When singer Joseph E. Foreman took the stage recently in Ohio, his message, like his lyrics, was hardly subtle. The counselor may not have been sure whether to examine or hoist him. The rapper, known as “Afroman,” showed up in a suit modeled after an American flag with matching flag-patterned sunglasses. He lashed out at the seven police officers who raided his home and then sued him for publicly mocking them. He emphasized that he was the virtual embodiment of the First Amendment in all its glory.
The jury agreed, at least to the extent that they found him protected in his parody and public portrayal of the officers.
Nearly three years ago, I wrote about the case and expressed my deep skepticism about the case’s legal viability in light of free speech protections for filming and criticizing government officials.
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Foreman, 51, rose to fame with a humorous rap song, “Because I Got High.” He later became even more famous after the released security camera images of officers breaking down the door of his house with guns drawn. Although the warrant was granted to search for evidence of kidnapping, marijuana and drug paraphernalia, they found nothing.
In this image from a video, rap artist Afroman testifies in court on Tuesday, March 17, 2026, in West Union, Ohio. (WCPO)
Foreman then decided to go on the offensive with videos showing the robbery and rap songs in which he used his signature style to mock the officers (including one who appeared to stop in the middle of the robbery to look at a fresh lemon pie on the counter). He told NPR, “I asked myself, as a powerless black man in America, what can I do about the police who kicked down my door, tried to kill me in front of my children, stole my money and disconnected my cameras? And all I could think of was to make a funny rap song about them… use the money to pay for the damage they did and move on.”
In “Will You Help Me Fix My Door?” he taunted the officers: “Did you find what you were looking for?/Will you help me fix my fence and door/Would you like a piece of my lemon pie?/You can take as much as you want/There must have been a big mistake.”
The humor highlighted what he considered an absurdly broad order: “The order said ‘Narcotics and kidnapping’/The order said ‘Narcotics and kidnapping’/Are you kidding me? I make my money rapping/Why does the order say ‘Narcotics?’ (Well, I know narcotics)/But why kidnapping?”
THE US government targeted me for my political speech. IT CAN HAPPEN TO YOU TOO
That was followed by an even more popular video titled “Lemon Pound Cake”: “The Adams County Sheriff kicked in my door/Then I heard the glass break/They found no kidnapping victims/Just some lemon pie… Mama’s lemon pie/It tastes so good/It made the sheriff want to put down his gun/And cut him off a piece (of what? Of what?).”
It became an instant hit.
Some of the footage from Foreman’s security cameras was also used to sell commercial products, including promotional videos. In an Instagram post, he wore a shirt with the surveillance footage and thanked one of the officers for helping him get 5.4 million views on TikTok.
Afroman attends the Daytime Beauty Awards on September 20, 2019 in Los Angeles. (Paul Archuleta/FilmMagic)
In a social media post, he wrote: “Congratulations again, you’re famous for all the wrong reasons.”
The six officers and one detective were clearly furious at the public abuse and ridicule that followed. In their complaint, they alleged that their families were traumatized and damaged.
The ridicule continued throughout the trial.
Foreman’s appearance in his flag suit reflected his style and his strategy. He was there to make an undeniable point and the flag outfit was part of the effort to attract maximum attention.
Although controversial to some, his fashion choice followed other famous free speech advocates. Hustler magazine publisher Larry Flint wore a flag diaper to court in 1983. (He was subsequently charged with desecrating the flag – a charge later dropped by prosecutors.)
Similarly, in 1968, activist Abbie Hoffman wore a shirt resembling an American flag to a House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC) hearing protesting the Vietnam War. When he was arrested, he stated: “I’m sorry that I only have one shirt to give for my country.” (His conviction was later overturned.)
Foreman attacked Adams County Deputy Sheriff Lisa Phillips in an expletive-laden music clip posted to Instagram just hours after she tearfully testified in court: “Where were these tears when she stood in my yard with a loaded AR-15 ready to cheese me?”
Foreman was equally brazen on the stand: “This is all their fault. If they hadn’t wrongfully raided my house, there wouldn’t have been a lawsuit, I wouldn’t know their names, they wouldn’t be on my home surveillance system and there wouldn’t be any songs.”
My skepticism about the lawsuit stemmed from the obvious opinion and political content of his message. Courts have also ruled that citizens can film officers in public, despite repeated attempts to criminalize such filming.
Afroman performs on stage during the Texas Ballpark Tour at Dell Diamond on December 2, 2018 in Round Rock, Texas. (Rick Kern/WireImage)
The claims of defamation, misappropriation of names or likeness, and false light all met with the same First Amendment protections.
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Foreman is an artist who criticizes the police during the raid on his home. Foreman had the right to object to the raid, which he considered unjustified and even racially motivated.
Foreman clearly used his celebrity status to get revenge. However, any liability for showing officers during a raid would have had a chilling effect on political speech, even when such speeches are part of creative work.
Since the founding of the Republic, parody and songs have been used to criticize government officials and policies.
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Foreman celebrated after the verdict, exclaiming, “It’s not just for artists. It’s for Americans.’ We have freedom of speech. They…wronged me and sued me for speaking up.”
Yes, Foreman is over the top in every way. Yet there was a method to the madness. Take away the flag suit and the exaggerated lyrics, he had a point. Add the suit and the rap and he had an audience.
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