(Updated on 03/19/2026 @ 11:33 a.m.)
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You probably know him for his Grammy-nominated song, “Because I Got High” (2000), but at age 51, rapper Afroman is making headlines after winning a lawsuit filed by Ohio law enforcement. He was forced to take the stand this week, and his testimony was anything but kind…
Let us take you all the way back to 2022. That’s when the rapper’s– real name Joseph Foreman– home was raided by Ohio police. According to USA Today, Foreman was not home at the time of the raid, but according to him, it was all illegal. His then-wife was present and filmed much of the ongoing raid. But after all of the dust settled, Foreman said the operation was a complete misunderstanding.
“After they left, I had the right to kick the can and to do what I had to do to repair the damage they brought to my house,” Foreman said. The deputies were also accused of disconnecting his surveillance footage. But while he could’ve forgiven the traumatic experience, the rapper stopped in his tracks after he allegedly realized $400 dollars was missing when the sheriff’s office returned the money they took from his house, WCPO News reported.
So, the rapper decided to use his gift for music to seek his revenge. Foreman soon began making and releasing songs like “Will You Help Me Repair My Door” in December 2022 and “Lemon Pound Cake” using footage from the raids. In the videos, you can see several law enforcement officers walking through Foreman’s house. Coupled with the visuals are Foreman’s lyrics poking fun at the raid and the officers.
“I got freedom of speech,” he told the court. “After they run around my house with guns, kicked down my door, I got the right to kick a can in my backyard, use my freedom of speech, turn my bad times into a good time.”
But while the songs had a catchy hook to them, Foreman was hit with a lawsuit in 2023 from two sergeants, a detective and four deputies, according to reports. The suit alleged the rapper used their likeness without permission and profited. But if you ask Foreman, “All of this is their fault,” he said during his testimony on Tuesday (March 17).
“If they hadn’t wrongly raided my house, there would be no lawsuit, I would not know their names, they wouldn’t be on my home surveillance system and there would be no songs,” he continued. The defense argues the songs created by Foreman are protected under the First Amendment.
On Wednesday (March 18), Afroman celebrated outside the courthouse after
an Ohio jury sided with him. “We did it, America! Yeah, we did it! Freedom of speech! Right on! Right on!” the rapper shouted.
Straight From 
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