Rapper and marijuana enthusiast Afroman has testified in the trial over the use of raid surveillance footage in his 2022 “Lemon Pound Cake” music video.
According to Cincinnati news outlet WCPO, Afroman, real name Joseph Foreman, took the stand on Tuesday (March 17) to address why he used footage taken on security cameras that showed Ohio police conducting a raid in August 2022. The footage was also taunted in the “Lemon Pound Cake” song and “Will You Help Me Repair My Door.”
"All of this is their fault," the 51-year-old said. "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 ... my money would still be intact."
Afroman explained that because his security cameras were used and the authorities allegedly broke his door, he was in the right to post the footage. "They're suing me for their mistake," he claimed.
“I have the right to my freedom of speech. After they left, I had the right to kick the can and do what I had to do to repair the damage they brought to my house,” he said.
Afroman also posted the footage on his Instagram page, which showed the police breaking down his front door and brandishing long rifles. The rapper claimed that the police’s entry caused “significant damage” and alleged that $400 was stolen, which was later returned by the Adams County Sheriff's. Afroman later sold merchandise using the officers’ likenesses.
A warrant was issued against Afroman for drug trafficking and kidnapping, although charges were not filed. In an investigation conducted by Clermont County, it was discovered that money wasn’t stolen from the property, but miscounted.
Ohio deputies have alleged that Afroman’s “Lemon Pound Cake” video and additional posts were to blame for “humiliation, ridicule, mental distress, embarrassment and loss of reputation."