Rap lyrics being used as evidence in criminal cases isn’t a new phenomenon, but 50 Cent wants to remind artists about the dangers of self-incrimination.
The G-Unit boss shared a screenshot of an article exploring the use of rap lyrics in trials and issued a warning to his fellow rappers in the post’s caption. 50 quoted some of his own bars in the PSA, referencing a few lines from his 2003 song “Heat.”
“i told you in 03 /i do what i gotta do/ i don’t care if i get caught/the DA can play this mother fucking tape in court/i’ll kill you HEAT,” he wrote. “(This is not new) if you say crazy shit on these records they are gonna use it. if you in a gang on the song then you in the gang when the indictment come fool. LOL.”
The story in 50’s screencap delved into the case of Drakeo The Ruler, who has been charged with criminal gang conspiracy and shooting from a motor vehicle. Although the West Coast rapper was acquitted of murder and attempted murder charges, he’s still facing 25 years to life in prison in a second trial.
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In a Genius interview published on Monday (March 23), Drakeo discussed the reality of having his own lyrics used against him.
“This shit has been going on forever, bro,” he said. “It’s not the way that people think, where it’s like, ‘Oh! If he said this in the rap, he’s gonna do it.’ The rap game is not as gangster as people think it is. This shit is for entertainment.”
Drakeo noted, “When I said, ‘RJ was tied up in the back of a car,’ was RJ actually tied up in the back of the car? They take this shit too literally. It’s not that serious. When these niggas are shooting up schools and smashing cars, I bet you they’re not listening to rap music when they’re doing that shit.”
Revisit 50’s “Heat” below.