Sundance Film Festival 2024 - As we speak - Erik Nielson-104A3039

Erik Nielson is Professor of

Liberal Arts Liberal arts education () is a traditional academic course in Western higher education. ''Liberal arts'' takes the term ''skill, art'' in the sense of a learned skill rather than specifically the fine arts. ''Liberal arts education'' can refe ...

at the

University of Richmond The University of Richmond (UR or U of R) is a Private college, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Richmond, Virginia, United States. It is a primarily undergraduate, residential institution with approxim ...

who has become well known as an expert in the use of

rap music Rapping (also rhyming, flowing, spitting, emceeing, or MCing) is an artistic form of vocal delivery and emotive expression that incorporates "rhyme, rhythmic speech, and ommonlystreet vernacular". It is usually performed over a backing ...

as evidence in criminal trials. His book
Rap on Trial: Race, Lyrics, and Guilt in America
', with co-author Andrea Dennis, was published in November 2019 and received the Hugh Hefner Foundation First Amendment Award in October 2020. He was a consulting producer and interviewed for the documentary ''As We Speak: Rap Music on Trial'', which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in January 2024 and distributed by Paramount + starting on February 27, 2024. He has served as an expert in court cases, and his testimony has been cited to exclude rap lyric evidence. Nielson's research focuses on the relationship between

African-American culture African-American culture, also known as Black American culture or Black culture in American English, refers to the cultural expressions of African Americans, either as part of or distinct from mainstream American culture. African-American/Bl ...

and

policing The police are a constituted body of people empowered by a state with the aim of enforcing the law and protecting the public order as well as the public itself. This commonly includes ensuring the safety, health, and possessions of citizen ...

, as well as the relationship between hip hop and politics. He has written for the ''

New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'' and other mainstream news outlets on these issues. He was the lead author of three amicus briefs with the

US Supreme Court The Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) is the highest court in the federal judiciary of the United States. It has ultimate appellate jurisdiction over all Federal tribunals in the United States, U.S. federal court cases, and over Stat ...

, two of which were jointly submitted with his frequent collaborator,

Killer Mike Michael Santiago Render (born April 20, 1975), better known by his stage name Killer Mike, is an American rapper, singer and activist. He made his recording debut on Outkast's fourth album ''Stankonia'' (2000), and guest appeared on the duo's Gr ...

. Nielson and Travis L. Gosa edited ''The Hip Hop & Obama Reader.'' Nielson was a featured participant in WRIC News' serie
Richmond and Race
a discussion among community leaders about race relations and police accountability in Richmond, VA.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Nielson, Erik Living people University of Richmond faculty Year of birth missing (living people)