Flavor Flav

  • Roosevelt, NY
    hometown
  • Hip-Hop/Rap
    genre
  • 1982
    started
  • Bio
    full story
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About Flavor Flav

Official Site: http://publicenemy.com/


Born William Drayton on March 16, 1959, rapper and reality television star Flavor Flav emerged in the late '80s as the humorous hypeman of Public Enemy and then reinvented himself in the 2000s thanks to VH1's reality series The Surreal Life. Raised in Freeport, Long Island, he was a self-taught prodigy on the piano but petty theft and burglary charges meant his teen years were spent dodging the department of corrections. After dropping out of high school in his junior year, music came back into Flav's life when he began hosting a college radio program with Carlton Douglas Ridenhour, the man who would soon become Chuck D. With DJ Terminator X and squad leader Professor Griff they would form Public Enemy, a group that in 1987 would change rap forever when its debut album, Yo! Bum Rush the Show, was released on the Def Jam label. With "stunna shades" hiding his eyes and over-sized clocks hanging off his neck, Flavor Flav played court jester to the stern and cold Chuck D. It was a formula that would work for the next 20-plus years, with Flavor occasionally becoming the center of attention with tracks like "Too Much Posse," "911 Is a Joke," "Can't Do Nuttin' for Ya Man," and "Cold Lampin' with Flavor."

During the '90s he spent much of his time away from music, dealing with crack addiction and spending time at the Betty Ford Clinic plus the Long Island Center for Recovery. Charges of domestic violence and driving with a suspended license meant he was in and out of jail again during these times and with Public Enemy on hiatus, Flav made his money by scalping baseball tickets around the Bronx. In 2003, on a suggestion from Chuck D, he moved back to the West Coast. Sought out by the producers of the show, Flavor joined the cast of the reality show The Surreal Life in 2004, living with the likes of Charo and Dave Coulier while falling in love with the Amazon of the house, Brigitte Nielsen. In 2005, the couple's love affair continued on the spinoff series Strange Love, but when the relationship ended in 2006, it spun off another Flavor-centered series, Flavor of Love, which would last for three seasons. Now back on top, the rapper released his debut solo album, Flavor Flav, in 2006 and suffered the jabs of Katt Williams, Patton Oswalt, Lisa Lampanelli, and others when The Comedy Central Roast of Flavor Flav aired in 2007. A year later he became a featured actor on the myNetworkTV sitcom Under One Roof. ~ David Jeffries, Rovi

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Music

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  • Hip Hop Honors 2009: Public Enemy Performs "Rebel Without A Pause"
    flavor-flav
    Video
    Hip Hop Honors 2009: Public Enemy Performs "Rebel Without A Pause"
  • 5310
    SoundStream
    SoundStream
    song name
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    All the music you want, just 10 bucks a month. Try it free.
    • Can't Do Nuttin' For Ya, Man!
      http://listen.vo.llnwd.net/g1/2/8/4/2/3/995832482.mp3
    • Unga Bunga Bunga
      http://listen.vo.llnwd.net/g1/4/9/7/0/4/136340794.mp3
    • Two Wrongs
      http://listen.vo.llnwd.net/g1/3/4/7/4/4/136344743.mp3
    • Interlude: Latasha Break
      http://listen.vo.llnwd.net/g1/1/5/6/7/5/136357651.mp3
    • One And Only Original Flavor Flav
      http://listen.vo.llnwd.net/g1/4/8/9/7/5/136857984.mp3
    • Guess Whooz Bak
      http://listen.vo.llnwd.net/g1/6/1/8/7/5/136857816.mp3

Interviews & Exclusives

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  • Public Enemy Continues To Bring The Noise
    flavor-flav
    video
    Public Enemy Continues To Bring The Noise
  • Flavor of the Day [1994]
    flavor-flav
    video
    Flavor of the Day [1994]
  • Chuck D & Flavor Flav Freestyle
    flavor-flav
    video
    Chuck D & Flavor Flav Freestyle
  • They're Dead, But Not All Presidents [1994]
    flavor-flav
    video
    They're Dead, But Not All Presidents [1994]
  • Chuck D & Flavor Flav Freestyle [1991]
    flavor-flav
    video
    Chuck D & Flavor Flav Freestyle [1991]
  • Fritos & Cursing
    flavor-flav
    video
    Fritos & Cursing
  • He's Got the Whole World Wearing Clocks [1994]
    flavor-flav
    video
    He's Got the Whole World Wearing Clocks [1994]

