Afroman Being Sued By Police Who Raided His Ohio Home
Joseph E. Foreman, other wise known as Afroman, is being sued by seven of the police officers that raided his Ohio home in 2022. The officers are claiming the rapper has caused them “humiliation” after Afroman used footage from the raid (including their faces) in his newest music video.
Four deputies, two sergeants and a detective, all with the Adams County Sheriff’s Office, filed a lawsuit in the Court of Common Pleas in Adams County on March 13. It listed Afroman as a defendant along with two firms that market and distribute his material and three unnamed businesses.
In the complaint, the officers objected to Mr. Foreman’s use of their images for “commercial purposes, to promote his ‘Afroman’ brand,” claiming that he was using their images to promote his own brand and gain profit.
The filing said that the rapper’s actions had caused them to suffer “humiliation, ridicule, mental distress, embarrassment and loss of reputation,” and listed several counts of unauthorized use of their personas and invasion of privacy. The officers are seeking damages, including money and a court injunction to remove anything containing their images.
The rapper himself was not home at the time of the raid, but security cams and phone recordings his wife captured were used in the “Will You Help Me Repair My Door” music video and other promotional merchandise. In an Instagram post, the filing said, he wore one such shirt and thanked one of the officers for helping him get 5.4 million views on TikTok for his song “Lemon Pound Cake”.
When Afroman’s house was raided in August of 2022 for suspicion of kidnapping and drug trafficking, no evidence was found. No charges ever resulted from the raid.
In an Instagram post this week, Mr. Foreman said that money was stolen and his security cameras were disconnected during the raid. The post included a statement from his lawyer, Ms. Castellini, that said they were “planning to countersue for the unlawful raid, money being stolen, and for the undeniable damage this had on my client’s family, career and property.”
Who is Afroman?
Afroman is an American rapper, singer, and songwriter. He was born Joseph Edgar Foreman on July 28, 1974, in Palmdale, California. Afroman is best known for his hit single “Because I Got High,” which was released in 2001 and became a global success. The song is a humorous take on the negative effects of marijuana use and became an anthem for the pro-legalization movement. Afroman has released several albums throughout his career and continues to perform and produce music.
Afroman has released several albums throughout his career, including:
- My Fro-losophy (1998)
- Sell Your Dope (2000)
- Because I Got High (2001)
- The Good Times (2001)
- Jobe Bells (2004)
- 4R0:20 (2004)
- Drunk ‘n’ High (2006)
- Waiting to Inhale (2008)
- Frobama: Head of State (2009)
- Greatest Hits Live (2010)
- A Colt .45 Christmas (2010)
- Marijuana Music (2012)
- The Hungry Hustlerz: Starvation Is Motivation (2014)
- Happy to Be Alive (2016)
- Because I Got High: Positive Remixes (2019)
- Cold Fro-T-5: Greatest Hits Live (2020)
Note: This list may not include some of his singles, collaborations, and other works.
