Will Smith Cosigns Using Lyrics Against Rappers In Court?

Some people should be smart enough to exclude what they talk about in there songs, so nobody can get mad at Will for even stating that he supports it cause the people putting the lyrics out are supporting getting caught for stuff that shouldn’t even be broadcasted just my opinion though

Tbh the whole music/entertainment world is broken beyond repair….. u got scammers acting like trappers, anybody can get on a track and be a killer as long as it sound good… the entertainment world is doing exactly what it’s designed to do “serve entertainment” but the entertainment has also become ah world of chaos and the music we listen to is the tool of destruction…… Yall better wake up and Never Sleep Again……

It’s sad that art can’t be reflective of the life we live without it being used as a platform against us. As artist we paint the picture of the images given to us through life and it’s a reflection of our environment. As we grow those images change and so does the art. But the artist needs the opportunity to grow and often the images they’ve been given are the very ones the labels want them to paint in the first place.

Interesting comparison. It all depends on who you feel like the aggressor or person in power (Will Smith or Federal Judge) owes loyalty to. Because all in all Will slapped Chris because of his loyalty to his wife , it was still a mistake but that’s what happened. If a Federal judge feels loyalty to white supremacists who he or she may be peers with or he or she is feeling heavy pressure by to make a certain decision or send the rap community a message ; then they’ll sentence someone to jail for a verse. It’s wrong, but it’ll still happen .

Wow this is a though one but I honestly do feel like rap lyrics should not be used in court

I didn’t see anything wrong with what Chris Rock said. Chris Rock said Jada I love you and can’t wait for G.I. Jane part 2. Honestly I feel it was staged.

I love this question, and I love how it's posed. I think it's also interesting to note how Jay-Z and Meek Mill are fighting for justice where our lyrics are used against us from a legal standpoint, especially while there are people who feel they are fighting for justice in the street by taking rappers' lives into their own hands for speaking about the same topics.
The way I see it at the end of the day is that there are ways that they try to tell us to be privately (especially men, to try to suppress our feelings) while we're supposed to paint this public perception that is just as damaging if we want to talk about "representation" in modern terms. What happened on the Academy Awards' stage was human! I am happy we have gotten to see that kind of man on a public platform, it has clearly sparked a heartfelt conversation between so many of us. We whether relate (which most guys do) or we see it (which men and women can see).

The only reason this is even a debate is because of the whole Oscars debacle. Lets keep it real...those of us who really did it...had to grind and hustle etc...often times we are not super proud of what we had to do to survive. Definitely not gone go tell the world in a song down to the day and time of the crime. This is no different than rappers who go live from the Re Up lol if they are dumb enough to give insight into their activities online where its obvious there are police listening, posing and looking...then they deserve what they get and we cant blame Will for their actions. However Will has lost his ability to speak on issues of accountability until he can make his wife have accountability for her actions which provokes others to act negatively

I do feel as though he was justified in a sense because Jada had just heart felt moment sharing her story with the world about her hair. The joke was made in public so they consequence was fair to be made public as well. I don’t believe the lyrics thing is cool though. Many artist are stretching truths to make a better prescence musically because I’m all honesty that’s what’s makes a better sell to today’s society. I don’t believe they should be able to use the lyrics in court as evidence on one hand but on the other it is incriminating, a thing I can’t really understand as it is. A lot of Today’s youth are being raised by their peers and we wonder why we not moving forward in a sense.

Just my personal opinion. I think when it comes to the lyrics being used in court, we have freedom of expression, you have the right to free speech BUT if you are dumb enough to rap about REAL CRIMES (give specific details to a crime in your record of an open case) and flaunt that in your song, you snitched on yourself already and the consequences are what they are. It's a very slippery slope but we all know the police is paying attention that's nothing new to our genre.
When it comes to the slap...I'm torn. Do I think rock should have been slapped, yes (a man can defend his wife however he sees fit) ..do I think it should have been on stage at that moment live during an awards show, no.