Photos

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  • Rapper Flavor Flav onstage at the 2009 VH1 Hip Hop Honors at the Brooklyn Academy of Music on September 23, 2009 in the Brooklyn borough of New York City. .
    Flavor Flav
    Rapper Flavor Flav onstage at the 2009 VH1 Hip Hop Honors at the Brooklyn Academy of Music on September 23, 2009 in the Brooklyn borough of New York City. .
    Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic
  • Rapper Flavor Flav attends the 2009 VH1 Hip Hop Honors at the Brooklyn Academy of Music on September 23, 2009 in New York City.
    Flavor Flav
    Rapper Flavor Flav attends the 2009 VH1 Hip Hop Honors at the Brooklyn Academy of Music on September 23, 2009 in New York City.
    Frank Micelotta/ Getty Images
  • Scott Ian and Flavor Flav perform at the VH1 Hip Hop Honors October 3, 2004 in New York City.
    Flavor Flav
    Scott Ian and Flavor Flav perform at the VH1 Hip Hop Honors October 3, 2004 in New York City.
    Scott Gries/Getty Images
  • Flavor Flav onstage at the VH1 Hip Hop Honors at the Hammerstein Ballroom October 3, 2004 in New York City.
    Flavor Flav
    Flavor Flav onstage at the VH1 Hip Hop Honors at the Hammerstein Ballroom October 3, 2004 in New York City.
    Frank Micelotta/Getty Images
  • Flavor Flav of Public Enemy performs on stage during Bonnaroo 2009 on June 12, 2009 in Manchester, Tennessee.
    Flavor Flav
    Flavor Flav of Public Enemy performs on stage during Bonnaroo 2009 on June 12, 2009 in Manchester, Tennessee.
    FilmMagic Inc/FilmMagic
  • Flavor Flav and Busta Rhymes attend the 2008 Vh1 Hip Hop Honors at Hammerstein Ballroom on October 2, 2008 in New York City.
    Flavor Flav
    Flavor Flav and Busta Rhymes attend the 2008 Vh1 Hip Hop Honors at Hammerstein Ballroom on October 2, 2008 in New York City.
    Frank Micelotta/Getty Images for Vh1
  • Flavor Flav and Slick Rick attend the 2008 Vh1 Hip Hop Honors at Hammerstein Ballroom on October 2, 2008 in New York City.
    Flavor Flav
    Flavor Flav and Slick Rick attend the 2008 Vh1 Hip Hop Honors at Hammerstein Ballroom on October 2, 2008 in New York City.
    Frank Micelotta/Getty Images for Vh1
  • Rappers Mos Def, Chuck D and Flavor Flav perform onstage during the 2008 Vh1 Hip Hop Honors at Hammerstein Ballroom on October 2, 2008 in New York City.
    Flavor Flav
    Rappers Mos Def, Chuck D and Flavor Flav perform onstage during the 2008 Vh1 Hip Hop Honors at Hammerstein Ballroom on October 2, 2008 in New York City.
    Scott Gries/Getty Images for Vh1
  • (L-R) Rappers Chuck D and Flavor Flav performs onstage during the 2008 Vh1 Hip Hop Honors at Hammerstein Ballroom on October 2, 2008 in New York City.
    Flavor Flav
    (L-R) Rappers Chuck D and Flavor Flav performs onstage during the 2008 Vh1 Hip Hop Honors at Hammerstein Ballroom on October 2, 2008 in New York City.
    Scott Gries/Getty Images for Vh1
  • Chuck D and Flavor Flav onstage during the 2008 VH1 Hip Hop Honors at Hammerstein Ballroom on October 2, 2008 in New York City.
    Flavor Flav
    Chuck D and Flavor Flav onstage during the 2008 VH1 Hip Hop Honors at Hammerstein Ballroom on October 2, 2008 in New York City.
    Scott Gries/Getty Images for Vh1

