♪ this is "nightline." >> tonight, rap trap. should lyrics really be used as evidence in criminal prosecutions? stars like will.i.am weighing in on the controversy. >> there's lots of us locked up in prison. >>om call it ais dturbing crimi art. >> music is entertainment. i won't water down my music for nothg. c ase>> against grammy-winner rapper young thug, known for hits like "stoner." ♪ a trial reigniting the debate about using rapyric l a > p of e. tar>> "you." >> you're a different kind of woman. >> his surprising request when

it comes to those steamy scenes. >> i asked, sir gamble, creator of the show, can i just do no more intimacy scenes? >> the conversation it's sparking in hollywood. >> it will be interesting to see the domino effect that it might have in hollywood. >> and the evolution of intimacy on screen. and brittney griner. back where she belongs. getting ready for another season with the phoenix mercury. what's the #1 retinol brand used most by dermatologists? it's neutrogena® rapid wrinkle repair® smooths the look of fine lines in 1-week, deep wrinkles in 4. so you can kiss wrinkles goodbye! neutrogena® bye, bye cough. later chest congestion. hello 12 hours of relief. 12 hours!! not coughing? hashtag still not coughing?! mucinex dm gives you 12 hours of relief

♪ good evening. thank you for joining us. it's a case that some say puts hip-hop itself on trial. the arrests and indictment of two of the genre's biggest stars, young thug and gunna. prosecutors pointing to their lyrics as evidence of a crime and reigniting a national conversation about black artists' free speech rights. here's abc's ashan singh. >> reporter: with jury selection under way in atlanta, all eyes on rapper young thug. >> anyone else wants to be heard? >> reporter: standing accused of a sweeping rico face in fulton county. real name jeffrey lamar williams is known for being one of the most influential rappers of his time. winning the grammy for song of the year in 2019. collaborating with childish gambino in "this is america."

♪ yeah this is america ♪ >> reporter: it's his lyrics from songs like "anybody" featuring nicki minaj and "slaty" that prosecutors are presenting alongside other evidence as proof of criminal conspiracy. ♪ i never killed anybody but i got something to do with that body ♪ >> reporter: young thug and gunna, sergio kitchens, among a large group charged in a 56-count indictment last year. count one, racketeering. the defendants stand accused of being involved in ysl, the young slime life gang, which prosecutors say is notorious in atlanta for violent crime. the case and fallout sparking debate about freedom of expression. the focus of a new hulu documentary from abc news studios. "rap trap: hip-hop on trial." >> these guys are superstars. >> number one album, first week, gunna. then i realized, rap is back on trial. >> what is happening? >> there's lots of us locked up

in prison. >> reporter: young thug's rise to international stardom had humble beginnings in atlanta. >> coming up in atlanta rough. just like -- the street life you can have to stay head above water at all times. he always told me he worked on his craft, he worked on music, he knew he was going to be in music through everything. >> reporter: life in the spotlight took a turn lastfonni willis announced charges citing lyrics as evidence of alleged criminal conspiracy. >> i belive in the first amendment. it's one of our most precious rights. however, the first amendment does not protect people from prosecutors using it as evidence if it is such. >> you talk to fans, they're outraged. even some politicians have expressed being outraged about lyrics being used in this way. you talk to s fomeeel like crime is on the rise here that these people have been victimizing their communities, they feel like finny willis has

every right to utilize these lyrics in this way. >> is the use of lyrics as evidence unique to hip-hop >> yes, absolutely. rap music is the only fictional form, musical or otherwise, that is targeted this way in the courts. >> reporter: eric nielsen is coauthor of "rap on trial: race, lyrics, and guilt in america." he's often asked to testify in court as an expert on the matter. we spoke late last year. >> this i a fictional form that you're using. you're attributing song lyrics to somebody's state of mind. >> reporter: nielsen said he identified roughly 500 cases where rap lyrics were used in court between the 1990s and 2017. critics say the genre has long been a target for politicians and prosecutors. a soundtrack born out of communities underrepresented in the mainstream. >> hip-hop is known to originate in 1973 at a house party dr anue starting dj cool hurk. >> started throwing little parties out there over the rubble, literally.

grand master flash was playing outside my w it was a whole way of life. >> my grandmother had gospel. my grandfather had the blues. they had things that marked where they were in their life. hip-hop did that for me. it was a gospel-like experience in that it gave me hope. it was a blues-like experience in that it acknowledged the suffering. >> now we had a form of music that was like, dang, somebody else feels the same way i feel? it smells like [ bleep ] their neighborhood too? there's broken glass everywhere? my neighborhood too! >> reporter: for 45-year-old rapper mckinley fitz jr., rap was the ultimate form of self-expre self-expression. >> rap was my anti-drug, the thing that kept me away from the streets, the thing that i fell in love with, that i looked to take me and my family out of our financial condition. and it's this very thing that i love so much used against me in court.

