Johnston Tobey Baruch managing shareholder Chad Baruch is featured in a new KERA report examining a Dallas judge’s decision to limit the use of rapper Yella Beezy’s lyrics as evidence in his upcoming murder-for-hire trial.
The case centers on Markies Conway, known professionally as Yella Beezy, who is charged with allegedly arranging the 2020 killing of fellow Dallas rapper MO3. Prosecutors sought to introduce several of Conway’s songs and social media posts as evidence, arguing they were relevant to the case. Following a pretrial hearing, the court ruled that most of the lyrics would be excluded, while allowing limited portions of two songs to be presented to the jury.
Mr. Baruch, who authored an amicus brief to the U.S. Supreme Court on behalf of rappers Killer Mike and T.I. addressing the use of rap lyrics in criminal proceedings, told KERA there is no bright-line rule governing when lyrics should be admitted.
“If Johnny Cash were accused of murder, no one would let them introduce the lyric that he shot a man in Reno just to watch him die,” Mr. Baruch said, referencing Cash’s classic song Folsom Prison Blues. “Anytime you’re treating rap differently than other art forms, you’re almost inevitably treating Black performers differently than other performers.”
Read the full report “Most of Yella Beezy’s rap lyrics can’t be used as evidence in murder-for-hire trial, judge rules.”