News

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  • Flavor Flav
    15 Musicians Turned Reality Stars (For Better Or For Worse)
    VH1 Tuner
    May 23, 2013
    Music and reality TV have a rather peculiar, but beneficial relationship for artists. Whether its a veteran artist trying to reignite the flame of the...
    Read More
  • Flavor Flav
    Couples Therapy Returns For Season Three With Flavor Flav, Chingy, Joe Francis, And More
    VH1 Blog
    May 22, 2013
    Read More
  • Flavor Flav
    Stevie Wonder Cries, Flavor Flav Drums And 8 Other Reasons We Love Hangout Fest
    VH1 Tuner
    May 20, 2013
    Our sunburned skin is peeling and we've got a mix of sand, glitter and cake (we'll get to that) in our ears, but damnit if we don't miss Hangout Musi...
    Read More
  • Flavor Flav
    Public Enemy Are 'Rolling Stones' Of Rap, Chuck D Says At Hangout Fest
    MTV News
    May 19, 2013
    'Not braggin', lips bigger than Jagger, not saggin', ' Chuck D tells MTV News' Sway Calloway.
    Read More
  • Flavor Flav
    Public Enemy Are 'Rolling Stones' Of Rap, Chuck D Says At Hangout Fest
    MTV News
    May 19, 2013
    'Not braggin', lips bigger than Jagger, not saggin', ' Chuck D tells MTV News' Sway Calloway.
    Read More
  • Flavor Flav
    Yeah, Boy! Public Enemy 'Shut 'Em Down' Day Two Of Hangout Fest
    VH1 Tuner
    May 19, 2013
    Don't believe the hype about Public Enemy ? First, brush up on your hip hop history as our friend Sway would say. Then, shut up and watch the hip hop...
    Read More
  • Flavor Flav
    Nine Hangout Fest Vines That Put You Right On The Sand
    MTV News
    May 19, 2013
    These video snippets of Afrojack, Macklemore and more give you a taste of all the on-demand coverage MTV and VH1 have to offer.
    Read More
  • Flavor Flav
    Nine Hangout Fest Vines That Put You Right On The Sand
    MTV News
    May 19, 2013
    These video snippets of Afrojack, Macklemore and more give you a taste of all the on-demand coverage MTV and VH1 have to offer.
    Read More
  • Flavor Flav
    Public Enemy Shut It Down At Hangout Festival
    MTV RapFix
    May 18, 2013
    by Gil Kaufman GULF SHORES, Alabama — MTV News' Sway Calloway said it from the stage, but after watching Rock and Roll Hall of Fame hip-hop icons ...
    Read More
  • Flavor Flav
    Echo Chamber: Public Enemy's Chuck D on His Bandmate Flavor Flav's Fried Chicken Franchise
    www.pitchfork.com
    "He does groundbreaking sht in South Africa etc 71 tour 76 countries and press rather pay attention to asking me about Flavs chicken WTF? I give FLAV ...
    Read More
  • Flavor Flav
    Flavor Flav Arrested in Las Vegas
    www.rollingstone.com
    Flavor Flav was arrested on Friday in Las Vegas, TMZ reports. The Public Enemy rapper and reality TV star was pulled over Friday night; when officers ...
    Read More
  • Flavor Flav
    Flavor Flav Arrested, Mugshot Revealed
    www.xxlmag.com
    P.E. hypeman stopped on traffic violation, four outstanding warrants found...Flavor Flav, iconic Public Enemy hypeman, reality show maven and recent r...
    Read More
  • Flavor Flav
    Flavor Flav Arrested By 'Rookie Ass Cop'
    www.vibe.com
    According to TMZ, Flav was cuffed in Vegas recently after being pulled over for a traffic violation. When the cop noticed Flav had four active warrant...
    Read More
  • Flavor Flav
    Flavor Flav Says His Daughter Didn't Kick His Ass | Prefix
    www.prefixmag.com
    Tweet Aside from waning entrepreneurial trials in the food industry and liquor market, Flavor Flav hasn't accomplished much in his post-VH1 reality sh...
    Read More
  • Flavor Flav
    Watch Flavor Flav Hug Giants' Coach Tom Coughlin After Super Bowl | Prefix
    www.prefixmag.com
    losing my bet on what color Gatorade would be dumped on the coaches after the game (in case you're wondering, it was purple. It's never purple), but a...
    Read More
  • Flavor Flav
    Flavor Flav Gets Busted For Unpaid Child Support | Prefix
    www.prefixmag.com
    Tweet It's no surprise to hear that Flavor Flav is in trouble with the law. In the last two decades, the eccentric Public Enemy member has served time...
    Read More
  • Flavor Flav
    Flavor Flav Fiancée Hospitalized After Passing Out On Set Of VH1 Reality Show
    www.vibe.com
    Flavor Flav should just have cameras around him 24/7 because drama seems to follow him everywhere. TMZ initially reported that his fiancée Liz Trujill...
    Read More
  • Flavor Flav
    Flavor Flav Stands Trial on Two Felony Charges
    www.xxlmag.com
    A judge ruled in Las Vegas that there is enough evidence for Flavor Flav to be convicted for two felony charges. The former reality TV star is standin...
    Read More
  • Flavor Flav
    Flavor Flav to Stand Trial for Assault, Child Endangerment
    www.rollingstone.com
    Flavor Flav will stand trial for felony charges of assault with a weapon and child endangerment. A Las Vegas judge has ruled that there is enough evid...
    Read More

Discography

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  • Flavor Flav (2006)
    Flavor Flav
    Flavor Flav (2006)
    Draytown Records
  • It's About Time [Unreleased] (1999)
    Flavor Flav
    It's About Time [Unreleased] (1999)
    Lightyear
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