Afroman Wins Case Against Ohio Deputies Who Sued Him Over Parody Videos Using Raid Footage

Source: Paul Archuleta / Getty

On Aug. 21, 2022, seven Adams County, Ohio, sheriff’s deputies raided the home of Grammy-nominated rapper and parody artist Afroman while investigating allegations tied to drugs and possible kidnapping. The deputies found nothing and their raid resulted in no charges being filed against their suspect. Afroman, however, did find something as a result of that raid:

Comedy gold.

The seven deputies filed a defamation lawsuit against Afroman, born Joseph Edgar Foreman, claiming parody songs and videos he recorded using home surveillance footage of the raid caused them and their family members to be publicly ridiculed and harassed. On Wednesday, after a three-day trial, the court sided with Foreman, which he considered a win for “free speech” and “America” just as much as it was a win for himself.

Before the raid, the parody videos and the subsequent lawsuits, Afroman was most known for his 2000 hit “Because I Got High.” After the raid, however, he became an internet sensation all over again with songs like “Lemon Pound Cake” and “Will You Help Me Repair My Door,” which were the songs the deputies sued over, collectively, seeking nearly $4 million in damages, because he really hurt their little Karen-cop feelings.

From the Associated Press:

The Adams County deputies said they were publicly harassed over the viral videos, which were viewed more than 3 million times on YouTube. The videos show rifle-wielding deputies busting down Afroman’s door, searching his shoes and suit pockets, and hungrily eyeing a cake on the kitchen table, inspiring one song’s title, “Lemon Pound Cake.”

In other music videos, Afroman took aim at the deputies’ personal lives and called them “crooked cops” because of $400 that went missing in the raid.

“Police officers shouldn’t be stealing civilians’ money,” the rapper testified this week. “This whole thing is an outrage.”

In court — wearing a red, white and blue American flag suit — he defended his work on First Amendment grounds and said he issued the diss tracks to cover damages from the raid, including a broken gate and front door.

“The whole raid was a mistake. All of this is their fault. If they hadn’t have wrongly raided my house, there would be no lawsuit. I would not know their names,” said Foreman, who testified that the ordeal traumatized his children, who were 12 and 10 at the time. “They wouldn’t be on my home surveillance system, and there would be no songs, nothing.”

Foreman’s attorney, David Osborne, said in closing arguments that “no reasonable person would expect a police officer not to be criticized,” and that “they’ve been called names before.” He also noted that “it was not unusual for artists engaged in social commentary to exaggerate,” AP reported.

A lawyer for the plaintiffs, Robert Klingler, took exception to that claim, saying “these seven brave deputy sheriffs” suffered as Foreman told lies about them for the last three years.

“Even if somebody does something to you that hurts you, that you think is wrong — like a search warrant execution that you think is unfair … that doesn’t justify telling intentional lies designed to hurt people,” he argued.

One of the plaintiffs, Sgt. Randy Walters, testified that his child had been hazed at school over the Afroman videos and came home crying.

“Where in the world is it OK to make something up for fun that’s damaging to others when you know for sure it’s an absolute lie?” Walters asked.

Were they lies, though?

If any of those deputies had someone tear through their home, looking for drugs, evidence of a kidnapping, or whatever, and they noticed they were short $400 after the raid, would they not assume it was the state-sanctioned home invaders who were responsible? Would they not be loud about that allegation? I suppose that aspect of the suit could have been argued. Maybe Afroman was lying about the $400. Maybe he lost it. Maybe the deputies never touched it. Maybe it’s a “he said, they said” kind of a situation that can’t be proven or disproven.

But what about the rest? How is it defamation when there’s very real video footage of the very real raid presented in the very thing deputies were suing over?

Were they defamed, or were they just embarrassed because they didn’t assume a guy who makes comedy videos and songs for a living would have a home surveillance system that would provide him with fresh material?

Also, just as an aside, here’s one deputy who seemed to think his wife, whom he’s been with since middle school, may or may not be cheating on him with Afroman, because, apparently, Foreman indicated that she did, which the deputy says is a lie, although he doesn’t seem quite sure about that.

Nah, that’s pretty hilarious.

Anyway, as another aside, there’s been plenty of speculation that Afroman is actually an Afro-MAGA Trump supporter, which largely seems to stem from a song he did aimed at President Joe Biden’s son, Hunter Biden, who, in 2024, was convicted on three felony counts related to him purchasing a firearm in 2018 while allegedly addicted to drugs.

Or as Foreman put it, “Hunter Got High.”

In 2024, he told Newsweek that he hopes to perform the Biden-ized version of “Because I Got High” at Trump rallies in the run-up to the election — which President Donald Trump won, of course — hoping the track could reignite his career.

“I might really be back,” he said. “This one might take me to the stratosphere. I might be singing it at some Trump rallies.”

Now, what Foreman told the outlet made it sound as if he was more interested in his own fame than in supporting the current president. Newsweek also noted that “while he said this is the most political song he’s ever performed, he also said he won’t stray from poking fun at both sides of the aisle.”

“If I had some good lines, I’d use them. I’d give them to the Earth. I’d sing about anybody. I sang about the police who raided me,” Foreman said.

Foreman also said this, regarding concerns that Biden might sue him as those deputies did a year later:

“He may be bigger than my song, but if he does sue, as long as he doesn’t take all the money, he can have some, because he inspired the song.”

It would be hilarious if Afroman got high and forgot he sent Hunter Biden $400. Jussayin’.

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