ADAMS COUNTY, Ohio – Ohio law enforcement personnel have filed a lawsuit against rapper Afroman, saying he invaded their privacy by using images of them that were recorded on his surveillance equipment as they served a search warrant at his residence last summer.
Joseph Foreman, aka Afroman, had his house raided in August 2022 by the Adams County Sheriff’s Office. The deputies were acting on a warrant where probable cause existed for the presence of narcotics being stored and kidnappings taking place on the property.
However, no evidence of a crime was found and no charges were filed. Following the raid, the sheriff’s office returned cash seized from Foreman’s home. Fox News Digital reported.
Foreman recorded the law enforcement activity on a multiple security cameras inside his home and on his property. He later used the footage of deputies searching the location in music videos mocking the situation and questioning the search.
Four deputies, two sergeants and a detective with the sheriff’s office have filed the lawsuit against Foreman. In the civil action they said the use of their images in the music videos constitutes an invasion of privacy.
The seven law enforcement plaintiffs are seeking all profits made with their likenesses — including song revenue, music videos, merchandise sales, and concert tickets. Moreover, they seek a court injunction to pull all media from Foreman featuring their images, Fox reported.
“I asked myself, as a powerless black man in America, what can I do to the cops that kicked my door in, tried to kill me in front of my kids, stole my money and disconnected my cameras?” Foreman told NPR in an interview. “And the only thing I could come up with was make a funny rap song about them and make some money, use the money to pay for the damages they did and move on.”
Foreman said he planned to file a countersuit.
It’s unknown if it was intentional or not, but the melody used in Foreman’s video, “Will You Help Me Repair My Door,” is similar to a song recorded by B.J. Thomas in 1979, titled, “What a Difference You’ve Made.”