What is most sad is that, from any point of view they can all be considered a victim. But in the same they can be considered a villain. When you look at drill music that music is literally just these kids sharing their testimony of what they have experienced in their life and in their hood. But on the flipside, they are literally snitching on themselves for the very things they’ve had to do in order to survive in the lifestyle. Some of them, that lifestyle was a choice. Some of them that lifestyle was forced upon them. And for others, that lifestyle is what they avoid but it is all that they see.
I don’t believe that artistic freedom should be able to excuse everything. Because you also have an obvious public threat when Kanye West made a song and a music video killing Pete Davidson.

My opinion: what was said verbally should have been met with a verbal defense. There was no physical action behind Chris rocks words. We could try to chalk this up to a crime of passion but many people have gotten jail time because of that.

if someone is straight dry snitching in their song for a crime they actually did, then I think it’s fair to present the lyrics in court. Like if the crime matches up perfectly with the lyrics, but it’s nuanced because some people do stretch their lyrics and could be convicted for something they didn’t do. Also, the crimes that some rappers commit are life altering things. Like murder, drugs in the community, sexual assault, etc.

IMO It’s a false equivalent to compare this with the slap. Will should’ve had way more finesse and used his talents to handle the situation but I agree with him defending his wife in general. I don’t think someone slapping someone ONCE equates to the crimes that some rappers have legitimately committed, like Melly.

I need to see more rappers speaking against the violence in the streets instead of trying to “free” their niggas who legitimately have done messed up things in the community.

First off you have absolutely got to understand that Will and Jada got the whole world already making fun of them on they other thing, and I’m not even tryna get into that because that’s really supposed to be that they personal thing. But is everybody forreal going to act like we don’t know bro probably got some seriously pent up anger by this point? This has to be apart of that convo without question. How long has he specifically been poked at now since that thing happened? I’m surprised it just happened, I wouldn’t be surprised if it ain’t the first lil thing, this just the one we seen. I’m not defending Will by any means, he a grown ass man and can do that himself no doubts. But Chris Rock said some slick ish knowing that Will been the butt of the joke for years now. Chris Rock fucked up but as far as I’m concerned Will Smith handled it, done. Now im not quite sure how you figure that because somebody thinks Chris Rock got what he asked for then they automatically think it’s straight too use an artists expression of self against them in court is okay but bruh your math on that is wack. The human mind let alone our belief systems are infinitely more complex than all that. I’m not even the guy to be getting into the science bits no cap but I’m here to let you know this Kel, and imma make this real simple. There arent really any absolute correlations in between any 2 human beliefs that come to mind but if there was, since when do we stereotype like that? How does someone thinking this automatically because they think that? Why is an artist that has successfully found a niche, and usually found his way out of a bad situation always stereotyped as a criminal? No doubts, lots of artists have done dirt but in most cases that was really more of a situational thing. After you start scooping checks, are you forreals going to still going to risk it for the biscuit like that? I don’t think many of the rappers that say things are even rocking like that anymore, they ain’t stupid or they wouldn’t be in that position in the first place. Tell me, how exactly does one thing automatically guarantee another like this new theory is suggesting. I stay with an unpopular opinion but please feel free to explain the reasoning behind the theory, cuz maybe I’m just built different but Will is straight for that and no it’s not cool to use either lyrics or music videos that have been delivered for profit as evidence in any case against any artist regardless of stature.

Will Smith is "dead ass wrong!" He will not be able to take this back no matter how he comes. Cosigning bullshit to take the weight off his short comings? We all got them dude! One thing you won't do is pull the wool over the eyes of your own culture. By doing this he just insulted where he came from. Rapping! Most rappers have looked up to him and now he will side to persecute as well as prosecute artists for lyrics. Incredible, Smith spoke of protection and the job he had to do. Nobody asked for but the eyes of his wife. We ALL know he laughed at her!!! He's in fear of his own actions. If Smith wants the music world against him, then taking that stand will do just that. Somebody should smack him now.

