Afroman
Joseph Edgar Foreman (born July 28, 1974), better known by his stage name Afroman, is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, political activist, comedian and musician. He is best known for his songs "Because I Got High", released in 2000, and "Crazy Rap", released in 2001, both of which were featured on his album The Good Times. Afroman was nominated for a Grammy award in 2002. He is currently running for president in the 2024 United States presidential election as an Independent.
Afroman | |
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Afroman performing in 2011 | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Joseph Edgar Foreman |
| Born | July 28, 1974 Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
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| Years active | 1997–present |
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| Website | ogafroman |
Early life
Born in Los Angeles, Afroman initially grew up in the state of Mississippi before moving back to South-Central Los Angeles at an early age. He later lived in the High Desert Southern California city of Palmdale, briefly in Las Vegas, Nevada, and then Hattiesburg, Mississippi.[1]
Career
The first song Afroman wrote was entitled "Hairy Carrie". He stated it was written during his time in middle school and was a "diss song" about a student known for her cruel harassment of fellow students concerning their appearances.[2]
His musical career began in the eighth grade when he began recording homemade songs and selling them to his classmates.[2] He later recalled: "The first tape I made was about my eighth-grade teacher. She got me kicked out of school for sagging my pants, which was a big deal back then. So I wrote this song about her and it sold about 400 copies: it was selling to teachers, students, just about everybody. And I realized that, even though I wasn't at school, my song was at school, so in a way I was still there. All these people would come by my house just to give me comments about how cool they thought the song was."[3] Foreman also performed in his church at a young age, playing both the drums and guitar.[2]
In 1998, Afroman released his first album, My Fro-losophy, which was described as a "flop". The following year, he released Sell Your Dope and relocated to Hattiesburg, Mississippi,[2] where he met drummer Jody Stallone, keyboardist/bassist Darrell Havard, and producer Tim Ramenofsky (a.k.a. Headfridge). Afroman attributes his musical success in part to his relocation. In a 2023 interview with DJ Vlad, he stated Midwesterners and Southerners were more willing than people in LA to experiment with their taste in music.
Ramenofsky produced and released Afroman's album Because I Got High in 2000 on T-Bones Records; it was distributed primarily through local concerts and the file-sharing service Napster before its title track was played on The Howard Stern Show. The song humorously describes how cannabis use is degrading the narrator's quality of life.[2] In late 2001, the song became a hit and was featured in the 2000s films Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back, The Perfect Score, and Disturbia. "Because I Got High" was nominated for the Grammy Award for Best Rap Solo Performance in 2002.[4]
After the single's success, Afroman joined the lineup of Cypress Hill's fall festival "Smoke Out" with the Deftones, Method Man, and others.[5] After this, Universal Records signed Afroman to a six-album deal, and Universal released The Good Times in 2001. The Good Times was a compilation of Afroman's first two albums and also featured new songs.[2]
Afroman started releasing his music independently and mostly through the Internet in 2004,[2] and that year, he recorded Jobe Bells, which satirized traditional Christmas songs.[6]
Afroman was part of the 2010 Gathering of the Juggalos lineup.[7]
In October 2014, Afroman released a remix of his hit song "Because I Got High" in order to highlight the usefulness of cannabis as part of the effort to legalize its sale across the United States.[8]
Personal life
Religion
In 2003, Afroman declared himself a Christian.[9] In January 2023, he release an hour-long video on YouTube titled "How To Be Happy In An Unhappy World - Sermon By Afroman" detailing his experiences and understanding on life's issues and how to overcome tribulations through faith in the word of God.[10]
Assault case
On February 17, 2015, Afroman was midway through his performance at a live music venue in Biloxi, Mississippi, when a woman walked on stage. While dancing and holding a drink, she approached Afroman from behind. Afroman punched her in the face and was eventually escorted offstage by security. He was taken into custody, charged with assault, and released on bond shortly thereafter.
