When rap lyrics are used against you in court: ‘They silenced me for 21 years’

Rappers have long had their music used as evidence against them in criminal trials. California could soon limit the practice

In 2000, McKinley Mac" Phipps Jr was a 22-year-old rising rap star when he was arrested for murder.

A 19-year-old had been shot at a Slidell, Louisiana club where Phipps was due to perform, and police quickly zeroed in on the artist as the suspect. A man who was working security at the venue confessed that he had killed the teenager, but still prosecutors pushed forward with a trial against Phipps.