A new campaign has been launched to keep rap out of UK courts.

'Art Not Evidence' sets out its mission as "fighting for a fairer criminal justice system by advocating for a restriction on the use of creative and artistic expression as evidence in criminal trials."

With the justice system increasingly attempting to use lyrics from rap songs—and particularly from drill artists—as evidence to prosecute artists, this campaign is a sorely needed movement to make things more fair. Figures such as lawyer Shami Chakrabarti, radio host and DJ Annie Mac, and Labour MPs Nadia Whittome and Kim Johnson have joined the campaign.

"Imagine that you're taken to court for a crime you didn't commit, and as evidence, the prosecutors play a completely unrelated song that you wrote with your friends in an attempt to show criminal intent or behaviour," says Whittome, MP for Nottingham East. "This is the kind of thing that's happening. I love rap, especially grime. It's a huge part of our culture enjoyed by so many people, so it feels particularly unfair that it is being used indiscriminately in court … it's a practice that relies on racist stereotypes and it risks miscarriages of justice."

Using lyrics from, or even evidence of an affiliation with, rap music to suggest that individuals are more likely to be involved in crime is clearly wrong. That's especially true considering that the "practice disproportionately affects young Black men and boys from under-resourced, marginalised communities," according to the Art Not Evidence website.

To add your voice to the call for law reform, you can sign their open letter here.