There were reportedly 12 to 15 security guards on duty to manage a crowd in excess of 500 people. According to Afroman's representative, he had punched the woman as an involuntary reaction to the invasion of his personal space. Afroman also stated that he mistook her for another audience member who had been heckling him throughout the performance. He publicly apologized and sought assistance with anger management.[11][12]
Raid on Ohio home
On August 23, 2022, TMZ reported that Afroman had taken to social media and posted images and videos of his home in Adams County, Ohio, being raided by the sheriff's department. He reportedly asked for representation from attorney Ben Crump.[13] Local news media reached out to law enforcement who declined to give any information about the warrant and search. Afroman also posted about a previous burglary on his home where he was threatened with arrest by the sheriff's department if he kept checking about the progress of the case and was told they did not have time to provide him with an update.[14][15] He recorded a trio of songs criticizing the raid, titled "Will You Help Me Repair My Door","Lemon Pound Cake" and "Why You Disconnecting My Video Camera" (Lemon Pound Cake set to the tune of Under the Boardwalk by The Drifters), and released three music videos composed primarily of security camera recordings of the raid, to his YouTube account, on December 29, 2022.[16]
On March 14, 2023, seven police officers from the Adams County Sheriff's office sued Afroman, alleging that his use of their personas from the video of the raid was an invasion of the officers' privacy.[17]
Presidential candidacy
On December 20, 2022, Afroman announced his candidacy in the 2024 presidential election. His campaign manager, Jason Savage, announced his candidacy on his behalf, citing inflation, the housing market, law enforcement corruption, and legalizing marijuana as key issues of his campaign.[18][19]
Discography
- My Fro-losophy (1998)
- Because I Got High (2000)
- Sell Your Dope (2000)
- The Good Times (2001)
- Afroholic... The Even Better Times (2004)
- Jobe Bells (2004)
- 4R0:20 (2004)
- The Hungry Hustlerz: Starvation Is Motivation (2004)
- Drunk 'n' High (2006)
- A Colt 45 Christmas (2006)
- Waiting to Inhale (2008)
- Frobama: Head of State (2009)
- Marijuana Music (2013)
- The Frorider (2014)
- Happy to Be Alive (2016)
- Cold Fro-T-5 and Two Frigg Fraggs (2017)
- Save a Cadillac, Ride a Homeboy (2020)
- Lemon Pound Cake (2022)[20]
- Famous Player (2023)
References
- ^ Stinson, Liz (November 7, 2008). . Lincoln Journal Star. Archived from the original on May 1, 2021. Retrieved April 30, 2021.
- ^ a b c d e f g Nimmervoll, Ed (2008). "Afroman Biography". allmusic. Retrieved March 27, 2009.
- ^ Afroman | Gratis muziek, tourneedata, foto's, video's. Myspace.com. Retrieved on 2011-10-30.
- ^ Evans, Rob (January 4, 2002). . LiveDaily. Archived from the original on October 15, 2008. Retrieved 2009-03-27.
- ^ Schumacher-Rasmussen, Eric (September 28, 2001). "Cypress Hill's Oakland Smoke Out Bumped By A's". MTV News. Retrieved March 27, 2009.
- ^ "For The Record: Quick News On Jessica Simpson, Ashlee Simpson, Snoop, Good Charlotte, Afroman, Chingy & More". MTV News. October 28, 2004. Retrieved March 27, 2009.
- ^ GOTJ 2011:::Buy Tickets Now! August 16, 2010, at the Wayback Machine. Juggalogathering.com. Retrieved on 2011-10-30.
- ^ Brown, Harley (October 15, 2014). "Exclusive: Afroman Remixes 'Because I Got High' in Support of Marijuana Legalization". Billboard. Retrieved March 23, 2023.
- ^ . Chicago Tribune. May 30, 2003. Archived from the original on June 30, 2021. Retrieved July 9, 2021.
- ^ How To Be Happy In An Unhappy World - Sermon By Afroman, retrieved March 24, 2023
- ^ "Afroman punches woman during performance at a Biloxi nightclub". February 18, 2015, at the Wayback Machine WLOX News. Retrieved 18 February 2015.
- ^ Regan, Helen (February 18, 2015). "Afroman Apologizes for Punching a Woman Onstage During a Performance". Time. Retrieved February 18, 2015.
- ^ "Afroman's Home Raided by Cops in Ohio, Says He Needs Ben Crump". TMZ. Retrieved August 24, 2022.
- ^ Goffinet, Jared. "Afroman's Adams County home raided by sheriff's office: TMZ". fox19.com. Retrieved August 24, 2022.
- ^ Schramm, Molly (August 24, 2022). "Rapper Afroman's Ohio home raided by Adams County Sheriff's Office". WCPO. Retrieved August 24, 2022.
- ^ Afroman - Will You Help Me Repair My Door (OFFICIAL MUSIC VIDEO), retrieved January 6, 2023
- ^ "Afroman sued by law enforcement officers who raided his home". fox19.com. March 22, 2023. Retrieved March 23, 2023.
- ^ Keller, Erin (December 22, 2022). "Afroman running for president in 2024: 'We're gonna get legal weed everywhere'". Retrieved December 24, 2022.
- ^ Herrington, A.J. (December 23, 2022). "Afroman Announces 2024 Run for President". High Times. Retrieved December 24, 2022.
- ^ "Afroman - Lemon Pound Cake". Apple Music. Retrieved September 30, 2022.
External links
- Official website
- Afroman at AllMusic
- Afroman at Discogs
- Afroman at Apple Music
- Afroman at Spotify Music