James Broadnax faces execution on April 30th. Travis Scott, T.I., and Killer Mike say his rap lyrics never should've been in that courtroom.

Just six weeks before James Broadnax faces execution for the 2008 fatal shooting of two Christian music producers in Garland, his cousin has claimed he killed them. Broadnax, now 37, was convicted in Dallas County in 2009 for robbing, shooting and killing Stephen Swan and Matthew Butler. He is scheduled to be executed by lethal injection on April 30. His cousin, Demarius Cummings, has confessed in a sworn statement that he pulled the trigger. “When [his lawyer] told me on February 20 that James was scheduled to be executed on April 30, 2026, I decided it was time to come clean, and I told him that it was me, and not James, who had shot the two victims,” Cummings’ confession reads. Both of them high on PCP and marijuana, Cummings says he convinced his 19-year-old cousin to take the blame. https://www.houstonpublicmedia.org/articles/news/criminal-justice/2026/03/20/546694/james-broadnax-is-scheduled-to-die-for-garland-murders-now-his-cousin-claims-he-shot-the-victims-christian-music-producers/?amp=1

Rap snitches, telling all their business Sit in the court and be their own star witness "Do you see the perpetrator?" "Yeah, I'm right here" F*** around, get the whole label sent up for years

I remember Rap Critic being like “The Insane Clown Posse would have the highest body count if their lyrics about killing people were true”

The rap lyrics were used only in the sentencing phase of the trial. They were not used to secure the conviction. Broadnax's team argues that they are artistic expression, and the prosecution erred in using them to establish that Broadnax is a remorseless killer who remains dangerous. I would tend to agree with that, but I'm not sure that courts are going to bite here.

If you commit crimes and sing about them it is evidence. Just like if you commit crimes and write books about it. If you don't commit crimes but make songs about imaginary things then it isn't evidence and it would be silly to charge you for. Cash etc used to use their creativity to make songs, if course they weren't taken to court for their songs as if they actually murdered. This is a distinct difference and a vital piece of context. Now if Cash sang about selling drugs and then was found with drugs it would hardly be wrong to question it, no?

James Broadnax and Demarius Cummings robbed and killed two people. Under Texas law, it doesn't matter which one pulled the trigger, they're both equally culpable for felony murder. The only thing that's unjust about the sentencing is that it seems Demarius Cummings should have also received the death penalty. I get why other artists are saying that his lyrics should not have been evidence. No one should ever be convicted of a crime on the basis of some lyrics. As the article says, no one arrested Johnny Cash or Bob Marley. But Johnny Cash and Bob Marley never murdered anyone.

While I agree that rap lyrics shouldn’t be a sole piece of evidence in a criminal conviction, deeming them meaningless is just as short-sighted. Look at someone like King Von for example, he would literally kill somebody and then make a song confessing to the specific details of it. Diddy, R.Kelly, Rick Ross, Pusha T, and countless others have songs talking about illegal, terrible things that they have admitted to doing, or have been deemed guilty of doing.

RIP Darnell Simmons

Maybe if you actually are in court for potentially murdering someone, your art about murdering might become relevant? Imagine if OJ Simpson published his book before the trial, wouldn't that be relevant? It's basically a confession. Sometimes art is just expression. I don't think Slim Shady really killed anyone, for example. Die Antwoord is a rap duo that I really liked for a long time, they have a Slim Shady-esque approach to their style, rapping about absurdly bad behavior. However, there is now a lot of evidence that they are truly deplorable people, abusive and arguably evil. I can't listen to their songs anymore, hearing someone rap about sexual assault in a braggadocios, absurd song hits so differently when you know the person rapping gladly assaults people. It reads more like a confession. I honestly don't understand how people enjoy drill rap in the first place. It's not hype, it's sad... Just my opinion. Idk I'm kind of split on this. Idk if we can draw a hard-line on if art is reasonable evidence for all cases.

It's just words. Nouns, adjectives. That just happen to be in a dоpе order.

"Nobody went after Johnny Cash when he sang about killing a man in Reno. Nobody dragged Bob Marley into court over shooting a sheriff." And you can add The Chicks Goodbye Earl to that.

Mfs in this thread acting like he was completely uninvolved in the crime.

