Yella Beezy’s lawyers have objected to the use of rap lyrics ahead of her Mo3 murder trial, which is due to start in August.
The Texas rapper appeared in a Dallas court for a preliminary hearing on Thursday (July 17), where the judge heard arguments over whether to admit Yella Beezy’s lyrics as evidence. According to local news station WFAA, the rapper’s defense team called Dr. Eric Nelson, a professor at the University of Richmond who has been studying the use of rap lyrics in criminal cases for years.
Nielsen confirms that rappers adopt exaggerated personas and carefully draw the line between entertainment and reality. He compared rappers to wrestlers and warned that using the lyrics in a trial could unfairly bias the jury.
“People find rap lyrics to be more literal than country song lyrics,” he testified, citing a study. “If they say, ‘I did this or I did that’ … it sounds like a direct admission of guilt. It’s the perfect way to send people to jail for something they didn’t do.”
Investigators believe the case is based not just on rap lyrics but also on witness statements, physical evidence, wiretaps, social media posts and more.
Beezy is back in court today (July 17). After arguments from both sides, the judge will decide whether to allow the song to be played at the trial.
Yella Beezy has been charged with murder and accused of paying someone to kill Mo3 in 2020 as part of an ongoing feud. Beezy’s trial is currently scheduled to begin on August 24.
Watch WFAA’s coverage of the Yella Beezy hearing
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C-Murder, Max B, BG, etc.
