Ohio deputies sue 'Afroman' for using videos from raid to promote his music

Seven sheriff's deputies who raided the rapper Afroman's home in rural Ohio are suing him over videos he posted of the search.

Four Adams County sheriff's deputies, two sergeants and a detective complained Joseph "Afroman" Foreman invaded their privacy by showing their faces in videos he recorded during the raid that he later used in music videos and social media posts, which they allege amounts to a misdemeanor violation, reported WXIX-TV.

“They come up here with AR-15, traumatize my kids, destroyed my property, kick in my door, rip up and destroy my camera system,” Foreman said after the raid last year.

The suit also alleges the videos resulted in their “emotional distress, embarrassment, ridicule, loss of reputation and humiliation.”

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The deputies say they're entitled to all of the rapper's profits from his use of their personas, including proceeds from his music, concert tickets and the promotion of his "Afroman" brand, under which he sells beer, cannabis, T-shirts and other merchandise.

Foreman pledged a countersuit “for the undeniable damage this had on my clients, family, career and property.”

The Adams County prosecutor's office found the raid failed to turn up evidence of criminal activity and no charges were filed in the case, and the sheriff's office appeared to come up several hundred dollars short in returning cash seized in the raid.

However, an independent investigation by the state found that deputies had miscounted the money during the raid.

Foreman published two songs referencing the raid, “Lemon Pound Cake” and “Will You Help Me Repair My Door," and music videos for each included videos from the incident recorded by his home surveillance cameras and his wife's cell phone.

“Thank you for getting me 5.4 MILLION hits on TikTok I couldn’t have done it without you obviously!" Foreman posted on Instagram afterward. "Congratulations again you’re famous for all the wrong reasons[...]”