HOUSTON -- The widow of a Texas state trooper is suing rap singer Tupac Amaru Shakur, known as 2Pac, and Time Warner Inc., claiming the singer's lyrics incited a teenager to kill her husband, it was reported Saturday.
The lyrics specifically deal with police harassing blacks and were on a cassette found in a vehicle driven by Ronald Howard, who was stopped on the highway by Department of Public Safety trooper Bill Davidson, on April 11.
Davidson was killed and Howard, 19, of Houston, was arrested several hours later and charged with capital murder.
Linda Davidson's attorney told The Houston Post that police found at least 10 tapes in Howard's truck. Many of the cassettes were by pop musicians but the one in the tape player was a homemade cassette of the album '2Pacalipse Now' by 2Pac, who is a member of the band Digital Underground.
Attorney Jim Cole said the lyrics on the tapes seem to urge black teens to shoot police.
One song, titled 'Violent,' talks of being stopped by a police officer and being 'jacked by the police' for not having identification.
'So here we go, the police against us. Dark as dust, waitin' for the gun to bust. What's next, I don't know and I don't care. One thing for sure, tomorrow I won't be here. But if I go, I'm taking all these punks with me,' the lyrics say.
Another song talks of carrying a 9mm gun -- the same type gun used to shoot Davidson -- and of being tired of police harassment.
'Tired of being trapped in this vicious cycle. If one more cop harasses me, I just might go psycho,' goes the song 'Trapped.'
The suit, filed in a Jackson County district court, does not specify a monetary amount but Cole said Friday he will ask for a significant jury award.
Cole said his goal is to convince Time Warner it is too costly to continue distributing 2Pac's music.
'I have not seen another one that contains the message this one does,' Cole said.
The album, produced for Interscope Records, was the singer's first solo attempt. 2Pac also appeared in the movie 'Juice.'
The suit alleges Time Warner, 2Pac, Interscope Records, East West Records America and Atlantic Recording Corp. 'were negligent and grossly negligent in recording, producing, manufacturing, distributing and selling the cassette tape.'
It alleges 'the music contained on the tape was directed to inciting young black males, including Ronald Howard, to kill policemen.'
Ed Adler, a spokesman for Time Warner Inc. in New York, told the newspaper he had no comment on the lawsuit. Howard's attorney, Allen Tanner, also declined to comment.
Cole said violent rap songs endanger law enforcement officers -- an opinion shared by authorities nationwide after the release of an album by rapper Ice-T.
Police claimed the song 'Cop Killer' on the album was a violent call to action against police and they called for a boycott of Time Warner Inc.
Time Warner initially defended the album and the artist but a crescendo of criticizm persuaded both to pull the song from the album, although Ice-T said he would still give it away at concerts.
