My article 'Giving rap a chance: the cultural policing and consequences of the suppression of rap music in England in the twenty-first century' (Vol 52, Issue 2, 2025), began as my undergraduate dissertation at Clare College, University of Cambridge. In the article, I argue that due to racist police action underpinned by an ideological state response to social insecurity, rap music in England is not given a chance as a valuable art form. Instead, it is nonchalantly dismissed as criminal. Not only does this harm the largely Black individuals who create rap, but it also misses a golden opportunity to use the lyrical content of this music as a form of narrative ethnography to inform state decision-making.

As put by Will Pritchard, rappers are commonly viewed in both popular discourse and by those in power as 'either dangerous or clownish'.11W. Pritchard, 'The Radical, Resistant Roots of UK Hip Hop' M Magazine, 11 October 2023. Indeed, rap music is too often flippantly dismissed as non-intellectual.22A. Duran, 'Doechii says the denial of rap as "intellectual" is "rooted in racism"' NME, 20 February 2025. This is despite the rather crucial insights the lyrics of this very music can provide for policymakers and police forces, serving as a voice for some of those hardest hit by a 'socially and racially unequal Britain'.33L. Fatsis, 'Policing the Beats: The Criminalisation of UK Drill and Grime Music by the London Metropolitan Police' (2019) 67 The Sociological Rev. 1300, at 1311. Historically, rappers have played the role of 'organic Black intellectuals'.44A. S. Johnson, 'Golden-Era Rap Music and the Black Intellectual Tradition' Black Perspectives, 15 August 2023. My article makes ample use of rap lyrics as a form of critical thought, and this blog post takes that one step further, providing concrete examples of how such lyrics can be used by state actors to rebuild trust with Black communities in Britain. What is necessary for this, however, is a genuine willingness to listen.

'Everyone who knew about that cladding/ Should really be going prison under rule of joint enterprise/ But if it ain't a little kid with a knife/ I bet that judge is going easy when he's giving him time,' raps Londoner Dave of the Grenfell Tower disaster on 2017's Question Time. This criticism of joint enterprise, a controversial55E. Quinn et al., Compound Injustice: A Review of Cases Involving Rap Music Evidence in England and Wales (2024) 12. rule 'that enables a person to be convicted of an offence committed by another via the principles of secondary liability',66T. Young and S. Hulley, ''It's tantalising evidence …. but you've got to look at the wider picture': Rap Music as Evidence in Joint Enterprise Cases' (2024) Crime, Media, Culture. lays bare the racial discrimination in the doctrine's application: young Black individuals are 'heavily overrepresented'.77Quinn et al., op. cit., n. 5, p. 12. Further references to joint enterprise are made in tracks by many of Dave's peers: 'Joint enterprise, everybody's gettin' M's,' states Little Simz on 2015's Dead Body Part 2 + 3, an 'M' here likely referring to a charge for murder; 'Guy never spoke, he got done for joint enterprise', declare group NSG on 2023's NELLA ROSE. By using rap as a medium for this denunciation, the artists add their voices to growing calls for reform of the doctrine that have also been made by politicians and academics.88C. Osuh, 'Joint enterprise law reform will help solve UK justice system crisis, say experts' Guardian, 23 February 2025. These lyrics go beyond mere social commentary when it is considered that '[r]ap music has emerged as a key evidential tool, to signify collective guilt'99Quinn et al., op. cit., n. 5, p. 12. in cases of joint enterprise: these words often come from firsthand experience, and deserve the chance to inform discussions of reform in order to create a more equitable criminal justice system.

Another recurring theme in English rap is the exploration of why certain individuals turn to crime. Such lyrics, I argue, are akin to gold dust in aiding state actors to address the root causes of criminal activity – as opposed to preferring more punitive measures. 'Last night was a close call, I'm happy I'm alive/ But if I leave my house again, I'm carrying a knife/ And I don't wanna use it, I'd probably never use it/ But I'd rather carry that than have my people carry I' rhymes Ghetts on 2025's Street Politics. Through these four lines, the MC paints a succinct yet striking picture of the fear which influences many young Brits to carry knives for use in self-defence,1010R. Booth, 'Why I carried a knife: 'The only way is to defend yourself. My life was under attack'' Guardian, 25 January 2024. humanising individuals who are so often demonised by the media. 'They trap us in estates, won't even educate us boys/ And wonder why we break the law,' raps fellow grime pioneer Kano on 2019's SYM, arguing that social reform and an emphasis on education can be used to reduce crime rates amongst England's male youth. Given that these artists have become something of a mouthpiece of their generation,1111K. Bromwich, 'How grime gave a voice to a generation' Guardian, 28 August 2016. their lyrics represent not just themselves but also exist as cultural and ethnographic data. Thus, it almost goes without saying that the government should provide a listening ear to these rappers as opposed to policing their craft. In doing so, two birds could be killed with one stone: redress would be provided for some of the harm that has been caused to England's historically oppressed communities, whilst crime rates could simultaneously be lowered.

'No matter how dark my skin is, there is no difference/ We're all just soul and flesh' raps Wretch 32 on 2025's Windrush. The album the track appears on, HOME, discusses the sense of belonging (or lack thereof) that many Black communities feel in Britain. Though brief, it is hoped that the above analysis, in addition to my aforementioned paper, show that the lyrical content of English rap offers informed, intellectual commentary on the state of Britain today. Both looking down upon and actively listening to these lyrics constitute political acts. Rappers have long provided their value; the responsibility is now on the state to engage with rap as insight into social inequality. By doing this, the foundation can be laid for a more socially just Britain, where all feel at home.

Companion playlist

  1. W. Pritchard, 'The Radical, Resistant Roots of UK Hip Hop' M Magazine, 11 October 2023. ↩
  2. A. Duran, 'Doechii says the denial of rap as "intellectual" is "rooted in racism"' NME, 20 February 2025. ↩
  3. L. Fatsis, 'Policing the Beats: The Criminalisation of UK Drill and Grime Music by the London Metropolitan Police' (2019) 67 The Sociological Rev. 1300, at 1311. ↩
  4. A. S. Johnson, 'Golden-Era Rap Music and the Black Intellectual Tradition' Black Perspectives, 15 August 2023. ↩
  5. E. Quinn et al., Compound Injustice: A Review of Cases Involving Rap Music Evidence in England and Wales (2024) 12. ↩
  6. T. Young and S. Hulley, ''It's tantalising evidence …. but you've got to look at the wider picture': Rap Music as Evidence in Joint Enterprise Cases' (2024) Crime, Media, Culture. ↩
  7. Quinn et al., op. cit., n. 5, p. 12. ↩
  8. C. Osuh, 'Joint enterprise law reform will help solve UK justice system crisis, say experts' Guardian, 23 February 2025. ↩
  9. Quinn et al., op. cit., n. 5, p. 12. ↩
  10. R. Booth, 'Why I carried a knife: 'The only way is to defend yourself. My life was under attack'' Guardian, 25 January 2024. ↩
  11. K. Bromwich, 'How grime gave a voice to a generation' Guardian, 28 August 2016. ↩