Cops Sue Afroman Alleging "Lemon Pound Cake" Violates Their Right Of Publicity
Jurisdiction | United States,Federal,Ohio |
Law Firm | Global Advertising Lawyers Alliance (GALA) |
Subject Matter | Media, Telecoms, IT, Entertainment, Privacy, Privacy Protection, Advertising, Marketing & Branding |
Author | Mr Brian Murphy (Frankfurt Kurnit Klein & Selz) |
Published date | 20 April 2023 |
In Saturday Night Live's cold open last weekend, the newly indicted Donald Trump (played by James Austin Johnson) announced his latest scheme to raise funds for his legal defense: an album of covers of some of the greatest pop songs of all time. Given the real-world success of "Justice for All" - a unique (?) track by the J6 Prison Choir that features Trump reciting the Pledge of Allegiance - the premise isn't so far-fetched. In the skit, the former president sings "Islands in the Stream" with Don King (played by Kenan Thompson), "Boy's a Liar" with Donald Trump, Jr. (played by Mikey Day), and (finally) "Because I Got High" with Afroman (played by Devin Walker). How did Afroman make the cut? Here is how Trump explains it:
"Uh oh. Who's this? It's a man who, like me, was illegally raided, and he's turning it into big bucks: Afroman!"
For those who weren't paying close attention to entertainment news last week, the joke may not have landed. Let me explain.
Afroman: Then and Now
Afroman (born Joseph Edgar Foreman) achieved a degree of fame in the aughts when he released "Because I Got High," a wonderfully silly rap song that he reportedly penned in less than five minutes and that has become an anthem (of sorts) for stoners of a certain age. The track helped earn Afroman a Grammy nomination and, to this day, remains on Rolling Stone's list of The 20 Greatest Songs About Weed.
Last August, the Sheriffs in Adams County, Ohio, executed a search warrant and raided Afroman's house on suspicion of drug trafficking and kidnapping. Ultimately, the cops found nothing, and no charges were filed. Afroman contends, however, that the officers caused $20,000 of damage to his house and stole cash from him (a charge the Sheriff's Office denies). His ex-wife and children live nearby and recorded the raid on a cell phone, and additional footage was captured by Afroman's home surveillance cameras.
About a month later, Afroman released Lemon Pound Cake, a new album with songs about the raid. The eponymous single "Lemon Pound Cake" describes a moment during the raid (captured on surveillance) when the attention of one of the officers, upon entering Afroman's kitchen with his gun drawn, appears to linger (lovingly?) on a domed cake plate on the counter, the kind you would expect to find in Martha Stewart's house. These are the song's opening lyrics:
The music video for "Lemon Pound Cake" incorporates that and other footage from the raid. For your viewing pleasure:
self
Afroman...
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