Through courtroom drawings, transcripts, and personal notes, British artist and musician Klein turns the YSL-RICO trial into a hybrid between investigative journalism and a stage play. She traces the intersections of freedom of speech, free will, and the systemic biases that shape how rap and its creators are treated within the American justice system and how those attitudes ripple out into wider culture.
Rather than presenting a conclusive argument, the book invites readers to piece the story together themselves. By highlighting the main actors and unexpected side characters, the sharp turns in the trial, and the emotional undercurrents running beneath it all, Klein opens up questions around crime narratives, artistic expression, and how culture, race, and public perception can quietly steer legal decisions with popular culture. Published alongside the exhibition “Rack it!”, which opened on October 15, 2024, at No Tax in Paris, the book mixes scanned materials and film stills with Klein’s handwritten notes,capturing her real-time reflections as the trial unfolded and offering a more intimate, human read on a case that has been anything but simple.
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