Since 1970, the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO) has been used to expose crime organizations that posed as legitimate businesses. Originally designed to target organized crime, such as the mafia, RICO cases have started to move beyond mobsters. In recent years, RICO has been used to target teachers, politicians, and musicians in the hip-hop genre.
After Young Thug was ensnarled in a RICO case with his label mates in 2022, he asked fans at Hot 97’s Summer Jam to sign the Protect Black Art petition. The petition asks state and federal legislators to limit using rap lyrics in court proceedings as evidence against musicians.
RICO’s History
According to the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) Legislative History of RICO, the path to enactment for RICO started in 1950 as documentation began for the criminal infiltration of legitimate businesses. Antitrust laws were used to attack masked criminal activity in the 1960’s. As a result, RICO was established in 1970 as Title IX of the Organized Crime Control Act.