William Jonathan Drayton Jr. (born March 16, 1959),[1] known by his stage name Flavor Flav[lower-alpha 1] (/ˈfleɪvər ˌfleɪv/ FLAY-vər FLAYV), is an American rapper and hypeman. Known for his yells of "Yeah, boyeeeeee!" when performing,[4][5] he is a founding member, alongside Chuck D, of Public Enemy, a rap group that has earned six Grammy Award nominations,[6] and has been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.[7]
Flavor Flav | |
|---|---|
 Flav performing at New Orleans Jazz Fest in 2014 | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | William Jonathan Drayton Jr. |
| Born | March 16, 1959 Roosevelt, New York, U.S. |
| Genres | Hip hop |
| Occupations |
|
| Years active | 1985–present |
| Member of | Public Enemy |
After spending several years out of the limelight, Flav starred in multiple VH1 reality series, including The Surreal Life, Strange Love, and Flavor of Love.
Early life and education
Drayton was born in Roosevelt, New York, and grew up in nearby Freeport, two communities within the Town of Hempstead. Drayton is the cousin of former Penn State basketball player Shep Garner,[8] and of Brooklyn MC Timbo King of Royal Fam.[9] He is also a cousin of rappers Ol' Dirty Bastard, RZA, and GZA of the Wu-Tang Clan.[10][11]
He began teaching himself piano at the age of five,[12] and mastered piano, drums and guitar at an early age, while also singing in the youth choir at his church.[13] According to Chuck D, Drayton is proficient in fifteen instruments.[5]
By the time he dropped out of Freeport High School in the 11th grade, he had been in and out of jail for robbery and burglary.[13][14]
Drayton attended culinary school in 1978.[5] Later, he attended Adelphi University on Long Island, where he met Carlton Ridenhour (who later became known as Chuck D).[4] They first collaborated on Chuck D's hip-hop college radio show, then began rapping together.[13] Drayton's stage name Flavor Flav was originally his graffiti tag.[5]
Career
Music
Flavor Flav (often referred to as "Flav") came to prominence as a founding member and hype man of the rap group Public Enemy, which he co-founded in 1985 with Chuck D.[15] A year later, the group released "Public Enemy #1", which brought them to the attention of Def Jam Records executive Rick Rubin. Rubin initially did not understand Flav's role in the act and wanted to sign Chuck D as a solo act; however, Chuck D insisted that Flav be signed with them and the two were signed to Def Jam.[12]
The group's first album Yo! Bum Rush the Show was released in 1987. Flav served as the comic foil to Chuck D's serious, politically charged style.[13]
The group gained much wider fame with their following release, 1988's It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back, which went double platinum. By the time the political single "Fight the Power" was released in 1989, the group had become mainstream superstars. Along with Chuck D, the showman of the group and its promotional voice, Flav stood out among the members of Public Enemy as he often got the fans excited, appearing on stage and in public wearing big hats and glasses, and a large clock dangling from his neck.
The first released track on which Flav rapped solo was "Life of a Nigerian" on Goat Ju JU,[citation needed] although the first hit on which he rapped solo would not come until the 1990 single "911 Is a Joke". During Public Enemy's first years of existence, Flav experienced tensions with group-mate Professor Griff, who never liked Flav's flamboyant stance in what Griff felt should be a serious, politically-challenging group. In 1999, Flavor Flav recorded with DJ Tomekk and Grandmaster Flash the single "1, 2, 3, ... Rhymes Galore". The single stayed for 17 weeks in the top ten of the German charts.[16]
In 2006, Flav put out his first solo album, titled Hollywood. It was released during the second season of the reality TV dating show Flavor of Love.
On March 1, 2020, Public Enemy released a statement saying that the group would be "moving forward without Flavor Flav," following a disagreement over the group's decision to endorse Bernie Sanders and perform at his Los Angeles rally.[15][17] Flavor Flav denounced the firing, maintaining that he was Chuck D's partner in Public Enemy and could therefore not be fired from it. On April 1, 2020, Chuck D announced that the firing was a hoax.[18] Flavor Flav stated shortly thereafter that he was not a part of the hoax and disapproved of the stunt.[19]
Television
After a hiatus from the music scene, Flavor Flav was invited to participate on VH1 reality show The Surreal Life. During this show, he developed a relationship with actress Brigitte Nielsen.[20] Following the conclusion of The Surreal Life, VH1 gave Flav and Nielsen a show titled Strange Love, which detailed their globetrotting adventure in love. At the end of Strange Love, Nielsen decided to return to her fiancé, Mattia Dessi.
Flavor of Love, which aired for three seasons, is a reality show where Flavor Flav looks for love. The show's success led to spin-offs titled I Love New York and I Love Money. During the third season reunion of Flavor of Love, Flav proposed to Liz, the mother of his youngest son, Karma.[5] The Comedy Central roast of Flavor Flav aired on August 12, 2007.[21] Guests appearing at the roast included: Snoop Dogg, Brigitte Nielsen, Jimmy Kimmel, Carrot Top, Lisa Lampanelli, Ice-T, Jeff Ross, Katt Williams, Patton Oswalt, Greg Giraldo, and Sommore.
