For the last couple months, Sheriff Drumman has been making tip money drumming out songs from the back of his Ford pickup.

Last week the 28-year-old was doing his thing at a Valero gas station near Hollywood Boulevard and Highland Avenue, a popular area for street performers, when Los Angeles police showed up.

He was wrapping up his rendition of YG and Nipsey Hussle's “FDT (Fuck Donald Trump).”

Mark Blackwell, a screenwriter who co-founded Nylon magazine, happened to be there and videotaped the performance and the first cops on the scene. You can see the full video below.

The vibe is mellow at first.

“I appreciate your artistic values but I cannot have you using that out in public, OK,” an officer says via a patrol car's public address system.

But soon five cop vehicles were at the scene, and Drumman was arrested.

The artist born Anthony Eugene Sheriff told us he had a warrant for his arrest for alleged trespassing related to a previous performance on private property.

He was booked that night, May 11, and spent three days behind bars, according to Sheriff's inmate records. 

Drumman told us that the charge related to the case was dropped and that he was released. Records indicate there was zero bail and no fine, so his story adds up.

About two months ago he mounted his kit to his truck bed, wired up a sound system and illuminated the drums with club-style lights. It was a hit.

“I started buying more stuff to put on the truck,” he said. “I know they could hear me for three miles coming.”

He played outside City Hall recently until the law ran him off there, too, Drumman told us.

He says “Fuck Donald Trump” has become a go-to “crowd favorite.”

“I do what makes people happy,” Drumman said. “But when it comes to Donald Trump I'm honest: Fuck that nigga.”

The problem for the musician — he told us he's been hitting the skins since he was 3 — is that cops impounded his truck and, with it, his drum set.

With tip earnings of $200 to $600 a day, he says, both are his lifeblood. On top of all that, Drumman told us he got an eviction notice yesterday. And he's going through a divorce.

“I'm real emotional,” he said. “A dark cloud has been following me.”

Drumman raised some cash from friends to get his truck out of the impound lot, but daily storage fees are adding up. He started a GoFundMe page to ask the public for help.


 

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