Prosecutors failed to convince a New York judge to admit Karl Jordan Jr.’s rap lyrics and videos as evidence in the Jam Master Jay murder trial. According to court documents obtained by AllHipHop, Judge LaShann DeArcy Hall denied the prosecution’s motion seeking approval of the evidence on Tuesday (January 30).
“Here, as evidence of his guilt, the Government seeks to admit Jordan’s lyrics: ‘I aim for the head, I ain’t a body shooter’ and ‘we aim for the head, no body shots, and we stick around just to see the body drop,’” Hall wrote. “Ultimately, Jordan’s lyrics do not include any specific facts that might relate to his participation in the murder alleged in this case. Jordan’s lyrics do not mention [Jam Master Jay], the recording studio in which [he] was killed, the other shooting victim, or any alleged accomplices. Nor does the Government claim that Jordan wrote or performed these lyrics around the time of the alleged murder … These lyrics merely contain generic references to violence that can be found in many rap songs.”
Judge Hall also dismissed the merit of lyrics regarding Jordan’s alleged admissions of drug dealing. The judge cited Migos as one example of how lyrics did not provide proof of drug trafficking.
“The Government’s request to admit lyrics discussing ‘breaking down bricks’ fares no better,” Judge Hall explained. “That is, ‘breaking down bricks’ does not bear a specific nexus to the underlying offense conduct alleged in this case. Nevertheless, the Government argues that these lyrics describe Jordan’s role in the drug distribution conspiracy that, as the Government alleges, precipitated the alleged murder.”
She continued, “However, rap songs frequently reference the concept of ‘breaking down bricks,’ that is, repackaging kilograms of drugs to distribute in smaller quantities … Jordan’s lyrics are simply too imprecise, unlike lyrics that have been found to explain a defendant’s ‘preferred process for preparing and delivering drugs’ or ‘refer[ed] to the minimum quantity of illegal drugs’ that the government alleged a defendant sold.”
Judge Hall said courts should be “wary” of rules allowing the use of rap lyrics and videos in criminal trials. She agreed individuals should face consequences for confessing to “unmistakable details of their crimes,” but evidence cannot be based on “perceptions” of artistic references.
“None of the lyrics the Government seeks to admit as evidence of Jordan’s guilt bear any nexus to the criminal conduct alleged in this case,” the judge ruled. “And, Jordan’s statement that he raps about his lived experience cannot alone serve as a substitute for the requisite nexus. Because the proffered lyrics do not have a sufficient nexus to the charged drug conspiracy, they are inadmissible.”
Jordan and his co-defendant Ronald Washington are on trial for the 2002 murder of Jam Master Jay. A third defendant, Jay Bryant, will be tried separately.
Opening statements began on Monday (January 29). Prosecutors said Jam Master Jay’s killers were motivated by greed after getting cut out of a drug deal.
Prosecutors informed Judge Hall they may need to treat some of their witnesses as hostile in the trial. Names of the potentially hostile witnesses were redacted in public court records.