Cops raided Afroman's home, then sued him for using footage in music videos

Seven Ohio cops who raided a rapper known as Afroman's house last summer are now suing the rapper after Afroman made music videos using footage from the raid. The Adams County Sheriff's Office police officers allege that the rapper is profiting off unauthorized use of their likenesses, not only in the music videos but also on merchandise created after Afroman's social media posts and music videos went viral on platforms like TikTok and Instagram.

Cops suing say they've been subjected to death threats, ridicule, reputation loss, embarrassment, humiliation, emotional distress, and other alleged harms and will continue to suffer unless the court forces Afroman to destroy all the merchandise and posts bearing their likenesses.

Ars couldn't immediately reach Afroman, whose real name is Joseph Foreman, for comment, but Vice talked to him in January. Afroman told Vice that after the raid, he suffered, too, losing gigs and feeling powerless. He decided to create music videos for songs called "Lemon Pound Cake," "Why You Disconnecting My Video Camera," and "Will You Help Me Repair My Door" to reclaim his good name.

The cops' warrant shows that officers conducted the raid to seek evidence of "drug possession and trafficking, as well as kidnapping," The Guardian reported, but no evidence was found, and no charges were issued against Afroman.

Afroman was not present during the raid, and his music videos relied on security camera footage and videos shot by his wife on her phone. The rapper claims that police destroyed his property and seized $400. "I felt powerless yet angry," he told Vice. "These guys can destroy my property and I literally couldn't do nothing about it."

He said that releasing the music videos was his only way to process these feelings and that he was shocked when the videos went viral. "The only thing I could do was take to my pen and sing about the injustice," Afroman told Vice. "And to my surprise, it's going over well!"

Some of the music videos and social media posts have since garnered millions of views.

Ars could not immediately reach Robert Klingler, the lawyer for the officers suing. The officers are Shawn D. Cooley, Justin Cooley, Michael D. Estep, Shawn D. Grooms, Brian Newland, Lisa Phillips, and Randolph L. Walters, Jr.

Klingler told The Washington Post that Afroman's home raid was "lawful."

Adams County Sheriff Kimmy Rogers told Vice last month that while the office didn't "appreciate" the disrespect from the public after Afroman's videos became popular, Rogers felt the office could "handle" it.

However, Rogers also said then that "it's kind of tolling on some of the officers."