Rapper Afroman has prevailed in a lawsuit brought against him by a group of police officers, three years after the case was filed.
The legal dispute began in 2023, when the artist behind the 2000 hit ‘Because I Got High’ faced claims including alleged defamation, emotional distress, and invasion of privacy.
The officers’ complaint stemmed from Afroman’s decision to incorporate security-camera footage from his home into a series of music videos. The clips were recorded during a 2022 police raid on his property.
Authorities searched the residence while investigating suspected drug possession and trafficking, as well as kidnapping. No evidence was found and no charges were brought.
The incident was captured both by Afroman’s wife and by the home’s surveillance system. He later used the recordings in videos that included crude jokes aimed at the officers involved.
One of those videos, ‘Lemon Pound Cake’, has accumulated 3.5 million views on YouTube.
After the case was filed in 2023, the matter recently proceeded to a trial that lasted three days.
During the hearing, Randolph L. Walters, Jr. testified about the statements he argued were defamatory.
Walters Jr. told the court that one of Afroman’s tracks caused what he described as “tremendous pain” because it referenced the rapper having sex with his wife.
He added: “I been with that woman since middle school, I would hope she wouldn’t. But you know what, once someone puts it out there for their fun and entertainment, it’s out there, and it’s a problem.”
Deputy Lisa Phillips also took the stand and became emotional, according to CNN. She was referenced in Afroman’s song ‘Licc’em Low Lisa’, and the music video depicted a fictional scenario in which Phillips was shown having sex with multiple women.
Ultimately, Afroman won the case and was found not to have committed wrongdoing.
His attorneys argued that the videos were clearly comedic and could not reasonably be taken as factual claims — a position his lawyer David Osborne Jr. said ‘everyone knows’.
The defense also maintained that Afroman’s work was protected speech under the First Amendment.
Reflecting on the outcome, Afroman said: “After they run around my house with guns and kick down my door, I got the right to kick a can in my backyard, use my freedom of speech, turn my bad times into a good time.”
It was also emphasized that the footage featured in the videos belonged to Afroman, as it was captured by his own security cameras.
After the verdict, he posted a celebratory Instagram video addressing supporters, where he shouted ‘God bless America’ and ‘We did it, America’.