How Afroman Went From Comedic Rapper to Free-Speech Hero

I t's close to showtime, and Afroman is sitting alone on a purple velour couch in the green room of the MegaCorp Pavilion in Newport, Kentucky. In 30 minutes, he'll be onstage performing the songs that made him famous - "Palmdale," "Crazy Rap," and, of course, his breakout 2001 hit, "Because I Got High" - before a crowd of around 1,000 people. He's dressed in his new signature look: a bespoke American-flag-print suit with matching sunglasses (the flag motif covers the lenses). His French-manicured fingers, sporting multiple gold rings, hold a chalice also emblazoned with the flag and filled with Colt 45 malt liquor. Two assistants, clad in tight red dresses, film his every move while his go-to hype song, Lynyrd Skynyrd's "Simple Man," plays on repeat. As Ronnie Van Zant sings, "Don't you worry, you'll find yourself/Follow your heart and nothing else," he rises from the couch and looks up to the ceiling, raising his hands as if in prayer.