Judge: Rap is a foreign language
LONDON, England -- A High Court judge has admitted that when asked to examine the lyrics of a rap song, he could not understand a word of it.
Judge Lewison had to rule whether composer Andrew Alcee had suffered damage to his honor or reputation through the "derogatory" use of his UK garage number one hit, "Burnin."
The judge said the claim "led to the faintly surreal experience of three gentlemen in horsehair wigs examining the meaning of such phrases as 'mish mish man' and 'shizzle my nizzle.'"
Even when played at half speed, the rap was very hard to decipher, he said.
The words, although in a form of English, were "for practical purposes a foreign language" and he had no expert evidence as to what they meant, he said.
Alcee complained under the Copyright Act that "Burnin," released as a single by Ant'ill Mob, had been distorted or mutilated by its use as backing for a rap by Heartless Crew, which contained references to drugs and violence.
As for Alcee's complaint that he had suffered prejudice from the rap's violent invitation to "string up dem mish mish men", the judge said he had seen a video of Ant'ill Mob, of which Alcee was a member, dressed as 1930s gangsters.
― Mike Hanle y (mike), Tuesday, 10 June 2003 03:38 (twenty-two years ago)
"Dismissing the claim, he added that despite extensive surfing of the Internet in search of illumination, he had been unable to establish whether the words complained of in the rap were actually references to violence and drugs."
wow it must have been hard being a judge before the internet!!
― Tracer Hand (tracerhand), Tuesday, 10 June 2003 05:41 (twenty-two years ago)
bling bling blang-a-blong bling blong. blinga blinga blang-a-blong
― electric sound of jim (electricsound), Tuesday, 10 June 2003 05:49 (twenty-two years ago)
I can't help thinking that having one's nizzle shizzled must be a very pleasant experience.
― colin s barrow (colin s barrow), Tuesday, 10 June 2003 06:10 (twenty-two years ago)
I like to imagine Judge The Pinefox. (That is a judge's name, not a new reality show.)
― Martin Skidmore (Martin Skidmore), Tuesday, 10 June 2003 16:47 (twenty-two years ago)
I would like to hear him demanding of the defendants " What is a shizzle!"
― Mike Hanle y (mike), Tuesday, 10 June 2003 18:50 (twenty-two years ago)
"ME SEEN NUFF OF U FASSY MAN BEEN KOTCHIN AN TING IN THAT COURTROOM GET ME TINKING MAN DEM IS NANG U AINT NANG U AINT BLOW UP ROYAL COURTS OF JUSTICE WIV WHAT IS LIKE A DOUBLE TWINED HORSE HAIR WIG GET ME. ORDER"
― ss, Tuesday, 10 June 2003 18:58 (twenty-two years ago)