Afroman Wins ‘Lemon Pound Cake’ Trial After Deputies Sue Over Music Video

Afroman might just be celebrating his latest legal victory with a delicious slice of lemon pound cake.

The rapper, whose real name is Joseph Edgar Foreman, was found not liable this week after a group of Ohio sheriff’s deputies sued him over music videos and social media posts stemming from a 2022 raid on his home.

The raid was conducted as part of an investigation into suspected drug trafficking and kidnapping, though no charges were ultimately filed. Afroman also claimed officers damaged his property and frightened his family during the search, according to a report from NPR published on Thursday, March 19.

At the center of the lawsuit was his song “Lemon Pound Cake” and its music video, which used surveillance footage from the raid and showed deputies inside his home. In the track, Afroman turned the incident into a joke, poking fun at officers as they searched his house, which the deputies claimed subjected them to public humiliation.

“He’s an Adams County sheriff/ He’s hungry and he’s big as hell,” the “Crazy Rap” artist sings in the song. “He was sniffing for weed/ Then he smelled another smell.”

Afroman dubbed now-former Deputy Shawn Cooley of the Adams County Sheriff’s Office in Ohio “Officer Pound Cake” after he seemingly paused to consider a lemon pound cake sitting on the rapper’s counter during the raid.

In a clip of the trial circulating on social media, Cooley claimed that he had been sent “hundreds of poundcakes at work from different people.”

Afroman’s legal team called only one defense witness – teacher Rhonda Grooms, who is Cooley’s ex-wife.

During testimony, she was asked whether she and her students were familiar with Cardi B’s song “WAP,” and whether they interpreted its lyrics literally, which she said they did not.

A jury ultimately found Afroman not liable on any of the claims, including defamation and emotional distress, delivering a decisive win for the rapper.