A U.S. jury has ruled in favour of Afroman in a defamation case stemming from his use of police raid footage in a series of viral music videos.
The lawsuit was brought by several Ohio sheriff’s deputies following a 2022 raid on the rapper’s home, which ultimately resulted in no charges. After obtaining security footage from the incident, Afroman incorporated clips of the officers into songs and videos — most notably 'Lemon Pound Cake' — framing the raid as both a personal grievance and a source of satire.
Afroman is perhaps best known for his 2001 hit song ‘Because I Got High’, a comedic anthem that became a worldwide success.
The deputies alleged the videos and accompanying social media posts amounted to defamation, invasion of privacy and intentional infliction of emotional distress, arguing they were depicted in a misleading and humiliating light.
During the trial, Afroman maintained the content was a form of artistic expression and commentary on what he described as a wrongful raid. Testimony revisited the events of the search, the lack of evidence uncovered, and the aftermath, with deputies also giving emotional accounts about the impact of the videos’ widespread circulation.
