| Flavor Flav | |
|---|---|
Flavor Flav performing in 2009 wearing the customary large clock |
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | William Jonathan Drayton, Jr. |
| Also known as | Flav MC DJ Flavor Flav. |
| Born | March 16, 1959 [1] |
| Origin | Roosevelt, Long Island, New York, United States |
| Genres | Hip-hop |
| Occupations | Rapper, reality television star |
| Instruments | Vocals, piano, guitar, bass, saxophone, clarinet, drums, triangle[2] |
| Years active | 1982–present |
| Associated acts | Public Enemy Chuck D Professor Griff DJ Lord Terminator X Sister Souljah S1W |
William Jonathan Drayton, Jr. (born March 16, 1959), better known by his stage name Flavor Flav, is an American rapper and television personality who rose to prominence as a member of the rap group Public Enemy.[3] He is also known for popularizing the role of the hype man[4] and for yelling "Yeah boy!" and "Flavor Flav!" during performances.[3][5]
After falling out of the public eye for a number of years, he reappeared as the star of several VH1 reality series, including The Surreal Life, Strange Love, and Flavor of Love.
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Drayton grew up in Freeport, Long Island. His father owned a greasy spoon called the Soul Diner.[6] Flav began playing the piano at age five; he claims to be self-taught.[7] A musical prodigy, he sang in the youth choir at his church and mastered the piano, drums, and guitar at an early age.[6] He eventually became proficient in 15 instruments.[5] He set a house on fire as a small child while playing with a lighter and, by the time he dropped out of school in the 11th grade, he had been in and out of jail for robbery and burglary.[6]
He attended Adelphi University in Long Island where he met Carlton Ridenhour, who would become known as Chuck D.[3] Flavor Flav took his stage name after his graffiti tag.[5] They first collaborated on Chuck D's hip-hop college radio show, then began rapping together. The two worked for Chuck D's father's delivery service.[6]
Flavor Flav came to prominence as a founding member of the rap group Public Enemy. In 1984, the group released a track, "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 in 1986.[7] 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.[6] 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 issued 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, though the first hit on which he rapped solo would not come until the 1990s single "911 Is a Joke". During Public Enemy's first years of existence, Flav dealt with tensions with group-mate Professor Griff, who never liked Flav's flamboyant stance in what Griff felt to be a serious, politically-challenging group. In 1990, after allegedly making anti-Semitic comments, Professor Griff left Public Enemy.
In 2006, Flav put out his first solo album. It was released during the second season of Flavor of Love.
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.
Following the conclusion of The Surreal Life, VH1 gave Flav and Brigitte a show titled Strange Love, which detailed their globetrotting adventure in love. At the end of Strange Love Brigitte 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. It was revealed in the third season reunion show that Flav met a woman, not from the show, after taping had concluded. He proposed to her on air during the special. The two had a son together.[5]
The Comedy Central roast of Flavor Flav aired on August 12, 2007.[8] Guests appearing at the roast: 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 Under ONE Roof starring along side Kelly Perine.
In 2011, Flav partnered with Nick Cimino to open Flav’s Fried Chicken in Cimino's hometown of Clinton, Iowa. Flav met Cimino through his brother Peter, who runs Mama Cimino's in Las Vegas. After enjoying the rapper's homemade fried chicken,[9] Peter Cimino began selling chicken wings using Flav's recipe.[10] The founders hoped to start a national restaurant franchise[9], however a mix of squabbling owners, bounced checks and bad business decisions led to Flavor Flav's Chicken shut down almost 4 months after it opened.
In May 2005, Flav took part in the UK reality TV show The Farm on Channel 5.[11]
On June 14, 2006, Flav's participation, with WEVR-MRC,[12] in the Lisa Tolliver Show celebration of National Safety Month,[13] earned kudos from Surgeon General of the United States Richard Carmona.[14][15][16]
On November 18, 2009, Flav became a downloadable character in the PlayStation Network's video game PAIN.[17]
Flav stars in Deon Taylor's horror anthology Nite Tales and Dark Christmas.[18]
On May 10, 2010, Flav guest hosted the wrestling show WWE RAW.[19]
On August 14, 2011, Flav appeared as a host at the 12th annual Gathering of the Juggalos.[20]
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 extra cash scalping baseball tickets.[6]
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, towards the end of 2003, suggested Flav move to Los Angeles. He 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 as soon as they heard he had moved to Los Angeles. Seeing that he had indeed remained free from his previous addictions, they wanted to cast him. Initially Flav refused, feeling the show was for celebrities past their fame. He was eventually convinced to join by previous participant MC Hammer.[6]
Flav has Seven children, Shaniq, Dazyna, Quanah, William, Jasmine, Kayla, and Karma.[21] Three of his children were with Karen Ross, three were with Angie Parker[22] and son Karma with his wife Liz.[23][24]
By the time he dropped out of school in the 11th grade, Flav had been in and out of jail for robbery and burglary.[6]
In 1991, Flav pled guilty to assaulting his then-girlfriend Karen Ross and served 30 days in jail, lost custody of his children, and sank deeper into addiction.[6]
In 1993 Flav was charged with attempted murder and imprisoned for 90 days for shooting at his neighbor.[5]
Flav was later charged with domestic violence, cocaine and marijuana charges; his family performed an intervention and he checked into the Betty Ford Center for crack addiction.[5][6]
After Flav's father died of diabetes in 1997 he 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]
In 2002, Flav spent nine weeks in Rikers Island jail for driving with a suspended license, numerous parking tickets and showing up late for appointments with his probation officer.[5]
On May 2, 2011, Flav was arrested on four outstanding misdemeanor warrants for various driving offenses.[25] 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.[25][26] Flav has since been released.[25]
In June, 2011, Flav told Australian radio show The Kyle & 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.[27]
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