Rap, Law, and Critical Race Theory

This panel discussion focusing on the connections between rap, the law, and Critical Race Theory will feature co-authors of Rap on Trial, Andrea L. Dennisand Erik Nielson, and artist and scholar A.D. Carson. With the increased visibility of demands for change in U.S. policing and cereal systems as a result of the Black Lives Matter movement among other activists, questions over the impact of the U.S. legal system on Black and Brown communities and individuals have also fostered both increased interest in Critical Race Theory, and reactionary backlash against it. Moderated by director of The University of Virginia's Sound Justice Lab, Nomi Dave, this panel will specifically address the ways in which race and the law meet at the intersection of rap music.

All fall quarter events will be held over Zoom. Additional details and information for each event will be circulated separately.​ RSVP to receive Zoom link. >>

Andrea L. Dennis is associate dean of faculty development and the John Byrd Martin Chair of Law at the University of Georgia School of Law where she teaches criminal law, evidence, family law, and juvenile law. Previously, she served as an assistant federal public defender in the District of Maryland. Her scholarship explores criminal and juvenile defense lawyering, race and criminal justice, and the impact of criminal justice on the lives of children and youth. Practitioners, courts, and media nationwide have cited her seminal legal article – "Poetic (In)Justice?" – on the use of rap lyrics as criminal evidence. She is co-author of Rap on Trial (The New Press 2019) (with Erik Nielson) that examines the issue in depth.

Erik Nielson is professor of liberal arts at the University of Richmond, where he teaches courses on African American literature, hip hop culture, and advanced writing. In addition to his scholarly work, he writes regularly for popular outlets, including The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Atlantic, and Rolling Stone, and is routinely interviewed by a wide range of national media organizations. He has been lead author on three amicus briefs for the U.S. Supreme Court--which included support from artists such as Killer Mike, Chance the Rapper, Meek Mill, T.I., Big Boi, and Luther Campbell—and he is frequently called to testify as an expert witness in cases involving rap lyrics as evidence in criminal cases. His most recent book, Rap on Trial: Race, Lyrics, and Guilt in America, co-authored with Andrea L. Dennis, was a finalist for the Library of Virginia literary awards, and winner of the Hugh M. Hefner Foundation’s First Amendment Award.

A.D. Carson is an award-winning performance artist and educator from Decatur, Illinois. He received a PhD from Clemson University in rhetorics, communication, and information design. His album, Owning My Masters: The Rhetorics of Rhymes & Revolutions, was recognized by the university’s Graduate Student Government as the 2017 Outstanding Dissertation. His most recent album, i used to love to dream, is published by University of Michigan Press. Stream or download his music free at http://aydeethegreat.com. Dr. Carson is currently assistant professor of Hip-Hop & the Global South in the Department of Music at the University of Virginia.

Nomi Dave, associate professor in the Department of Music at University of Virginia, is an interdisciplinary researcher working across music and sound studies, law, and anthropology. Her work explores the limits and possibilities of voice, music, sound, and silence in political contexts. Nomi received her PhD from Oxford University and previously taught at Duke University, in the Departments of Cultural Anthropology and Music. Her research has been funded by the National Endowment for the Humanities and the Mellon Foundation. She is a former lawyer and has worked in the fields of women’s rights, refugee rights, and immigration law, in Guinea and the United States. She is the author of The Revolution’s Echoes: Music, Politics, and Pleasure in Guinea (2019, University of Chicago Press).