The Court of Appeal upholds the admission of rap lyrics at trial, rejecting claims under EC 352 and People v. Aguirre (2025) 18 Cal.5th 629. The court further holds that the trial court applied the wrong legal standards in denying appellants’ Racial Justice Act (RJA) motion and requests for discovery. The court finds that appellants made a prima facie showing that the jury may have heard a racially charged rap-song introduction containing violent imagery and racially discriminatory language, violating the RJA. It also confirms that statistical evidence alone may justify RJA discovery without additional case-specific proof of discrimination.

The full opinion is available on the court’s website here: https://www4.courts.ca.gov/opinions/documents/D084537.PDF