AUTHORS: George Mankaryous
DATE: 2026-09-27
ABSTRACT
This paper examines the idea that rap is against justice. In this paper, justice means fair and equal treatment under laws, institutions, and society.
Rap and hip-hop scholarship has documented recurring discussion of policing, government authority, crime, violence, punishment, inequality, and conditions within disadvantaged communities [1][2]. Research has also examined the relationship between rap music and the criminal justice system, including the use of rap lyrics as evidence in criminal investigations and prosecutions [3][4][5].
The study looks at how rap discusses police, courts, prison, punishment, crime, inequality, and unfair treatment.
The goal is to determine whether rap is against justice itself or against systems and institutions that artists believe are unjust.
INTRODUCTION
Rap is an important form of American music and culture. Scholars have studied rap not only as entertainment but also as a form of cultural and political expression that discusses social conditions, race, government, policing, inequality, and urban life [1].
Rap often discusses:
Police
Courts
Prison
Crime
Violence
Poverty
Government
Freedom
Fairness
Inequality
Injustice
Research on rap has identified criticism of police and government as an important part of the genre’s history [1]. Other research has examined portrayals of violence, street identity, crime, reputation, and social control within rap lyrics [2].
Rap has also developed a complicated relationship with the criminal justice system. Researchers have documented cases in which police and prosecutors have interpreted rap lyrics and videos as evidence of criminal activity, motive, threats, or gang affiliation [3][4].
Many rap songs therefore question authority or describe conflict with the justice system.
This paper studies the relationship between rap and justice.
PROBLEM STATEMENT
The main problem is determining what it means to say:
RAP IS AGAINST JUSTICE
Justice is defined here as:
Fair treatment
Equal protection
Fair punishment
Equal rights
Fair treatment under the law
Some rap criticizes police, courts, prisons, punishment, and laws. Tricia Rose’s research on rap culture, for example, identifies criticism of police and government as a significant theme within rap’s cultural and political history [1].
However, criticism of the justice system does not automatically mean opposition to justice itself.
Researchers studying the criminal prosecution of rap have also argued that rap lyrics can be misunderstood when they are treated as literal autobiography rather than artistic expression, storytelling, exaggeration, performance, or fictional representation [3][5].
The main research question is:
Is rap against justice, or is rap against what artists believe to be injustice?
PROPOSED SOLUTION
The study will examine rap lyrics and themes related to justice.
Songs can be grouped into subjects such as:
Police
Law
Courts
Prison
Parole
Crime
Punishment
Violence
Poverty
Discrimination
Freedom
Rights
Fairness
Injustice
Each example can then be classified as:
Against justice
Against injustice
Against police
Against courts
Against prison
Against punishment
Against government authority
Supporting fairness
Supporting equality
Describing crime
Describing personal experience
Telling a fictional story
This distinction is important because researchers have warned against automatically interpreting violent, criminal, or confrontational rap lyrics as literal descriptions of an artist’s actual behavior [3][5].
Rap lyrics may represent personal experience, social commentary, fictional storytelling, artistic exaggeration, character construction, or other forms of expression.
A classification system should therefore examine both the words of a song and the context in which those words appear.
IMPLEMENTATION
A collection of rap songs can be studied.
For each song, record:
Artist
Song title
Year
Main topic
References to police
References to courts
References to prison
References to crime
References to punishment
References to fairness
References to injustice
General meaning of the lyrics
The study should use a defined sample rather than assuming that every rap song represents the entire genre.
For example, Charis E. Kubrin conducted a content analysis involving 403 rap songs from albums released between 1992 and 2000 when examining violence, identity, reputation, and the “code of the street” in rap music [2].
A similar method could be used for this study.
The results can then be compared across songs, artists, subgenres, and time periods.
RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
The analysis can determine how often rap criticizes justice-related institutions.
Possible findings may include:
Rap frequently criticizes police
Rap frequently discusses prison
Rap describes experiences with courts and punishment
Rap discusses unfair treatment
Rap sometimes describes or glorifies illegal behavior
Rap sometimes describes violence
Rap sometimes demands equality and fairness
Rap can oppose authority without opposing justice itself
Research already demonstrates that rap has a complex relationship with criminal justice institutions. Nielson and Dennis document numerous American cases in which rap lyrics were introduced as evidence in criminal proceedings [3].
Research on policing and prosecution has similarly examined how rap music can become the subject of surveillance, criminal investigation, prosecution, and courtroom interpretation [4][5].
At the same time, research on rap lyrics shows that references to violence or crime can perform several functions, including establishing identity, reputation, storytelling, and social position [2].
Therefore, simply finding references to crime, violence, police, prison, or punishment would not by itself establish that a song is against justice.
The analysis should determine what the artist appears to be opposing.
For example:
Opposing unfair policing is not necessarily opposing justice.
Opposing unequal punishment is not necessarily opposing justice.
Opposing discrimination is not necessarily opposing justice.
Criticizing courts is not necessarily rejecting the idea of fair courts.
Describing criminal behavior is not necessarily supporting criminal behavior.
A fictional criminal narrative is not necessarily an autobiographical confession.
The results should therefore separate criticism of the justice system from criticism of the idea of justice.
CONCLUSION
Rap often challenges police, courts, prisons, laws, punishment, and government authority. Scholarship on rap culture has documented criticism of police and government, while legal scholarship has documented conflicts involving rap lyrics, policing, prosecution, and criminal courts [1][3][4][5].
Because of this, some rap can appear to be against justice.
However, justice in this study means fair and equal treatment.
A rapper criticizing unfair policing, unequal punishment, discriminatory treatment, or perceived failures of the courts may actually be making an argument about justice rather than rejecting justice.
At the same time, some rap contains descriptions or representations of crime and violence. Content analysis has demonstrated that violent themes can be present in rap music and can serve several social, artistic, and identity-related functions [2].
Therefore, the study should determine whether individual songs reject justice itself or whether they express opposition to perceived injustice, particular institutions, particular laws, or particular uses of government authority.
The final conclusion should be based on evidence from the songs studied rather than treating all rap music as having one position.
REFERENCES
[1] Rose, Tricia. Black Noise: Rap Music and Black Culture in Contemporary America. Wesleyan University Press, 1994.
[2] Kubrin, Charis E. “Gangstas, Thugs, and Hustlas: Identity and the Code of the Street in Rap Music.” Social Problems, Vol. 52, No. 3, 2005, pp. 360–378. DOI: 10.1525/sp.2005.52.3.360.
[3] Nielson, Erik, and Andrea L. Dennis. Rap on Trial: Race, Lyrics, and Guilt in America. The New Press, 2019.
[4] Quinn, Eithne, Joy White, and John Street. “Introduction to Special Issue: Prosecuting and Policing Rap.” Popular Music, Vol. 41, No. 4, 2022, pp. 419–426. DOI: 10.1017/S0261143022000642.
[5] Owusu-Bempah, Abenaa. “Prosecuting Rap: What Does the Case Law Tell Us?” Popular Music, Vol. 41, No. 4, 2022, pp. 427–445. DOI: 10.1017/S0261143022000575.