In August 2022, Adams County Sheriff’s Office deputies in Ohio raided the home of rapper Afroman (real name Joseph Foreman) with guns drawn. They acted on a tip from an unconfidential informant who later turned out to have lied to police to get out of their own trouble. The warrant targeted suspected narcotics (marijuana) and, in some reports, even kidnapping or drug trafficking.
Officers smashed in the front door, broke the front gate, disconnected security cameras, and tore through personal belongings and clothing while Afroman’s wife recorded parts of it on her phone. They found absolutely nothing illegal. No drugs, no evidence, no charges ever filed against him. Deputies refused to pay for the damage they caused. Afroman later said they even helped themselves to or joked about his mom’s lemon pound cake during the chaos.
That is the core of his anger. He views the raid as a complete mistake based on a bogus tip that officers blindly believed, causing real property destruction and fear in his home with zero accountability afterward. Instead of fixing what they broke or admitting the error, the same deputies turned around and sued him in March 2023.
The lawsuit (Cooley v. Foreman) claims his satirical music videos using his own security footage defamed them, invaded their privacy, caused emotional distress, ridicule, and even death threats to the officers and their families. They want money damages plus a court order to silence him from talking about it further. Named plaintiffs include deputies like Michael Estep, Shawn Cooley, and Austin Cooley, but Afroman’s new track also calls out others involved such as Lisa Phillips, Brian Nulan, Tasha Chamblin, Roy Gabard, David Kelly, and more.
Afroman responded by turning the raid footage into viral songs like “Lemon Pound Cake” and “Will You Help Me Repair My Door.” He used the earnings from views and merch explicitly to repair his broken gate, door, and other damage. The ACLU calls the entire lawsuit a “SLAPP” (Strategic Lawsuit Against Public Participation) designed to chill free speech and argues that public officials like police cannot sue citizens into silence for criticizing their on-duty actions.
A court already dismissed parts of the case (right-of-publicity claims) in 2023, noting officers should expect criticism, but the defamation and distress claims are now headed to trial today, March 16, 2026, in Adams County Common Pleas Court.
Just yesterday (March 15, 2026), Afroman dropped a brand-new track titled “BATTERAM HYMN OF THE POLICE WHISTLE BLOWER” as his way of “holding trial in one song.” It is a home performance video with no raid footage this time. He names the officers directly, repeats that an unconfidential informant lied, officers believed it, found nothing, wrecked his house, refused to pay, and now sue him for exercising free speech. The chorus hammers “My proof’s on the internet.” It already has over 117,000 views and 21,000 likes on YouTube in under 24 hours. Watch the full video here.