effectively. >> reporter: in 2001, he was sentenced to 30 years in prison for manslaughter. his own rap lyrics used as evidence along with witnesses who testified against him. ♪ >> 1990s he was known as lil mac, a local celebrity recording his first hip-hop album at 12 years old. ♪ you know the deal ♪ >> reporter: by 19 he was buying his family a house and signing with the hottest record label in town. no limit with master p. >> i loved singing in the house, neenging new editions, songs and stuff. i loved tooov d to create. >> reporter: trouble soon followed. at age 22, mac was at a nightclub when gunfire broke out. 19-year-old baron victor jr. was shot and killed. mac had a gun on him but claims he didn't fire his weapon. he was arrested and charged with murder. his rap lyrics introduced during his trial. >> his rap lyrics weren't used

as part of a crime, but instead to color his character and suggest that this must have been the man who murdered the victim. >> the prosecution actually brought in lyrics of his from two different songs, spliced them together as if they came from the same song, and then actually changed lyrics within it to make him sound as threatening as possible. >> the prosecutor said to the jury -- ♪ murder murder murder murder kill kill kill kill ♪ ♪ bullet in your brain ♪ >> that's not even what i said. i said, "if you f with me, he'll put a bullet in your brain." >> as the prosecutor was quoting these lyrics, i was like, what song is that? they was trying to portray him as some type of gangster. i know personally this boy is not like this. he's nothing like the lyrics. >> think back to when you were making those songs. what did those lyrics mean to you then, and in what way do

they reflect your reality? >> oh, man, it was fire to me. it was like -- i was a battle rapper, that was my way of telling every other emcee i would kill you on this microphone. >> in 2021 after serve morgue than two decades in prison, louisiana governor john bill edwards granted him clemency. now after years away, mac is reunited with his first love, music. dropping his first studio album since his release. >> see you later, good buddy. there's been a journey. i was released last june. and i had to relearn the way that the music business works now. also, i want to really get these songs the way i wanted them to be. what's happening, what's happening? >> reporter: in the case of young thug and gunna, sergio kitchens, aka gunna, eedernt pl

maintain his innocence while pleadi iing guilty. jeffrey williams, young thug, pled not guilty. his lawyer said "mr. williams has commit nod crime soatwh empathizes with them he has a warning to rappers who may face the same fate. saca used tultnythg yo >> reporter: despite what he's been through, mac is still invested in the future of the music industry. volunteering here at this after school program. what's your advice to that next generation of artists, particularly black artists, who are looking to rap, looking to become the next hip-hop star? >> if you love what you do, do it. and i would definitely not tell them to censor their art. that's what people like myself and others are here to try to make sure that they don't have

to censor their art that they can be free, that they can express themselves. >> our thanks to ashan. you can watch "rap trap: hip-hop on trial" beginning thursday on hulu. when we come back, the star known for steamy scenes and the debate about sex on screen. just between us, you know what's better than mopping? anything! at the end of a long day, it's the last thing i want to do. well, i switched to swiffer wetjet, and it's awesome. it's an all-in-one, so it's ready to go when i am. the cleaning solution actually breaks down dirt and grime. and the pad absorbs it deep inside, so it prevents streaks and haze better than my old mop. plus, it's safe to use on all my floors, even wood. swiffer wetjet? so worth it. best. decision. ever. get $10 off for a limited time. i've been telling everyone... the secret to great teeth is having healthy gums. detoxifies below the gumline...

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♪ actor penn badgely is no stranger to red-hot love scenes. but his recent request to limit his intimate moments on screen has the entertainment world

abuzz and divided. here's my "nightline" coanchor juju chang. >> tonight i show you, i'm the one. >> reporter: sex on screen. a staple in hollywood and something that's been a part of penn badgely's entire career. from innocent dan humphrey in "gossip girl." >> really happy to be here with you right now. >> reporter: to serial killer joe goldberg in the netflix thriller "you." >> you're a different kind of woman. >> reporter: but not anymore. the actor making a stunning request to the show's creator. >> i asked, sir gamble, creator of the show, can i just more intimacy scenes? >> reporter: badgely speaking about the ask on his podcast, "podcrushed." when asked why audiences might notice less intimacy this season. >> fidelity in my -- in every

relationship, and especially in my marriage, is important to me. and -- yeah, it got to the point where i don't want to do that. and of course, before i took the show, there is a question? do i have a career if i don't? >> reporter: badgely and wife domino kirk have been married five years and have a 2-year-old son together. >> the only backlash that i can imagine coming from me as coord thought that, if someone is performing an intimae scene, that they are cheating on their significant other. in my opinion, i don't see that as cheating. i see that as telling a story. >> reporter: badgely's remarks resparking a heated debate in hollywood about intimacy on screen and how to achieve it. >> it will be interesting to see the domino effect it might have in hollywood. >> reporter: in "you," penn badgely plays the protagonist serial killer joe goldberg. >> come on, be cool. >> shut up! >> reporter: the show both violent and steamy, sending it

