May 14, 2018
Music streaming service Spotify has faced unexpected backlash from listeners after unveiling a new policy against "hate content" that seemed to target certain rappers. In particular, the policy seems to target the rapper R. Kelly, who has been accused of multiple instances of sexual misconduct.
"This [policy statement] feels much too undefined, it raises more questions than it answers,” Charis Kubrin, a professor of criminology, law and society, told Variety. “It was obviously led by R. Kelly, but it seems as if they started with him rather than putting the policy in place first and then deciding who would [be penalized]. He’s the poster child for this, and he hasn’t been convicted of anything.”
Kubrin has written extensively on whether rappers’ lyrics can be used against them in a court of law.