Music Appreciation

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Home surveillance video of the August 2022 raid shows half a dozen gun-wielding law-enforcement officers from the Adams County Sheriff's Office deputies kicking down his door, combing through his CD collection, going through his suit pockets, flipping through a wad of cash and, in one case, briefly getting distracted by a cake dish on the kitchen counter.

The search, on suspicion of drug trafficking and kidnapping, didn't yield any evidence or charges against the rapper, whose legal name is Joseph Foreman. But he says officers broke his gate and security surveillance wiring, took $400 in cash and frightened his family. He wasn't home at the time, but his wife and kids, then 10 and 12, were present.

"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?" Afroman told NPR in 2023. "And the only thing I could come up with was make a funny rap song about them … use the money to pay for the damages they did and move on."

The rapper, best known for early aughts hits like "Because I Got High" and "Crazy Rap (Colt 45 and 2 Zig-Zags)," made waves again with the 2023 release of Lemon Pound Cake. Its 14 songs have titles like "The Police Raid," "Why You Disconnecting My Video Camera" and "Will You Help Me Repair My Door," featuring home surveillance footage in the music videos.

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