Rapper Travis Scott tells US Supreme Court use of rap lyrics to give death sentence was unconstitutional
Travis Scott has spoken out in support of a Texas death row inmate whose rap lyrics were used as evidence during sentencing, arguing that using the lyrics to justify capital punishment violates constitutional protections.
The case involves James Broadnax, who was 19 years old when prosecutors said he k!lled two men during a robbery in Garland. In 2009, a jury convicted him of double murder and sentenced him to death.
During the sentencing phase of the trial, prosecutors introduced Broadnax’s handwritten rap lyrics as evidence after the conviction had already been secured. The nearly all-white jury reportedly reviewed about 40 pages of lyrics while deliberating whether he should receive the death penalty.
Prosecutors argued that the themes of the lyrics, which referenced robbery, violence and drug dealing, demonstrated that Broadnax posed an ongoing danger to society and was likely to commit more crimes in the future. Based on this argument, the jury imposed the death sentence.
Broadnax is currently scheduled to be executed on April 30, but his legal team has asked the Supreme Court of the United States to halt the execution and review the case. An amicus brief supporting Broadnax was filed by Scott’s lawyer, Alex Spiro, arguing that using rap lyrics as evidence of future violence effectively punishes artistic expression.
The brief stated that prosecutors suggested Broadnax would remain dangerous simply because he performed what they described as “gangster rap,” an argument the filing says amounts to an unconstitutional penalty based on the content of music.
According to the filing, removing rap lyrics from their artistic context risks criminalising the entire genre by treating creative expression as literal evidence of criminal intent.
Several other prominent hip-hop artists have also supported the appeal, including T.I., Young Thug, Killer Mike and Fat Joe, who joined briefs urging the court to reconsider the use of lyrics as courtroom evidence.
The Supreme Court has not yet ruled on whether it will hear the case or pause the scheduled execution.