Flav played Calvester Hill on the MyNetworkTV comedy series Under One Roof, starring alongside Kelly Perine.[22]
Restaurant owner
In 2011, Flav partnered with Nick Cimino to open Flav's Fried Chicken in Cimino's hometown of Clinton, Iowa. The two had met through Cimino's brother Peter, who runs Mama Cimino's in Las Vegas and Castle Rock Bar and Pizzeria in Kingman, Arizona. After enjoying the rapper's homemade fried chicken,[23] Peter Cimino began selling chicken wings using Flav's recipe.[24] The founders hoped to start a national restaurant franchise.[23] A mix of squabbling owners, bounced checks, and bad business decisions led to Flavor Flav's Chicken shutting down barely four months after it opened.[25][26] Flavor Flav was not involved in the restaurant's day-to-day operations; Nick Cimino simply paid for Flavor Flav's license.
Flavor Flav's House of Flavor in Las Vegas opened on the rapper's birthday in March 2012.[27] Flavor Flav teamed up with Gino Harmon and Salvatore Bitonti to start a national franchise known as Flavor Flav's Chicken & Ribs, which opened December 21, 2012 in Sterling Heights, Michigan. The business was not affiliated with the previous two ventures Flavor Flav has had in the restaurant business. Flavor Flav's Chicken & Ribs was a casual dining experience with a quick serve attitude. Flavor Flav's Chicken & Ribs closed in July 2013 after being evicted by its landlord for failure to pay rent.[28]
Other TV and media appearances
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In 2002, Flav appeared in Taking Back Sunday's music video for their song You're So Last Summer. Flav has appeared as a playable fighter in the 2004 fighting game; Def Jam: Fight for NY. In May 2005, Flav took part in the UK reality TV show The Farm on Channel 5.[29] Also in 2005, Flavor Flav made a guest appearance in the MTV2 surreal black comedy show Wonder Showzen as himself, in the debut episode "Birth". On June 14, 2006, Flav's participation, with WEVR-MRC,[30] in the Lisa Tolliver Show celebration of National Safety Month,[31] earned kudos from Surgeon General of the United States Richard Carmona.[32][33][34]
On November 18, 2009, Flav became a downloadable character in the PlayStation Network's video game Pain.[35] Flav stars in Deon Taylor's horror anthology Nite Tales and Dark Christmas.[36] On May 10, 2010, Flav guest hosted the wrestling show WWE Raw.[37] On August 14, 2011, Flav appeared as a host at the twelfth annual Gathering of the Juggalos.[38]
On January 10, 2012, Flav appeared with his longtime fiancée Liz on ABC's Celebrity Wife Swap. His fiancée traded places with Suzette, the wife of Twisted Sister front-man Dee Snider.[39] On February 5, 2012, Flav appeared along with Elton John in a Pepsi Co. ad during Super Bowl XLVI.[40] On February 11, 2012, Flav appeared as an honorary member of the UNLV Rebellion during the UNLV Runnin' Rebels victory over San Diego State, 65-63. From June to September 2012, Flav co-starred and rapped in the web series Dr. Fubalous.[41] Flav has also appeared in YooHoo & Friends as Father Time, and the animated feature Hitpig!, both under the direction of animator David Feiss.
Sports
Flavor Flav sang a widely noted performance of the Star Spangled Banner at the Milwaukee Bucks/Atlanta Hawks game in 2023.[42] His performance was confusing to some,[43] but Flavor Flav described the performance as a bucket list item, and a tribute to military veterans.[44][45][46]
He frequently engages in philanthropy to help struggling Olympic athletes.[47] Flav helped financially support athletes of the United States women's national water polo team amidst their preparations for the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, signing a five-year sponsorship deal as the team's official hype man. He travelled to France to personally watch the team play.[48]
Flavor Flav made a custom bronze clock necklace for US Gymnast Jordan Chiles when her Bronze medal was controversially rescinded at the Paris 2024 games. [49] He also helped raise money for the family of Paralympic sprinter Nick Mayhugh to travel to paris to see their son play, and paid rent for the Olympic Discus Thrower Veronica Fraley during the Olympic games.[50]
Flavor Flav is a long time fan of women's sports.[51] Flavor Flav has been a notable guest at WNBA games, including performing a call and response tribute to the late Fatman Scoop at a New York Liberty game in September 2024.[52][53]
Personal life and legal issues
Flavor Flav had his first three children with Karen Ross,[citation needed] three more with Angie Parker,[citation needed] a son with Elizabeth Trujillo, and another child with Kate Gammell.
