Law 9621 - Hip Hop and the American Constitution

The United States Constitution protects citizens from unlawful search and seizure, from cruel and unusual punishment, and seeks to promote the useful arts through intellectual property protections. Hip Hop artists, from the founding of the genre, have harshly criticized the law and developing culture surrounding police abuse in connection with search and seizure, carceral policy as adopted by legislators, and the way copyright law has devolved to protect some forms of artistic expression but not others. This course will evaluate the criticisms levied against U.S. Constitutional common law by hip hop artists and producers. This course will analyze whether these critiques have merit and/or potential for inspiriting law reform. Credit(s): 2