NPR

Rap on Trial: How An Aspiring Musician's Words Led To Prison Time

Olutosin Oduwole was a college student and aspiring rap star when he was charged with "attempting to make a terrorist threat." Did public perceptions of rap music play a role?
Olutosin Oduwole at his home in New Jersey in 2016.

Olutosin Oduwole was in his dorm room at Southern Illinois University when police knocked on his door one day in 2007. They were there to arrest him.

"In my mind I'm

You’re reading a preview, subscribe to read more.

More from NPR

NPR3 min readInternational Relations
Why Protesters In Georgia Are Opposed To A 'Foreign Agents' Law And Why It Matters
More than 50,000 people took to the streets of the capital city Tbilisi over the weekend to protest against proposed legislation that critics say is modeled on a Russian law used to crush dissent.
NPR5 min read
The Met Gala Has Fueled Backlash Against Stars Who Are Silent About The Gaza Conflict
A fast-growing social media campaign to block stars for not speaking out escalated this week after the star-studded New York event.
NPR2 min readCrime & Violence
Federal Prosecutors Request 40-year Sentence For Man Who Attacked Pelosi's Husband
Prosecutors are asking a judge to impose a 40-year prison sentence for the man who broke into ex-U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's home seeking to hold her hostage and attacked her husband.

Related Books & Audiobooks