Nathan Papes/Springfield News-Leader / USA TODAY NETWORK
Earlier this month, Afroman found himself making headlines thanks to a surreal trial made possible by the police officers who sued him over the musical war he waged against them in the wake of his home. They not only failed to win the nearly $4 million they were seeking but also helped line his pockets after the saga led to a spike in the number of people flocking to his songs.
The music industry has produced plenty of one-hit wonders who’ve had a fairly prolific career but are primarily remembered for a single song. That’s the case with Afroman, who has released 18 studio albums since dropping his first one in 1997 but is best known for “Because I Got High,” the stoner anthem that earned him a Grammy nomination after it came out in 2000.
Afroman, who was born Joseph Foreman, has pumped out plenty of music since then, but he’s spent more than two decades largely riding the success of that track.
However, some newer songs were recently thrust into the spotlight thanks to a messy legal situation that can be traced back to a raid on his home in 2022, and he’s reaping the benefits of the ill-fated lawsuit that was filed by the cops who inspired them.
Afroman saw his streaming numbers rise by over 500% in the wake of his legal victory over the police officers who sued him for defamation
Afroman was born in Los Angeles and spent a fair amount of time in Mississippi before settling down in Ohio. In 2022, his home in Adams County was raided by police in connection with an investigation into kidnapping and drug trafficking, but officers conducted a virtually fruitless search while causing tens of thousands of dollars in damages.
The musician wasn’t charged with either of those crimes and decided to use his talents to voice his displeasure with what went down.
He used surveillance footage that was captured during the search as the backdrop for a number of music videos where he mocked the officers who entered the home, including “Lemon Pound Cake,” which was inspired by the cop who eyed the eponymous dessert while making his way through his kitchen.
He eventually compiled those songs into an album of the same name, and in 2023, seven members of the Adams County Sheriff’s Office sued him for using their likenesses in the videos while arguing he defamed them with his lyrics to the point where they were owed $3.9 million in damages.
That led to a civil trial that kicked off this March (and was preceded by another song that took a very pointed jab at one specific officer). Afroman, who arrived to court in an American flag suit to argue he had a First Amendment right to drag the officers, ultimately prevailed after being found not liable.
According to Billboard, he’s also gotten a W on the business front since then thanks to the publicity the case was able to generate. Based on the data the outlet examined, streams for his songs rose 511% in the four days after the trial compared to the same stretch before it (1.12 million to 6.8 million), and paid downloads jumped 2,113% (100 vs. around 2,500) as “Lemon Pound Cake” led the way on the popularity front.
Not too shabby.