Everybody get ready, Afroman is coming to the Newport and he promises a show like no other. Entertaining, funny, smart and especially catchy, Afroman is about to rock Ohio State in a show that will not be soon forgotten.
The exciting and new album, “The Good Times,” features the hit song “Because I got High,” from the “Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back” soundtrack. A few weeks ago, the single went gold, selling more than 500,000 copies. With their laid-back attitudes and catchy lyrics, it is easy to find yourself singing anyone of the 11 songs on the album.
From start to end, “The Good Times” moves in and out of seriousness and laughter keeping you in the “Afro-mood.” The music strikes an appealing chord with college students seeking a careless attitude but with a sense of real life. Song after song, the original lyrics roll out smoothly.
The only problem so far is the amount of playing time that Afroman has received on local radio stations. Aside from “Because I Got High,” the album’s received fairly little playing time.
Recently the charismatic Joseph Foreman, AKA Afroman, told The Lantern about his rough past, new success and future goals in a question and answer session.
Lantern: One of the many questions on everybody’s mind is how did you get the name Afroman?
Afroman: Back in school, I tried to hang with the fashion kids and tried to be in with that crowd of clean cut people, but I didn’t want to manage that. I couldn’t get my hair cut all the time because it would need it every three days. One day an old school teacher, you know the kind that always makes you take your hat off, had us writing a paper. I was finishing mine up and this cute girl (you know, the girls that think they are good looking so they can treat you like crap) asked me to take her paper up to the front of the class. Well I was still finishing my last paragraph and finishing up my last thought before I forgot it, and she started yelling and calling me names. Then she called me Afroman, and everyone started laughing, so when I was starting up I thought it would be a funny, cool name and that’s how it happened.
Lantern: Many artists don’t like to read the reviews about their shows. Do you read reviews about your own shows and how do you deal with the positive and negative statements about your music? Don’t worry, this won’t sway our review of you.
Afroman: Yeah I’ll read the reviews sometimes. I more or less deal with bad press by not getting worked up about it, haha … Got to do what you got to do … stand up and believe in yourself. I worked my way up, and I’m very grateful to be where I am. Any negative press doesn’t bother me.
Lantern: You’ve come all this way, but really this seems just like the tip of the iceberg. Basically you’re just starting out so what are some of your future goals? Do you have any interests in acting?
Afroman: Acting, definitely, I’m just happy to be in the arena and I’m ready to play, whatever interests me and whatever is made available. Whether it’s comedy or serious, or just getting together with other musicians, the bigger the better.
Lantern: How old were you when you knew that you wanted to be a professional entertainer and what did your family have to say about it?
Afroman: They wanted me to get an education, get something solid first. Ya know they were playing the odds. It’s tough to be a professional entertainer, it’s harder than making it to the NFL, so they wanted me to get a solid base first. But they’ve always been supportive and of course, they still are today.
Lantern: Your music is very funny, and you make a lot of interesting points, but at the same time some of the things you say may be offensive to some people. When you write lyrics do you try to keep in mind what your saying might be offensive, or do you say to yourself, “it’s all in good fun, people shouldn’t get so worked up about these jokes?”
Afroman: It’s all in good fun and you got to think big. If somebody says something offensive to me, I think of the point that they’re making and if it’s true go with it, but if you can make it funny and make people laugh then that’s even better. If I were to offend someone I would definitely apologize, but I do have my freedom of speech. I wouldn’t want to get anyone’s feelings messed with. I went threw a lot of hard times in my life, especially when I was younger and I got through everything because of my sense of humor. I used to laugh at everything and it worked.
Afroman also spoke of some witty stories that unfortunately couldn’t be shared in this article. Nonetheless, he doesn’t need a script to perform; he’s naturally funny.
The captivating Afroman doesn’t care what you call him, but he demands the respect and reputation he’s quickly earning himself all over the world. With the newly earned stardom overseas, Afroman is taking the world by storm. Check him out tonight at the Newport, before he moves on to bigger and better things.
