Lemon Pound Cake

Album: Lemon Pound Cake (2022)
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Songfacts®:

  • On August 21, 2022, police in Ohio raided Afroman's home on a warrant claiming probable cause for drug possession, drug trafficking, and kidnapping. They didn't find any kidnapping victims or any evidence of drug trafficking, but they did find a lemon pound cake under a bell jar in the kitchen. Video from Afroman's surveillance system shows one of the officers looking down at the tasty confection before continuing the search. Afroman, who was not charged, seized on this moment to create the song "Lemon Pound Cake," where he speculates that the officer really wanted to put down his gun and cut him a slice.

    Nobody was home during the raid, but Afroman claimed the police did about $20,000 worth of damage to his property, including repairs to the door they broke down. The song is his way of getting revenge and covering some of his losses. Speaking with NPR, he explained: "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? And the only thing I could come up with was make a funny rap song about them and make some money, use the money to pay for the damages they did and move on."
  • The song is set to the tune of "Under The Boardwalk," a 1964 classic by The Drifters.
  • Afroman released an entire album called Lemon Pound Cake that includes more songs about the raid, like "Why You Disconnecting My Video Camera" and "Will You Help Me Repair My Door." He also sold merch on his website, including shirts showing "Officer Pound Cake."
  • Afroman is best known for his 2001 hit "Because I Got High," which he references in this song. "He got the munchines, because he got high," Afroman sings about the officer's craving for the cake.
  • Footage from the raid was used to make a music video for the song and promote it on social media. As the video tilted toward a million views on YouTube, seven officers involved in the raid sued Afroman, claiming his use of the video was illegal and caused them "humiliation, ridicule, mental distress, embarrassment and loss of reputation." Publicity from the lawsuit gave Afroman a career boost. He said he planned to countersue for defamation.

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