Free Speech

Afroman on Free Speech, Government Abuse, and Election 2028

"I want a smaller government. I want to get crooked judges and police officers out of the government," the rapper tells Reason's Andrew Heaton.

Andrew Heaton | From the July 2026 issue

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Afroman on Becoming the 2028 Libertarian Presidential Nominee

In 2022, sheriff's deputies in Adams County, Ohio, showed up at the home of the Grammy-nominated rapper Joseph Foreman, a.k.a. Afroman, with a warrant and a tip about a basement dungeon. They busted down the front door, rifled through his belongings, and seized thousands in cash. The search turned up nothing—the house didn't even have a basement.

Rather than let it go, Afroman made music about it and used surveillance footage of the raid in music videos and on merchandise. Seven of the deputies sued him in 2023, claiming he'd used their likenesses for commercial gain and caused them embarrassment and reputational harm. In March, Afroman showed up to trial in an American flag–print suit, arguing he had a First Amendment right to mock the deputies who kicked down his door. A jury agreed.

In a conversation with Reason's Andrew Heaton, Afroman says the verdict was a win for ordinary Americans who want the right to criticize public officials without being dragged into........

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