Bankroll Freddie Loses Appeal As Court Allows Rap Lyrics As Evidence

Bankroll Freddie just lost his appeal to overturn convictions that’ll keep him locked up for over a decade, and the court’s reasoning about his rap lyrics is raising serious questions about how Hip-Hop gets used against artists in the courtroom.

An Eighth Circuit panel ruled that his marijuana and firearms convictions stand solid, saying his lyrics were fair game as evidence because they showed he understood drug and gun terminology.

The decision came down hard on the Arkansas rapper, who’s currently serving 12.5 years at FCI Yazoo City Low after a 2022 arrest that turned up 21 pounds of high-grade marijuana, $33,662 in cash, and multiple firearms.

The court’s logic here is where things get tricky for the Hip-Hop community.

Prosecutors used his own words from his music to prove he knew what he was talking about when it came to narcotics and weapons, treating his lyrics like a confession written in bars and hooks.

The panel found that the lyrics accurately demonstrated his knowledge of the terminology associated with the crimes he was charged with.

This approach has become increasingly common in federal cases, where prosecutors argue that rappers’ detailed descriptions of street life constitute admissions of guilt rather than artistic expression or storytelling.

It’s currently playing out in two blockbuster trials right now for Lil Durk and Yella Beezy, who both face life in prison over murder-for-hire charges