Art imitates life! As an Artist myself, I get lyrics from life experience but I’m not about to form bars about a murder I’ve committed. That’s just dumb. You felt the need to brag about it. That’s your own doing. Like be real about it!!! I don’t support the slap either! I understand it but that’s opening a whole entire different bag of circumstances

Fresh price for the fresh prince. Yea tbh I would rather have never seen will I’n either light really. However will has never really been a gangster type. Barely believable when he plays one. I think that would take everyone away from the industry. Everytime something becomes illegal there is them and there created an aleggedly dangerous ever growing black mark. Perverbally

Who dafuckm I tho

First and foremost,with every action there is a reaction.If Will as the individual can commit to a action and respectfully live with the reaction .the out come is his a lone to place judgement as a reward or penalty depending on his state of mind .However for all of us on the outside looking in he acted unprofessional.However the key thing everybody forgot is he is human.Nobody was ever born professional.Self control is a learned practice just like riding a bike even professional bicyclists may ride different under the influence of alcohol and peer pressure on a issue that’s very alive in his families world.However his actions went dis according with rules and regulations .Not meeting the standards of the event at hand,however Chris Rock is a man who personally knows will and jada for years so her hair loss difficulties was not a secret to Chris which probably added fuel this fire,the fact of the matter Will smith situation was a direct emotional action and rap lyrics are just words.Which has the potential to be true however if hard evidence suck as actual direct information in the lyrics are not present lyrics should not be criticized as criminal.hip hop is a art of verbal expression base on the act of words not actions. words can influence actions however under the US constitution words expression is a natural right of all human beings to own , not a crime

Organic artistry is a craving. As an artist I pride myself on providing life experiences that listeners can feel or learn from. I expect the same for music that I listen to as well. If the tone isn't right, I'm moving to the next believable substance possible. Basically this law is going to put a lot of fake gangsters in jail. Let them go, pass the law! Will and Chris new the factors of walking on that stage, just know the outcome of walking in that booth telling the TRUTH! OR stay off the MIC!

Furthermore, as much as I love Wil & Jada, annnndddd Chris, even though he may think everyone hates him (Everyone Hates Chris/sitcom)🤣🤣🤣 But this incident has definitely portrayed something that is nerve wrecking and gut wrenching in my eyes, CardiB said it best, “Anything for clout! I can’t believe for it to be anything more than a stunt, a stunt that is turning the world upside down, or at least shaking it’s course. Was it real? Was it fake? I don’t know, but the world can’t stop talking about it, many influencers on Tiktok and everywhere are using it as the punchline of their jokes, people are creating memes/lyrics/skits/etc in it’s likeness, so honestly this has a good outcome for some, but when it goes as far as affecting or changing the judicial system, in my opinion this 💩 has gone too far! Makes ya wonder/ask; how bad/low are the numbers? If not the numbers then what? What could have influenced this? Stunt or not….

Ok so I find this to be a multi facetted topic. On one hand I can understand that idea of artistic expression being misused in due process in reference to lyrics used in an indictment against an artist which isn't ideal seeing as there is a lot of gray area when it comes to the veil, however this wasn't open ended. This man literally directed his attention and energy into degrading a women for a skin condition that is genetic by nature. I also don't feel it was random either I feel like it was intentional especially considering the situation the Smith family went through. I can see the correlation in the two subjects however on the other hand I do think the situation could have been handled much differently. This is national television and Will Smith is a notable icon just like Chris Rock. That one moment of anger and aggression could and may have very well jeopardized his career, however many know that Will is not that type of individual so that should also speak volumes about how that "joke", if it even was a joke was taken by not only another comedian but also his family and many other people who advocate for human rights in regards to people of color. To be honest its really not for us as on lookers to even make a decision on. We weren't there and we don't know the relationship between the two individuals. I think that more time should be spent working on ourselves and our own personal communities instead of watching and commenting on there peoples lives that we have no idea about.

This is one of the most loony analogies ever! Not that violence should have been used, but this was not just a bad joke. G.I. Jane was clearly overboard as far as the jokes go, but there is no way rap lyrics should be used in court! It's a reason they are called "artist". Most of the music I heard growing up was fiction and we all know it's majority fiction. Since the inception of blues/folk music over a hundred years ago, music has been understood to be possibly contain fiction. Many soul/gospel songs spoke of things the singer could never have seen or done. There was always fictitious, hyperbole, and exaggeration-laced themes in the music. I remember Will's music being boo'd on 106 & park as a young child. Back then I didn't understand. I think I get it now.