In 1991, Flav pleaded guilty to assaulting his then-girlfriend Karen Ross and served 30 days in jail, lost custody of his children, and fell deeper into addiction.[13] In 1993, Flav was charged with attempted murder and imprisoned for 90 days for shooting at his neighbor.[5] Later that year, Flav was charged with domestic violence, and cocaine and marijuana charges. His family performed an intervention, and he checked into the Betty Ford Center for an addiction to crack cocaine.[5][13] After Flav's father died of complications from diabetes in 1997, Flav decided to re-enter rehabilitation, this time at the Long Island Center for Recovery. At one point, he broke both arms in a motorcycle crash.[5]
Flavor Flav dated Beverly Johnson, and by 2000, he lived in a small apartment in the Bronx with her and her two children from a previous marriage, while making money scalping baseball tickets.[13] In 2002, Flav spent nine weeks in Rikers Island jail for driving with a suspended license, numerous parking tickets, and tardiness for probation appointments.[5] Following his release from jail, Flav broke up with Johnson and moved in with his mother on Long Island.
Chuck D became concerned about his friend's well-being and, toward the end of 2003, suggested Flav move to Los Angeles. Flav moved into his friend Princess' apartment, and within months met Cris Abrego and Mark Cronin, the creators and executive producers of the reality television series The Surreal Life. The pair sought him out as soon as they heard Flav had moved to Los Angeles. Seeing that he had remained free from his previous addictions, they wanted to cast him. Initially Flav refused, feeling the show was for celebrities past their prime. He was eventually convinced to join by previous participant MC Hammer.[13]
On May 2, 2011, Flav was arrested on four outstanding misdemeanor warrants for various driving offenses.[54] Police said the rapper had two outstanding arrest warrants for driving without a license, one for driving without insurance, and one related to a parking citation.[54][55] Flav has since been released.[54] In June 2011, Flav said on the Australian radio show The Kyle and Jackie O Show that when his drug problem was at its worst, he would spend up to US$2,600 a day on crack cocaine.[56]
As of October 2012, Elizabeth Trujillo, the mother of Flav's son, Karma, lived with Flav in Las Vegas and had been his fiancée for eight years.[57][58][59] On October 17, 2012, Flav was jailed in Las Vegas on felony charges stemming from a domestic argument with Trujillo and his threats to attack her teenage son, Gibran, with a knife.[57][60]
Flav's mother, Anna Drayton, died on December 31, 2013.[61] On January 9, 2014, Flav was pulled over on Long Island's Meadowbrook Parkway for driving 79 miles per hour (127 km/h) in a 55 mph (89 km/h) zone, and was additionally charged with possession of marijuana and unlicensed operation of a vehicle. Authorities discovered Flav had 16 suspensions on his license. He was en route to his mother's funeral.[62]
Flav was arrested near Las Vegas on May 21, 2015. The charges included speeding and driving under the influence.[63]
On July 21, 2019, Flav had his youngest son Jordan with Kate Gammell.[64]
Idiosyncrasies
When asked about the significance of his trademark clock necklaces, Flav responded: "The reason why I wear this clock is because, you know, time is the most important element, and when we stop, time keeps going."[65]
Flavor Flav has a penchant for speaking about himself in the third person.[citation needed]
Discography
- Solo albums
- Hollywood (2006)
- Guest appearances
- Barshem, "Where's My $5 At?"
- Bumpy Knuckles & DJ Premier, "Shake the Room", Kolexxxion,
2012 - De La Soul, "Come on Down", The Grind Date,
2004 - DJ Tomekk, "1, 2, 3, ... Rhymes Galore" (w/ Grandmaster Flash, MC Rene & Afrob), Return of Hip Hop,
1999 - George Clinton, "Paint The White House Black" (w/ Chuck D, Ice Cube, MC Breed, Kam, Yo-Yo & Dr. Dre), Hey, Man, Smell My Finger,
1993;"Tweakin'" (w/ Chuck D), The Cinderella Theory,1989 - Heavy D and The Boyz, "You Can't See What I Can See", B-Side to "Don't Curse",
1992 - Ice Cube, "I'm Only Out for One Thang", AmeriKKKa's Most Wanted,
1990 - Living Colour, "Funny Vibe" (w/ Chuck D), Vivid,
1988 - Material, "Burnin" (w/ DXT), Intonarumori,
1999 - Nigo, "From New York to Tokyo",
2001 - Nikki D, "Lettin' Off Steam (Club Mix)", Daddy's Little Girl,
1991 - Prince Akeem, "Only We Can Do This", Coming Down Like Babylon,
1991 - Stop the Violence Movement, "Self Destruction",
1989 - Wu-Tang Clan, "Soul Power", Iron Flag,
2001 - Eric B. & Rakim, "I Ain't No Joke" (Music Video Cameo)
- Xzibit, "What U See Is What U Get" (Music Video Cameo)
- P. Diddy, "P.E. 2000" (Music Video Cameo)
- Taking Back Sunday, "You're So Last Summer" (Music Video Cameo)
- Will Smith, "So Fresh" (w/ Biz Markie & Slick Rick) (Music Video Cameo)
- Micayla de Ette, "Write a Song",
2019[66]
Notes
References
External links
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