In 2022, Georgia prosecutors filed a RICO indictment against rap superstar Young Thug, which used lyrics and music video imagery as the primary evidence of criminal and gang activity. The trial, which is still ongoing as of August 2024, is the most high-profile example in a litanty of cases in which lyrics have been offered -- and admitted -- as evidence of guilt, dating back to the early 1990's. This course will examine the seminal cases, survey state and federal legislative efforts to increase the burden for admitting such evidence, and provide cultural and musical context for this legal issue, as presented in the documentary film AS WE SPEAK: Rap Lyrics on Trial.