It's a free country, you can say whatever you want to say, but you also have to bear the consequences of whatever you say. If that includes getting the taste slapped out of your mouth, then so be it. I personally don't agree with Smith hitting Rock because Rock didn't even write the joke but Chris Rock has been talking shit about black women for years so I won't lose any sleep over his little ugly ass getting hit. Anyhoo, if you are dumb enough to admit to a crime in a song, then you deserve to go to jail.

"I don't really care... There are babies getting blown up in Ukraine right now. We should be talking about that."

Upon first impression I was like "Will, you know that was some bitch shit right? you done puffed up and swung on the smallest guy in the room " This was before I found out about the alopecia and saw the tear filled speech. I might be a little desensitized but even after that I'm like "Will, I understand... I understand that you let your wife's emotionally manipulative pull on you to do some stupid shit."

Was Chris wrong? No. Even if he knew she had alopecia? No. he wasn't. He's a comedian and sometimes his jokes are mean, sometimes its harsh sometimes they're a little corny but that's the genius of Chris Rock and the integrity of comedy... anything goes and someone is gonna laugh. Will on the other hand a pioneer and golden boy of hip hop and entertainment possibilities has just been proven to be human. This experience humanized him in such a way that it broke some people's belief system about his perfect persona. Mostly white actors and entertainers are shocked, appalled, disgusted at this very human moment of weakness and bad emotional management because they feel like "damnit, you were the one black guy that made me believe hey, (shrugs) maybe black people aren't so bad... curse you Will Smith you're a fraud!!" Will's crown is tarnished. All he has to do is polish it and it starts with the self realization that "Self, you gotta stop letting that manipulative woman control my/your emotions." I mean for God's sake he believes that the 3 years he spent planning a phenomenal 40 year birthday bash for the woman he adores was a selfish gesture because she says so. What a f***** narcissist! Will, you deserve better son, and don't touch my boy Rock no more. Check yoself fool!!!

Ummm, now that I got that out the way let me answer the question at hand. Rappers need to stop rapping about that bullshit. There used to be a code and because there's no longer one being upheld mfs are destroying themselves by being stupid. You don't talk about your crimes on a mic PERIODT! If that's the choice you made, you deserve the blowback because you need to learn one of the most important rules about crime. STFU because the consequences are real, this is not GTA. Discernment as to whether lines in a rap are circumstantially similar to a real crime because you're talking about and glorifying fake, made up crimes in the name of art (or a sellout paycheck because b**** you really ain't about that) is a risk you take. Find a way to be authentic and quit adding to the body count of young impressionable, rebellious youth who believe your fake ass is real or think your stupid ass is cool. Bring the codes back to the streets and hip hop as a totality and we can write songs about the wack ass hip hop police. Time to change the direction of hip hop to something more legacy worthy and honorable.

I think Will has a point but that same litigation could impede one’s right to express oneself albeit musically however we can’t have our people murdering opps then dropping songs about it either. I say if you dumb enough to do all that and get hemmed up then you deserve whatever sentence you get. Let ‘em rap.

Will should have checked him in private if it was really that deep but I get he's been going threw a lot with his woman so he's mad sensitive at this point. that slap was for all the memes and jokes from the world, Chris was just a easy target

Everyone has a right to their speech and behaviors. The consequences have a right as well. However, with anything that one does or says is up for grabs in public opinion. I don't think its right to use lyrics against artist. What if all the 90's gangsta rappers was charged with their lyrics? There would be no music moguls today, because they would be jailed. In country music they sing about the same thing and no one gets locked up. Here is link to an article. So if we hold some hold ALL accountable. IF not sit down and be humble.

https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-lists/killer-songs-the-10-creepiest-country-murder-ballads-151986/lefty-frizzell-long-black-veil-2-88528/

While I am glad that Will Smith apologized for his actions and took accountability by resigning from the Academy, I do not think that one mistake in a moment of anger should be the end of an otherwise impressive life and career. This is especially true considering the number of celebrities who have done far worse: Harvey Weinstein, Bill Cosby, Phil Spector, Lou Perlman, Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis, Mel Gibson, Marilyn Manson, so forth. That being said, I have carefully thought about the situation and I find myself more in Chris Rock's camp.

