Earlier this week, Afroman turned a jury victory into a free-speech masterclass after Ohio cops lost their defamation lawsuit against him.
The seven Adams County sheriff’s deputies sued the rapper over his viral “Lemon Pound Cake” music videos that mocked their 2022 raid on his home, but the jury sided with him on all 13 counts this week.
Translation: America’s still got freedom of speech, and Afroman proved it in court. Here’s where it gets funny.
Pennsylvania’s Adams County Sheriff Joshua Fitting had to post on social media Thursday, saying, “We did not arrest Rapper AfroMan” because his office was getting flooded with calls from confused fans.
The wrong state’s cops were catching heat for something Ohio deputies did.
Fitting joked that all the calls and “colorful language with accents from around the county” had been lovely, but he needed people to double-check which state they were calling.
Back in August 2022, Ohio deputies kicked down Afroman’s door looking for drug trafficking and kidnapping evidence. They found nothing, filed no charges, but his family was home.
His wife filmed the raid as Afroman’s kids, then 10 and 12, watched armed officers tear through their house. The deputies also allegedly took $400 in cash and damaged his property.
So Afroman did what he does best: he made music about it.
The Lemon Pound Cake album dropped in 2023 with tracks like “The Police Raid” and “Why You Disconnecting My Video Camera.”
The music videos used actual home surveillance footage. One deputy got immortalized for getting distracted by a cake on the kitchen counter.
The deputies claimed Afroman’s content invaded their privacy and caused mental distress. They wanted $3.9 million in damages and the videos removed.
But Afroman’s lawyer argued it was comedy and social commentary, protected speech. The jury agreed. After less than a day of deliberations, they ruled completely in Afroman’s favor.
“I didn’t win, America won,” Afroman told reporters outside court, rocking his signature American flag suit and white fur coat. “America still has freedom of speech. It’s still for the people, by the people.”
The rapper maintained that the deputies brought this on themselves by raiding his house and putting themselves on his cameras.
The trial lasted three days and became a viral sensation. One deputy testified he’d received hundreds of pound cakes at work from people making jokes.
Another said he had to quit his job because of Afroman’s allegations. But the jury wasn’t buying the damages claim.
Afroman, best known for his 2000 hit “Because I Got High,” has released 18 studio albums and maintains a massive social media following. He’s still using his platform to make songs clowning the cops, too!
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