Misplaced Pages

Revision as of 15:18, 29 June 2009

This article has multiple issues. Please help improve it or discuss these issues on the talk page. (Learn how and when to remove these messages) No issues specified. Please specify issues, or remove this template. (April 2009) (Learn how and when to remove this message)

William Jonathan Drayton Jr. (born March 16, 1959), better known by his stage name Flavor Flav, is an American rapper, television star, and member of the rap group Public Enemy. He is known for his clowning antics as well as outlandish costumes, including wearing over-sized clocks around his neck; he wears the clock to remind people how precious time is. He is also known for yelling "Yeah boy!" and his name during performances.

After falling out of the public eye for a number of years, he has recently reappeared as the star of several VH1 reality series, including The Surreal Life, Strange Love, and Flavor of Love.

Biography

Flav grew up in Freeport, Long Island with parents William Sr. and Angie Drayton. His father owned a greasy spoon called the Soul Diner. Flav began playing the piano at age five; he claims to be self-taught. A musical prodigy, he sang in the youth choir at his church and mastered the piano, drums, and guitar at an early age. He eventually became proficient in 15 instruments. His childhood included legal trouble. 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.

He attended Adelphi University in Long Island where he met Carlton Ridenhour, who would become known as Chuck D. Flavor Flav took his stage name after his graffiti tag. 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.

Personal life

Flav is a father of seven and a grandfather.

By the 1990s, Flav had become a drug addict. He has three children with ex girlfriend Karen Ross. In 1991, he pled guilty to assaulting his then-girlfriend Karen Ross and he served 30 days in jail, lost custody of his kids, and sank deeper into addiction. Two years later, he was charged with attempted murder and imprisoned for 90 days for shooting at his neighbor in 1993. He 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.

After leaving the clinic, Flav began dating Angie Parker, with whom he has three more children. However, due to his previous erratic behavior, Public Enemy had temporarily stopped performing and, without anything else to do, he found himself back in addiction. After his father died of diabetes in 1997 he decided to reenter rehabilitation, this time at the Long Island Center for Recovery. At one point, he broke both arms in a motorcycle crash. After leaving the clinic, he began dating Beverly Johnson, and by 2000, he lived in a small apartment in the Bronx with her and her two kids from a previous marriage while making extra cash scalping baseball tickets. In 2002, he spent nine weeks in Rikers Island prison for driving with a suspended license, numerous parking tickets and showing up late for his probation officer.

Following his release from prison, he broke up with Johnson and moved in with his mom 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 Surreal Life, who had tracked him down as soon as they heard he had moved to Los Angeles. Seeing that he had remained clean 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.

In January 2007 his seventh child, a boy, was born.

Flav has six children. Their names are Shaniq, Karen, Designa, Kwan, William, and Kayla. He also has two grandchildren, Brianna and Matthew. Both grandchildren belong to his daughter Shaniq.

Flav was once married to a woman named Beverly.

Career

Music

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 clowning 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. 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. 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 hyped, 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 "Too Much Posse" on Yo! Bum Rush the Show, 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 self-titled first solo album. It was released during the second season of Flavor of Love.

Television

The Surreal Life

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 Brigitte Nielsen.

Strange Love

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

Flavor of Love, which aired for three seasons, is a reality show where Flavor Flav looks for love. The show's success led to a spin-off titled I Love New York. 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 have a son together.

Comedy Central Roast

The Comedy Central roast of Flavor Flav aired on August 12, 2007. 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.

Under One Roof (2008 TV series)

Flav plays Calvester Hill on the MyNetworkTV comedy Under One Roof starring alongside Kelly Perine.

Other TV and media appearances

This article contains a list of miscellaneous information. Please relocate any relevant information into other sections or articles. (March 2009)

This section of a biography of a living person does not include any references or sources. Please help by adding reliable sources. Contentious material about living people that is unsourced or poorly sourced must be removed immediately. Find sources: "Flavor Flav" – news · newspapers · books · scholar · JSTOR (March 2009) (Learn how and when to remove this message)

• In 2004, he appeared in TV spots for the then upcoming second season of Reno 911! on Comedy Central in his signature garb. He sang the Public Enemy song "911 is a Joke".
• Flav appeared in the 6th episode of the fifth season of ABC's hit show My Wife and Kids as himself. The episode also featured other rappers Kool Moe Dee, MC Lyte, and Special Ed.
• On June 14, 2006, Flav's participation, with WEVR-MRC, in the Lisa Tolliver Show celebration of National Safety Month earned kudos from Surgeon General of the United States Richard Carmona.
• Flav appeared in EA Games Def Jam: Fight for NY as a playable character.
• Flavor Flav appeared in 2K Sports NBA 2K6 as a playable streetballer in 24/7 Mode and Street Mode.
• Flavor Flav appeared in BET's 2007 BET Awards with Public Enemy.
• Flavor Flav appears as Lucky in the upcoming film Confessions of a Pit Fighter.
• Flav was the guest of honor in Roast of Flavor Flav on Comedy Central (2007)
• On the comedy short "Cat" by Stella, Michael Ian Black suggests they name the cat "Flavor Flav" after his grandfather.
• Flav has appeared on The Bernie Mac Show during season 3.
• Flav appeared on one of Criss Angel's Mindfreak episodes.
• Flav was a guest star on Late Night with Conan O'Brien on February 26, 2008 and on October 2, 2008
• Flav's signature clock appeared on the Cartoon Network show Chowder (TV series) when the characters, Mung Daal and Chowder, were making a musical food dish and he needed a little "flavor" so he added a clock on a chain.
• He appeared in the second series of the UK version of reality TV show The Farm being the third person evicted.
• Flav appeared on Reading Rainbow in the early 90's and read a book as a celebrity guest, delivering a message of racial tolerance and unity.
• Flav appeared briefly in the Howard Stern movie Private Parts and has appeared as a guest on the Howard Stern Show a number of times.
• He appeared in the music video for Taking Back Sunday's "You're So Last Summer" in 2003.

