Lil' Boosie... Guilty or not?

After a long stint of trouble with the law, Baton Rouge rapper, Lil Boosie is on trial for a first degree murder charge. There has been a lot of fuss about the rapper's latest battle with the law; not only is Boosie on trial but his lyrics are also, essentially on trial as well. 

Though this is not his first major run in with the law, family and followers of Lil Boosie suggest his innocence while at least one Louisiana lawyer, Hillar Moore suggests otherwise. Boosie's most recent run ins with the law began in Oct. 2008, when he was caught with the infamous class 1 drug, marijuana as well as an unidentified drug and a handgun. He was then sentenced to two years and then violated his probation after leaving his home while under house arrest. For this second offense, Boosie received four years and while incarcerated, Boosie was charged with first degree murder on June 17, 2010 for the murder of Terry Boyd. If convicted, Boosie may face the death penalty for his crimes. Authorities also say that Boosie may be linked to five other unsolved murders.

Torence Hatch, otherwise known as Lil Boosie has both a strong and supportive family and fanbase. The website, www.boosiejustice.com is the flip side to the federal case against Terence. The site claims Boosie has been the target of police for quite a while as songs with political undertones such as "Dirty World," have only fueled their apparent dislike for the rapper's music even more. Lawyers plan to try to use the lyrics of Boosie's music to convict the alleged murderer. 

Boosiejustice.com attempts to show that Lil Boosie is not-guilty through humanizing Boosie. A picture of Boosie, his wife and three children is on the cover of the home page and amessage from Boosie's mother is on the ‘About' page claiming Boosie's innocence. The site attempts to disprove the claims of murder and states, "Please keep in mind that there is virtually no credible evidence in this case; no murder weapon, no evidence of money exchanged, and no known motive." 

Boosie's defense also points out that Hillar Moore is mentioned unfavorably in one of Boosie's songs and states, "Within 10 days of hearing these lyrics a case was prepared against Torence Hatch." Though Hillar Moore denies this claim and says his case is based purely upon evidence.

So is Lil Boosie innocent? It looks like you'll have to decide for yourself. Just as with NWA and other politically charged rap groups of the past, rap lyrics are on trial again. Can the lyrics of a musical artist really dictate their actions? Until the next trial on, April 25, 2011 you'll have to decide Torence's innocence for yourself.