Chris Rock is a comedian, it's what he does. He makes wisecracks at the people around him and stirs up a reaction. His shtick has always been to be kind of obnoxious, and most people just laugh along with it. It's like having your song parodied by Weird Al Yankovic, once someone is throwing a jab at you, you know you've hit the big time, so just laugh along with it.

I realize that not all jokes are the same, some are more hurtful than others. But all things considered, is this the worst or most offensive joke that someone could have made at your expense? Not by a long shot, Michael Richards's angry, racist tirade at The Laugh Factory comes to mind. Had Rock singled out Jada for an entire slew of jokes, I would have seen his point, as at that point it would have been bullying. One joke that you laughed at yourself? Let it go! Don't let one uncomfortable moment ruin your big night.

That brings us to the next problem: Will Smith's actions overshadowed the rest of the evening, including his own award for Best Actor! This is a major moment that we should all be celebrating: Not only is a former member of the first rap group to win a Grammy now the winner of the Oscar for Best Actor, but he is now one of only a few non-white actors to win the Oscar for Best Actor or Best Actress. Additionally, this is someone who rose from rapper, to popular sitcom actor, to blockbuster movie star, to finally being an Oscar winner. Smith has been around for so long that it's easy to forget just how talented he actually is. It also overshadowed the accomplishments of the other winners that night, and the fact that the ceremony was hosted by three women for the first time ever.

I really think that Rock took the high in the aftermath. For one thing, he didn't press charges, and even laughed at the situation by saying it was going to become the greatest Oscar's ceremony in history. Additionally, he forgave Smith of the incident, rather than turning it into a public feud. Finally, he actually apologized to the hostesses of the ceremony, claiming that it was supposed to be their big night, but the fallout from his joke took attention away from their big moment. He genuinely felt remorseful for something that wasn't even his fault. He showed that he could be the bigger person. I just wish that Smith could have taken the high road as well. If the joke Rock made about his wife's hair was too personal, he could have gestured for him to cut it out, or had a very serious conversation with him about it backstage after the ceremony, use it as a teachable moment. We got no teachable moment out of the incident.

Another way the incident did damage was to Smith's own reputation. For years, he has been known as a Hollywood nice guy, but when we saw him slap another respected celebrity, whom Jada and Will Smith have both worked with in the past (Rock guest-starred in an episode of The Fresh Prince of Bel Air, and Chris Rock and Jada have both voiced characters in the Madagascar films), it made us all ask ourselves if it was all played as an act. For those of us who grew up during the 1990s, Will Smith was the one rapper who was PG-rated enough that we could play his music on family road trips and our lame, white, suburban parents wouldn't get offended. Here he was now dropping f-bombs on live television. The actress who played the original Aunt Viv on The Fresh Prince refused to sign on for a fourth season, because she claimed Smith was too arrogant to work with; in one fell swoop many of us were starting to think that she might have been onto something. When officials at the event ask you to leave and you refuse, that comes across as being pretty arrogant.

Some people have pointed out that Smith finally cracked under pressure, as he's been trying to be perfect for so long that he finally couldn't take the pressure. That may be the case, but he still has to face consequences for his actions. If he has had a mental breakdown, as with Kanye West, I hope he does manage to get some help. I still think that Will Smith is a great actor, and I hope he can learn from this experience. I hope we can all learn from this experience.

Now that that is out of the way, I think we need to turn our attention to more serious matters in this country, including:
-Fighting climate change
-Russia's invasion of Ukraine
-Raising the minimum wage and other levels of salaries
-Forgiving student loan debt
-Establishing single payer health insurance
-The fact that the capitol riots nearly ended democracy in America as we know it
-The fact that the wife of a Supreme Court Justice was involved in the riots and her husband didn't recuse himself from the case

THOSE are the topics that we have to turn our attention to!

As far as I’m concerned, Will acted how he thought he should in the particular situation. He made a choice based on his emotions in that moment and the fallout has been tremendous!! Chris Rock has taken a position that has surprised me in all of this. He didn’t press charges and I applaud him for that. Shows me that he felt some kind of way in the aftermath. That is a stand up move. Since they are friends to a degree, I understand why. Will apologized to Chris and I believe they can work through it. To me, this shows how we as Black Men can begin to handle out disputes, without slapping if possible. We all have to exercise responsibility and atonement for how we treat one another and what we do to one another.

