Dressed in a bespoke suit made of the American flag, rap artist Afroman is holding his fro high after beating the cops at their own game in court. Nearly four years after a herd of Ohio pigs botched a raid on the artist’s family home (which Afroman repurposed into a viral music video), the Grammy-nominated artist won a decisive legal victory when an Ohio jury dismissed a defamation and invasion of privacy lawsuit brought by seven members of the Adams County Sheriff’s Office.
The saga began in 2022 when state deputies pounded down Afroman’s door in Winchester, Ohio, investigating alleged drug trafficking and kidnapping. The raid yielded no evidence, and no charges were ever filed against the musician who was targeted over his hit song, Because I Got High.
Pounding Back
Upset with the state-sanctioned home invasion, Afroman repurposed the footage from his home security cameras into a series of diss tracks and music videos, most famously Lemon Pound Cake. The video’s iconic imagery—an officer eyeing a dessert on the kitchen counter—turned the law enforcement officers into instant internet memes.
However, that all changed in 2023, when the seven deputies sought nearly $4 million in damages, claiming invasion of privacy, defamation, and emotional distress after “Lemon Pound Cake” went viral. They argued that Afroman used their likenesses for commercial gain without consent and that the videos subjected them to ridicule and death threats. One officer, Lisa Phillips, testified that the song “Lick ’em Low Lisa” led to severe public harassment.
Farming for Sympathy
Piggie plaintiff, Deputy Lisa Phillips, delivered emotional testimony during the trial about the harassment she faced after Afroman released the song about her. She described the humiliation and distress caused by the track. However, under cross-examination, Afroman’s legal team used her own words to reinforce their defense. “They argued that her distress stemmed not from defamation, but from the public’s reaction to her actual conduct captured on video during the raid—conduct she was seemingly trying to distance herself from in court,” exhibits GWU! Legal Eagle Vince Lee.
Lee testifies to America’s Number One Source of Newstainment that Afroman’s defense centered on the First Amendment. “He argued that the music was protected social commentary and parody. Like the Daily Show or SNL, except actually funny.”
Afroman testified that the raid traumatized his family and that he created the music to recover the costs of property damage caused during the search.
A Victory for Truth
After less than a day of deliberation, the jury sided with the artist on all counts. “The verdict affirmed that using publicly recorded police conduct as the basis for artistic expression does not constitute defamation or privacy violation,” raps our legal lyricist Lee.
Following the decision, a jubilant Afroman framed the outcome as larger than his personal beef. “I didn’t win, America won,” he told Lee in a GWU! exclusive outside the courthouse. “America still has freedom of speech.”