to the top of netflix. in a recent interview with "variety," the 36-year-old further detailing his reasons for requesting fewer risque scenes, saying, that aspect of hollywood has always been very disturbing to me and that aspect of the job, that mercurial boundary, has always been something i don't want to play with at all." creators of the show are listening. significantly tamping down the intimate scenes this season. >> you're terrible, terrible. >> it's something that i really applaud and should be applauded for actors to -- anyone to be able to change their boundaries and state exactly what it is they're comfortable with and not comfortable with anymore, and rightfully so. that show runner said, "great, what can we do instead?">> iimy coordinator for hbo, alicia knows how difficult simulating sex on screen can be for actors. >> it's my job as intimacy

coordinators to make the uncomfortable as comfortable as possible. >> reporter: she's a pioneer in this space, hired by hbo in 2017. she's worked on "the deuce" and "the sex and the city" reboot and "just like that." >> like a stunned coordinator except for intimate scenes. we're specifying through choreography, making sure everyone is aware of what touch is in play, what i not in play. >> reporter: we spoke with her in 2019 after the "me too" movement brought change to hollywood and hollywood sets. >> it is good for miss. on one hand, it is covering your ass. on the other hand, they realized that -- they're like, this is not for us, this is for the industry. >> my sense is that what made them think of it now is the hashtag movement known as "me too," "time's up"? >> absolutely. >> reporter: four years later the ripple effect of the "me too" movement is still being felt. >> as an industry it's our responsibility to make sure someone is safe on set, make

sure their boundaries aren't being violated. >> rhoda showed us some of the tools to help actors honor their boundaries. >> this is an option of a strapless brief where someone could wear this if they are simulating sex from behind and they want to have a barrier. this is also something that we use sometimes. different forms of padding or even a deflated pilates ball that people can put between them to be able to simulate sex. >> reporter: the rise of intimacy coordinators hasn't come without controversy. last august, "game of thrones" star sean bean sharing he felt intimacy coordinators spoil the spont 98 talk of shooting a sex scene. this month, sir ian mck making these marcs to a podcast -- >> i imagine there are situations you have to be careful and people find it difficult to be intimate, and therefore, a coordinator is just the thing. but why can't it be the director

who does that? i think the purity, really, of as few people as possible getting in the way, is good. >> reporter: dame emma thompson firing back, responding directly to mcclellan's comments on british radio station lbc. >> you know, the crew will be 90% men. the women won't be on the set with you. and that's a very uncomfortable position for a young woman who's starting in the industry. it is absolutely essential that there is someone there to protect them. >> reporter: many younger actors, from "awe phoria's" sydney sweeney to "bridgerton's" phoebe denever praising the difference an intimacy coordinator has made for them. it's not just female actors but male stars as well. last year, sam heughan from "outlander" described his work with an intimacy coordinator on set. heughan and his on-screen partner katrina balf are known for erotic love scenes. >> you mentioned there are

intimacy directors brought on board ande introduced an intimacy adviser to our set and to our producers which has been an incredible addition. she gives us a lot more tools, makes things a lot more comfortable. ultimately, i think tre vierded. eir imagination is maybe sparked more. we don't have to see as much, but we maybe are turenaky. o >> reporter: a journey for the audience that looks very different now than it did 70 years ago. >> if you remember back to the black-and-white sitcoms, "i love lucy," they couldn't even sleep in the same bed together. there were always two beds that were depicted on screen. >> sweet dreams, sleep tight. >> to think that years later we're seeing very graphic scenes depicted in hollywood, both in television and film today. >> if anything, i think we're maybe in a golden age, that we're getting a lot of different views of what intimacy can be to different people.

it should be normalized that actors can make changes into what it is they are okay with. so just being able to change their mind is something that should always be a conversation. >> our thanks to juju. up next, a first look at brittney griner back where she belongs. this all-new ariya is an elegant ev. yeah, with 389 horsepower. ♪ and all-wheel drive. ♪ it's beautiful. it's a beast. it's electric. with an edge. oh, let's go with that. ♪ aah, it's a good day to cough. oh, no! bye, bye cough.

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finally tonight, brittney griner is jumping back into the game. the phoenix mercury posting

these pictures of their star player back on the court with the radiant smile. griner re-signed a one- with hyearld team just today, fulfilling a promise that she made after her release from russian detention to return to the team. and that's "nightline" for this evening. catch our full episodes on hulu. see you right back here same time tomorrow. thanks for the company, america. good night.