He tried to turn an unfortunate situation into a money maker, but it caused Afroman to be targeted by the authorities once again. In August, police conducted a raid on the hitmaker’s Ohio home. They claimed it was due to probable cause regarding drugs and paraphernalia, in addition to allegations that his residence was a location known for kidnapping and trafficking. Afroman, real name Joseph Foreman, wasn’t home during the raid, but he used the footage from the incident to further his career.
This has irked police to the point that they’ve filed a lawsuit against the musician. Afroman used clips and photos from the raid in his music videos and merchandise. His wife recorded the authorities in their home, and the residence was reportedly covered in security cameras. Bodycam footage from police was also shared, and Afroman made sure he used whatever he had. This includes images of officers’ likenesses, and the department doesn’t believe Afroman has a right to make money this way.
Afroman Responds To Lawsuit
The raid didn’t prove to be fruitful because police didn’t find the narcotics they were looking for. Instead, says Afroman, they seized an unknown amount of money and returned it all aside from $400. However, the sheriff’s office retorted that all of his money was returned, they simply miscounted during the initial investigation. Afroman wasn’t charged with any crimes.
Fox 19 News reported that seven plaintiffs were named in the lawsuit. Court documents say the artist “created dozens of videos and images of Plaintiffs’ personas and posted them on various social media platforms including Facebook, YouTube, Snap Chat, TicTok and Instagram.” It also reportedly cites seven Instagram posts that have been deleted from the platform. The authorities allege that officers have received death threats, and it has made their jobs more difficult. They accuse Afroman of “willful, wanton, malicious” behavior and “conscious or reckless disregard” of their rights.
“My Video Footage Is My Property”
Meanwhile, Afroman issued a statement to TMZ about the lawsuit. He seems unmoved. “My house is my property, my video camera films, everything on my property as they begin, stealing my money, disconnecting plus destroying my video camera system, they became my property!” he wrote. “Criminals caught in the act, of vandalizing and stealing money. My video footage is my property. I used it to identify the criminals who broke into my house, and stole my money. I used it to identify criminals, who broke into my house, stole my money and disconnected my home security system.” He also penned several notes on Instagram. Check out one of those posts above.