The rapper BG is no longer at risk of a return to federal prison after performing alongside fellow artists with prior felony convictions while on supervised release from custody, according to prosecutors. But a federal judge is prepared to scrutinize every lyric the musician, whose legal name is Christopher Dorsey, has written since he got out of prison on gun charges to determine whether he is adequately attempting “to re-enter society as a responsible, law-abiding citizen” – or whether his supervised release conditions should be tightened, according to new court filings. Kendrick Lamar’s Drake diss track debuts at number one in the US Read more The latest legalities ensnaring the maker of the late 1990s classic Bling Bling have touched off a dialogue in some circles about balancing an American musician’s right to free expression under the US constitution – as well as his need to make a living – with authorities’ prerogative to enforce the technicalities of his supervised prison release plan.
Music industry titans ranging from Jay-Z and Megan Thee Stallion to Coldplay and Christina Aguilera have denounced prosecutors’ practice of using rap lyrics as evidence in US criminal courts, saying the method is “racially targeted”. But that has generally not dissuaded prosecutors from resorting to the tactic. A federal probation officer successfully requested in March that Dorsey be arrested on allegations that he failed to obtain the necessary clearance to perfo.
