necessarily a prelude to violence, a researcher told a federal judge.

Anthony Latour, 14, was expelled from the eighth grade in May for the lyrics, which he wrote outside of school. The American Civil Liberties Union is trying to get him reinstated when classes begin Aug. 31 at the Riverside Beaver County School District.

At a hearing Thursday, ACLU lawyer Kim Watterson said Latour's words, although violent, had to be taken in context of ''battle rap," a genre in which rappers try to outdo one another by the ''flexing of lyrical muscles."

To make her case, she called Bakari Kitwana, an author of three books on hip-hop culture. Chief US District Judge Donetta Ambrose seemed appreciative.

''Probably of anyone in this room, I am the least familiar with hip-hop culture," said Ambrose.

Kitwana said rap vocabulary is misunderstood by people unfamiliar with hip-hop. Battle rap ''can get pretty nasty in terms of the language," he said, but the words don't lead to violence. ''It's absolutely a verbal challenge," he said.

One line in Latour's song says: ''So watch what you say about me, I'm everywhere son, And the word of mouth is that I'm carrying guns."

School officials learned of Latour's writings in March and contacted police.

Advertisement
Advertisement
© 2012 NY Times Co.
Your Ad Choices
|
Privacy Policy
|
Contact Boston.com
|
Index by Date
|
Index by Keyword