Killer Mike Says Rap Deserves Protection Under The First Amendment in Op-Ed
Killer Mike is taking a stand for hip-hop.
Back in December of 2015, Killer Mike led a charge towards Washington DC with T.I., Big Boi and Pharoahe Monch. The hip-hop trio appeared before the Supreme Court and urged the legislature to take on the case of Taylor Bell, a Mississippi high school student who was recently disciplined for posting a rap song online that addressed two high school coaches that were sexually harassing female students. Killer Mike turned to CNN and co-wrote an op-ed about the situation along with Erik Nielson, an assistant professor at the University of Richmond. “Bell wasn’t being punished for making threats against school employees,” Mike and Nielson explain. “Instead, he was being punished for using the wrong art form, rap music, as his voice of protest.” Technically speaking, this is an infringement to the First Amendment.
Killer Mike and Erik Nielson also pointed out that this isn’t the first time officials at Itawamba Agricultural High School have tried to silence students for spekaing out. Six years ago, the school also made news for canceling a prom rather than allowing two lesbian students attend. One of the girls, Constance McMillen, eventually sued the the school in defense of her First Amendment rights and won. You can read the full op-ed here.