Discography

With Public Enemy

• Yo! Bum Rush the Show (1987)
• It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back (1988)
• Fight the Power...Live! (video and album, 1989)
• Fear of a Black Planet (1990)
• Apocalypse '91...The Enemy Strikes Black (1991)
• Greatest Misses 1986-1992 (1992)
• Muse Sick-n-Hour Mess Age (1994)
• He Got Game (1998)
• BTN 2000 (online released mega-mix which initiated PE's leaving Def Jam Records) (1999)
• There's A Poison Goin On (1999)
• Revolverlution (2002)
• There's A Poison Goin On (worldwide re-release via Slamjamz.com) (2004)
• Son of a Bush (EP) (released before the 2004 Presidential Election); contained the songs "Son of a Gun", "Get Your Dump Together" and the song featuring Fine Arts Militia (featuring Chuck D) entitled "Twisted Sense of God"
• New Whirl Odor (2005)
• Rebirth of a Nation (featuring Paris, Guerrilla Funk Recordings) (2006)
• How You Sell Soul to a Soulless People Who Sold Their Soul? (2007)

Solo albums

• Flavor Flav (2006)

Guest appearances

• Anthrax, "Bring The Noise" (w/Chuck D)
• Barshem, "Where's My $5 At?"
• Chad Muska, "Flavor Man"
• Crime Mob, "I'll Beat Yo Azz"
• De La Soul, "Come On Down"
• DJ Hurricane, "Freeze The Frame" (w/Chuck D & Money Mark)
• DJ Tomekk, "1, 2, 3,...Rhymes Galore" (w/Grandmaster Flash, MC Ren & Afrob)
• George Clinton, "Paint The White House Black" (w/Chuck D, Ice Cube, MC Breed, Kam, Yo-Yo & Dr. Dre), "Tweakin" (w/Chuck D)
• Heavy D, "You Can't See What I Can See"
• Ice Cube, "I'm Only Out For One Thang"
• Living Colour, "Funny Vibe" (w/Chuck D)
• Material, "Burnin" (w/DXT)
• Moby, "MKLVFCKWR" (w/Chuck D)
• Nigo, "From New York To Tokyo"
• Paris, "Freedom (Remix)" (w/Chuck D & Dead Prez)
• Prince Akeem, "Only We Can Do This"
• Will Smith featuring Biz Markie and Slick Rick. "So Fresh" (Music Video)
• Snoop Dogg, "Bad Bitch"
• Various, "Self Destruction" (Public Enemy, Heavy D, Stetsasonic, MC Lyte, KRS-One, Kool Moe Dee, and others)
• Wu-Tang Clan, "Soul Power"
• P.Diddy, Music video for "P.E. 2000"

References

1. Ankeny, Jason. ""Flavor Flav: Biography"". Allmusic. Retrieved 2008-03-05.
2. Un-J (October 4, 2006). "Chuck D. Interview". Youtube.com. Retrieved 2006-10-28.
3. ^ Marijke Rowland, Flavor Flav's Modesto block party, The Modesto Bee, August 22, 2008, Accessed January 13, 2009.
4. ^ Johnny Davis, Hip-hop, you don't stop, The Guardian, June 18, 2006, Accessed January 13, 2009.
5. ^ Margeaux Watson, Flavor Flav: Totally Cuckoo?, Entertainment Weekly, Accessed January 13, 2009.
6. ^ Mike Hughes, Flavor Flav, sitcom-style, Gannett News Service, April 15, 2008, Accessed January 13, 2009.
7. http://www.blackcelebkids.com/2007/12/13/meet-flavor-flavs-youngest-daughtercute Flavor Fav and newborn 7th kid in Hawaii
8. http://www.4idols.com/f/flavor-flav.htm
9. http://www.famouslikeme.com/67673/article.html
10. Comedy Central Press Release - Roast of Flavor Flav
11. Westchester Emergency Volunteer Reserves-Medical Reserves Corps (WEVR-MRC)
12. Blogcritics Magazine - Flavor Flav Celebrates National Safety Month
13. Lisa Tolliver show notes blog
14. Lisa Tolliver's Blog

External links

• Artist profile at VH1
• Flavor Flav at IMDb

• Articles with multiple maintenance issues from April 2009
• Articles with trivia sections from March 2009
• 1959 births
• Living people
• African American musicians
• American rappers
• Musicians from New York
• People from Long Island
• People from Nassau County, New York
• Public Enemy members
• The Surreal Life participants
• Adelphi University alumni
• Rappers from Long Island