I don’t necessarily agree with the death penalty, and I know that it’s a hotly discussed point - rightfully so - in cases like these. But there is a big difference between advocating for an inmate’s death sentence to be commuted to life, versus advocating for the inmate’s innocence. Every death penalty case I’ve seen recently, much of the discussion tends towards the latter. Doing my own research using direct source documents as well as articles from then and now, I don’t understand the push I’ve seen for this man’s innocence.   --- > … [Cummings and] Broadnax then took the train from Dallas to Garland to find someone to rob. As appellant and Broadnax walked around downtown Garland, they came across Stephen Swan and Matthew Butler who were standing outside a recording studio. Appellant and Broadnax talked to Swan and Butler about music and the record business for about thirty to forty-five minutes, and appellant and Broadnax walked away. By this time, it was past midnight, the trains and buses were no longer running, and appellant and Broadnax had no money and no way to get back to Dallas. They decided to go back and rob Swan and Butler and take Swan’s car. Appellant told Broadnax, who had the gun, that he might have to ‘pop’ them a few times, but Broadnax told appellant he did not want to do that. They decided appellant would distract the men by asking for a cigarette and Broadnax would pull out the gun to rob them. When they returned to the recording studio, Swan and Butler were still there. Appellant asked for a cigarette, and Broadnax pulled out the gun and fired two shots at Swan and four shots at Butler. As Swan lay on the ground bleeding to death, appellant went through Swan’s pockets and took his wallet and car keys. Appellant and Broadnax then drove away in Swan’s car, a Ford Crown Victoria. Swan and Butler died from their injuries. > Appellant and Broadnax returned the handgun to its owner and the AK-47 to appellant’s aunt. They removed the Ford’s license plates and replaced them with plates from a Cadillac. After appellant pawned some tools they found in the car, they drove to Texarkana. In Texarkana, a police officer ran the license-plate number on the Ford through the computer and learned the plates were registered to a Cadillac. The officer performed a traffic stop and arrested appellant and Broadnax on outstanding misdemeanor warrants. When the officer entered the Ford’s VIN number on the computer, he learned the car was involved in a double homicide in Garland. ---   > After he was sentenced to death, he laughed at the mother of one of the victims during her victim's impact statement in court.

I live down the street from where this happened. Those two Christian producers were working with the church I use to attend. The pastor was with them that night but was still in the building/house when it happened. Super sad all around bc that church did such a huge impact on outreach and helping the lesser.

Rap snitches, telling all they business, sit in the court and be they own star witness, do you see the perpetrator? Yeah I'm right here, f*** around get the whole label sent up for years

It seems like whether he pulled the trigger or his partner, they're both guilty of felony murder, and the lyrics were only used in sentencing, not in the verdict.  But also, the death penalty should be abolished. 

Okay... But did he actually kill two people?? Was it in self defense, or murder?

Okay what about young thug and Gunna? Someone please explain how they got out of the Rico case?

Using lyrics as evidence is a dangerous road... because where do you even draw the line between art and reality?

Rest in piss

Rap snitches, telling all their business

I think all rappers' lyrics should be admissible in court. Hypothetically, if there were a painter who killed someone and, in their home, were a bunch of paintings or drawling of murder or torcher or anything of the sort it would absolutely be used against them, and very well should be.

So if I start rapping and make a song called “Immunity” does that mean I can commit any crime I want because I claim to have immunity in a song?

[hol up,uh uh, drop the beat drop the beat, the name's Gangstalicious](https://youtube.com/shorts/T--KfI88B0A?si=tygAHLhngsETWhmR)

"Rap snitches, tellin' all their business. Sit in the courtroom and be their own star witness."

Texas will just take the opportunity to kill both of them

That interview he did after from jail was some of the most cold blooded shit I’ve ever heard coming out of somebody’s mouth.

I’m out, apparently there was a nasty accident on 85 so traffic is fucked

I remember watching a true crime show about a teenager who killed another teenager then he wrote a song, made a music video, about the crime, after the fact. He never stated who it was in the song but prosecutors didn't hesitate and obviously they had more evidence than just the lyrics but the mother of the victim wasn't against this. So this isn't the first and won't be the last. Also, the fact that the cousin waited to say something is not right to me.

Didn’t say he didn’t do it though did they.

Who cares what Travis Scott thinks. What a shit person and musician

Another one bites the dust

If he was part of the crime he deserves the death penalty 🤷

Ya out of everything going on the world this is the best cause we can get behind right now.

And they are wrong. If you can write, record and/or release it, it can be used against you. Maybe take up against the arse hole cousin who convinced him to take the rap.

Hopefully no one gets the death penalty. ❤️

I’m pretty familiar with this case, really sad those guys died over like $3 in change. One of them still has some music up on YouTube too, very Beatles sounding. Was a very senseless circumstance.

My only real take here is the death penalty is wrong

Wow…somehow these low IQ mf’ers keep failing upward to stardom. I guess it caught up with him after all. I have zero sympathy for his little plight. May his execution be swift and find justice for the victims’ families.

I understand it but they picked 3 f****** terrible people to name as advocates lmao. Killer Mike is a fraud who preached against the machine and then decided to go against everything he said, TI is a creep as a husband and a father, and Travis literally has blood on his hands after Astroworld and hes just corny in general.

Rap snitches telling all their business..