Can the state legally censor a musician's art?
In short: Imagine being forced to wear a GPS tracker and seeking police permission before every song upload. This is the reality for UK rapper Digga D, whose career became a high-stakes battleground between artistic expression and criminal behavior orders.
In 2018, following an arrest where members of his group 1011 were found with machetes and baseball bats, Digga D was issued a Criminal Behaviour Order (CBO). This unprecedented legal tool required him to obtain Metropolitan Police permission before releasing any new music. The conditions were exhaustive: he was forbidden from using London postcodes in lyrics, referencing real-life incidents or people, and was required to check in with probation every three hours while wearing a GPS tracker.
The order sparked a fierce debate over state censorship. Digga D's lawyer, Cecilia Goodwin, argued the CBO gave authorities the power to control and censor his art. Conversely, the Metropolitan Police denied it was censorship, stating that music used to 'goad, incite, or provoke' violence necessitated police intervention to prevent serious harm. Despite these restrictions, Digga D achieved significant commercial success, with his mixtape 'Noughty by Nature' debuting at number one on the UK Albums Chart in 2022.
The personal stakes of this legal friction are severe. In 2019, while serving a prison sentence for breaching CBO conditions, Digga D was stabbed in the eye with a blade fashioned from a tuna can—an attack that left him struggling with post-traumatic stress disorder. His journey highlights a unique intersection of UK drill culture, where the 'harsh realities' of inner-city life are documented by artists who are simultaneously being legally restrained from depicting those very lives.
Despite his history of incarceration—including three prison stints before age 20 and a recent sentence for cannabis supply—Digga D remains a pivotal figure in the scene. He has transitioned from a pioneer of 'changing drill' to a label owner, navigating a career where every lyric is monitored by the state.
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Sources
- Summary by Intellect · source: Digga D
- Also: Wikidata — Digga D · CC0
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