{"id":225304,"date":"2026-04-09T20:10:07","date_gmt":"2026-04-09T20:10:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/225304\/"},"modified":"2026-04-09T20:10:07","modified_gmt":"2026-04-09T20:10:07","slug":"why-afroman-will-draw-a-crowd","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/225304\/","title":{"rendered":"Why Afroman will draw a crowd"},"content":{"rendered":"

For more than 25 years, rapper-singer Afroman was remembered, if he was remembered at all, for his minor 2000 hit \u201cBecause I Got High<\/a>,\u201d a good-natured hip-hop explanation for his layabout lifestyle.<\/p>\n

Even if he were just a little-known nostalgia act, it\u2019s the kind of song and theme that is always welcome on the beach at Fort Lauderdale\u2019s Tortuga Music Festival<\/a>, where Afroman will take the stage at 3:45 p.m. Saturday.<\/p>\n

But everyone knows Afroman these days.<\/p>\n

His newfound viral celebrity can be traced back to a 2022 raid on his home in southern Ohio by police armed with a warrant that cited suspicion of kidnapping and drug trafficking. Afroman was on the road, and officers left empty-handed, but not before damaging property and scaring his wife and two children, he said \u2014 a scene captured on security cameras and in a live Facetime video call from his wife.<\/p>\n

No charges were filed in the case, but the experience infuriated Afroman (real name Joseph E. Foreman). So he wrote satirical songs about it and created a series of music videos using the footage.<\/p>\n

Afroman told NPR<\/a> in 2023: \u201cI asked myself, as a powerless Black man in America, what can I do to the cops that kicked my door in \u2026 And the only thing I could come up with was make a funny rap song about them \u2026 use the money to pay for the damages they did and move on.\u201d<\/p>\n

The video for one song, \u201cWill You Help Me Repair My Door<\/a>,\u201d shows armed officers kicking down a door and roaming through the living room and kitchen. Another shows an officer pausing during the raid to stare at a cake on the kitchen counter. The song is titled \u201cLemon Pound Cake<\/a>,\u201d which became his nickname for the officer.<\/p>\n

Borrowing a melody from \u201cUnder the Boardwalk,\u201d Afroman sings: \u201cMama\u2019s lemon pound cake, it tastes so nice \/ It made the sheriff want to put down his gun and cut him a slice \/ Lemon pound cake \/ He wanna put down his Glock \/ Lemon pound cake \/ Trending on TikTok.\u201d<\/p>\n

All of it likely would have faded into obscurity had seven of the officers involved not filed a defamation suit against Afroman in 2023, saying his use of their faces in the videos and on promotional T-shirts caused them to suffer \u201cridicule, mental distress, embarrassment and loss of reputation.\u201d They sought $3.9 million in damages.<\/p>\n

During the trial in March<\/a>, Afroman, 51, cited First Amendment protections and artistic freedom. The American Civil Liberties Union filed a brief in support of his \u201cprotected speech.\u201d<\/p>\n

Video of the trial<\/a> in Adams County, Ohio, showed Afroman in an American flag-inspired suit and sunglasses under his signature halo of hair. His testimony was polite, professional and direct.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe whole raid was a mistake. All of this is their fault \u2014 if they hadn\u2019t wrongly raided my house, there would be no lawsuit,\u201d he told the court.<\/p>\n

The trial included coverage from CNN, The New York Times and the BBC. Comedian Josh Johnson of \u201cThe Daily Show\u201d wrote an hourlong riff on Afroman<\/a>.<\/p>\n

After a three-day trial, the jury sided with Afroman. A star was born.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe did it, America! Yeah! We did it! Freedom of speech!\u201d Foreman said in a celebratory Instagram post<\/a>. \u201cGod bless America. Yeah! Power to the people!\u201d<\/p>\n

The video for \u201cWill You Help Me Repair My Door\u201d currently has more than 13 million views, and \u201cLemon Pound Cake\u201d is at 8.8 million.<\/p>\n

A new Afroman album, \u201cFreedom of Speech,\u201d will drop, of course, on 4\/20.<\/p>\n

Afroman is scheduled to perform at 3:45 p.m. Saturday, April 11, during the Tortuga Music Festival at Fort Lauderdale Beach Park, 1100 Seabreeze Blvd. For tickets and information, visit TortugaMusicFestival.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Staff writer Ben Crandell can be reached at\u00a0bcrandell@sunsentinel.com<\/a>. Follow on\u00a0IG: @BenCrandell<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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