I think that Will Smith should have had that same energy with the dudes who fucked Jada and not Chris Rock. Chris Rock is a Comedian who made a joke. He gets paid to make jokes and sometimes comedians crack jokes on audience members it's a part of the game you don't see those audience members going on stage and slapping any of those comedians. Chris Rock did a good job of keeping his composure because had i been in his shoes being on tv and hosting the show or not me and Will would of been rumbling in front of everybody and the world to see and we both of would have ended up in jail. Im not saying Will is wrong for defending his wife but i do believe he did that because he knew Chris Rock was in a position to where he really wasn't able to defend himself or at the very least strike him back. I feel like Will took out his anger and animosity that he's had about his wife fucking around on him and it wasn't just what Chris Rock had said it just happened to be the thing that set will smith over the edge

Why would his actions cosign something like that? That doesn't make sense. Its two completely different things. The Will Smith and Chris Rock thing is a situation of cause and effect. Chris said something he shouldn't have said, Will slapped his ass. Judges and D.A's using lyrics as evidence is wrong on so many levels, but its not the same thing. If thats the case they can use movies against actors, paintings against painters. This is basically putting words in his mouth. I'm pretty confident Will Smith wouldn't agree with this.

Music and comedy are both creative forms of expression and in art there are no rules , no grammar and should not in anyway be held against you unless it’s personal and even then that’s between you and who’s making it. But to put limitations and penalized anybody for what or how they create isn’t fair goes Against the freedom of being creative

I second this. For a person who’s been doin my craft for over 20 years now, I wouldnt want my lyrics punned I’m any fashion but lyricism. We Artist take our craft serious. And doin that is sort making a mockery out of us. Not good business.

I honestly feel that would take away from the art form. We as the people have the right to freedom of speech. Now if the rapper is already a suspect in a criminal cases it should already be other evidence to prove wrong doing. If said Artist did say specific details that only said suspect who committed the crimes would know than yes. This subject has a million reasons to why it should and shouldn't be allowed.

Rap is an art! The freedom of expression should not be diminished due to the fact it is a literal or a verbal way. The many minds and forms of talent are limitless and should have limitations. The listener or the fan has their options to turn on any form of music. To target rap and use our lyrics against us is like taking a certain voice that needs to be heard! Our experiences make us who we are and Rap is our way of expressing or overcoming the many obstacles we had before we even born!

Honestly, the same way Chris Rock was simply doing his job by making the joke, rappers and artists are just doing theirs when they make music, regardless of the content of their songs. Using lyrics in court tends to be a thing only pursued when it's a rap artist as the defendant. No-one bring rock artists to court to talk about their references to murder and all the other gruesome references they make, but when it's a hip hop artist, they should be held "accountable" for lyrics that most likely aren't even about what they're accused of doing. When it comes to gangsta rap and drill rap, nearly any song could fit nearly every murder. It's often vague descriptions, and often not even based on a real event, so using their lyrics in court would be doing nothing other than introducing an irrelevant piece of "evidence" that would lead the jury to be biased against the defendant. Too often are rap artists charged with crimes they didn't commit, simply because of their history of committing other crimes in the past, or their references in music. Instead of trying to find people guilty based on what their character is believed to be, they should be getting found guilty based on whether or not it can actually be proven that they did it. Not "well he raps about shooting people so it's clearly him."

Will Smith told Chris Rock years ago to keep both of their names out his mouth.. sooo...

I feel like he was only wrong cause it was being televised & 9 times out of 10 the consequences for interrupting an event as prestigious as the oscars are dire.

Chris wasn’t wrong for making a joke and Will wasn’t wrong for defending his wife said joke. Two things can be true. But I will say using rap lyrics in court cases is a complete disrespect to the art in my opinion. Music is a form of expression just like any other art form. Where does it end? With just rap lyrics? Are you going to bring up an actors past of roles he’s played if he commits a crime? How about if a director murders… will all the horror films he’s been apart of come into question? People say they want truth in their lyrics.. the truth isn’t always pretty.

I think rappers shouldn't share they're ipi ions unless petey poepscals and nepthys and yo gottid are around

If and if it was , shouldn't nobody say nothing about sh!t that's not about themselves..... 28