August 4, 2005

ACLU Defends High School Battle Rap

Seems to me the only thing this kid is guilty of is not knowing how to play chess.. "You're a rook, I'm the king"? Not quite the threat that you think it is, dunny.

ACLU sues over student's freedom to rap
The American Civil Liberties Union has sued a school district on behalf of a 14-year-old rap music fan who was expelled after he posted lyrics on the Internet in which, according to police, he threatened to shoot up his school and named a potential victim.

The ACLU said the songs by Anthony Latour, of Ellwood City, are protected speech, among other reasons, because they were composed at home and not brought to school. The suit says Latour's expulsion in May from the Riverside Beaver County School District violated his parents' right to control his upbringing.

"The school may not like Anthony's songs, but it is beyond their ability to dictate what he reads, writes or even raps at home," said Witold "Vic" Walczak, the ACLU of Pennsylvania's legal director. Latour was expelled for the remainder of the last school year and this coming year. The lawsuit seeks to have Latour admitted to school when classes resume Aug. 31...

...Latour was removed from class in April by North Sewickley Township police and charged with making terroristic threats and harassment because of lyrics he posted on the Internet...

But Walczak said school officials erred because Latour's lyrics - though violent and profane - weren't meant to be threats and didn't cause any disruption at school.

The alleged victim told school officials the lyrics Latour e-mailed to him were part of a "battle rap" challenge - one in which rival rappers try to out-rhyme one another.

One line of that song says: "You're a rook, I'm the king, and I'm cookin ya quick / I'm lookin to stab, don't even look for the strap..."

...Walczak contends such violent language is known to be metaphoric in rap circles, and that the school had played another rap song that Latour wrote and recorded in his home at a school dance in December...

Posted by jsmooth995 at August 4, 2005 11:20 AM | TrackBack

Comments

hey chess knowledge only gets you so far... i mean he could have said "I'm the queen" but chess-piece power aside that would have been a far worse line.

but yeah surely he was talking significance over attacking power... you can always sacrifice a rook. which raises the question why didn't he say "you're a pawn" which would have made the most sense... why? because then he wouldn't have had the little multi (rook ... king / cooking / looking)... i tell ya these kids today are obsessed with goddamn multi's!

he should have said pawn - king, stop fawning, i got you covered like an awning, you got to pawn rings come morning because this white bloke took your things when night broke, so you spent the night broke and you only have half a horse because your knight broke! (yeah man kids love that double rhyme shit)

yo anthony latour holla at me for some lyrics. i got you dog!

Posted by: rafi at August 4, 2005 3:00 PM

holy smokes. it's mandatory that you check the video at that link i posted above. the audio samples are fantastic.

http://www.thepittsburghchannel.com/news/4805420/detail.html

Posted by: rafi at August 4, 2005 3:04 PM

It's also ironic that his last name, when broken into "la tour", is French for "rook".

Posted by: mallarme at August 4, 2005 5:43 PM

I'll say this in his defense as far as chess knowledge.. you can play a chess game and win without a rook, but the king must always be in the game.

BTW, how is it his lyrics came to be discovered by the school?? Has privacy as I knew it as a child completely gone out the window. I feel like the terrorist have already won, freedom of speech is dead. ....

You know what .. let's just give in and live in fear, give all our rights that were fought for by people who thought that being free meant way more than the ability to sip coffee in a cafe while being watched like a TV and calling it a life.

Posted by: Belve at August 5, 2005 8:50 AM

Cool post bro.

Posted by: HumanityCritic at August 5, 2005 2:16 PM

i know who this kid is and he raps with some of the kids from my town EC and this kid is gonna make it one day...yins all just watch

Posted by: "J" at August 15, 2005 6:25 AM

Axe Rocks!:)

Posted by: Kay at August 24, 2005 3:41 PM

Anthony i lovee you and you keep doing what u do best, and thats rapping:-)

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nucka please, this kids a clown. The kid lives in an upscale neighborhood yet talks like hes from the ghetto. Nothin but a poser.

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