Maryland’s PACE Act becomes law, finally stopping prosecutors from using rap lyrics as criminal evidence against artists who created them.
Willie “Prophet” Stiggers and the Black Music Action Coalition just delivered a message that’s been decades in the making.
Maryland Governor Wes Moore signed the PACE Act into law, and the timing couldn’t be more pointed.
Just weeks after James Broadnax was executed in Texas with 40 pages of his handwritten rap lyrics used against him during sentencing, Maryland’s new legislation stands as the strongest state-level protection for artistic freedom in America.
The PACE Act doesn’t ban lyrics from evidence entirely. Instead, it creates a four-part legal test that prosecutors must satisfy before a judge can even consider admitting creative work in court.
They’ve got to prove the lyrics were intended as literal statements about the facts of the case, not artistic expression or storytelling. That’s a massive shift from how courts have historically treated rap music, where prosecutors have weaponized lyrics as confessions for nearly four decades.
“This is bigger than music. This is about whether creativity can be treated as a crime when it comes from Black voices,” Stiggers said. “The execution of James Broadnax forced this country to confront a painful truth: in America, art created by Black people is too often viewed through the lens of criminality instead of humanity.” He continued by connecting the dots between voting rights erosion and the criminalization of Black creativity, warning that “old Jim Crow tactics are reappearing in new forms.”
Kevin Liles, chairman of Free Our Art, brought his own story into the fight.
“As a young man who grew up in West Baltimore making music, hip-hop saved my life. This legislation is about paying it forward to the next generation of creators.” The data backing this fight is undeniable. Researchers have documented over 820 cases since the 1980s where rap lyrics were introduced as criminal evidence, while lyrics from every other musical genre combined were used just four times and thrown out every time.
According to the Black Music Action Coalition, the coalition brought this message directly to Rolling Loud in Orlando, reaching over 100,000 young music fans and voters about the dangers of criminalizing artistic expression.
The urgency of this moment reflects a growing national movement to protect artistic freedom and address racial bias in the legal system. Maryland’s action signals that states can no longer treat rap music as a confessional booth for prosecutors seeking easy convictions.
The Recording Academy, SONA, and the Music Artists Coalition all applauded the signing, recognizing it as a watershed moment for creators’ rights.
Federal protections through the RAP Act remain the ultimate goal, but Maryland just proved that change doesn’t have to wait for Congress.
Delegate Marlon Amprey, who led the four-year fight to get this bill passed, has set a template that other states are already watching closely.
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