This article is about the New York musician.
For the musician's self-titled album, see Flavor Flav.
For the Bay Area rapper named Flav, see Armani Depaul
William Jonathan Drayton, Jr., better known by his stage name Flavor Flav, is an American
musician, rapper, actor, television personality, and comedian who rose to prominence as a member
of the hip-hop group Public Enemy.
He is also known for popularizing the role of the hype man and for yelling "Yeah boy!"
and "Flavor Flav!"
during performances.
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.
Early life Drayton was born in in Roosevelt, New York,
and raised from a young age in nearby Freeport, two municipalities each within the town of
Hempstead, New York.
He began playing the piano at age five and is 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.
He set a house on fire as a small child while playing with a lighter; by the time he dropped
out of school in the 11th grade, he had been in and out of jail for robbery and burglary.
Flav graduated from culinary school in 1978, and has cooked in several restaurants.
He attended Adelphi University on 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.
Career Music
Flav came to prominence as a founding member and hype man 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.
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 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 experienced 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 2006, Flav put out his first solo album.
It was released during the second season of Flavor of Love.
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.
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.
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.
Flav played Calvester Hill on the MyNetworkTV comedy Under One Roof starring alongside Kelly
Perine.
Restaurateur 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 and Castle
Rock Bar and Pizzeria in Kingman, Arizona.
After enjoying the rapper's homemade fried chicken, Peter Cimino began selling chicken
wings using Flav's recipe.
The founders hoped to start a national restaurant franchise.
A mix of squabbling owners, bounced checks and bad business decisions led to Flavor Flav's
Chicken shutting down almost 4 months after it opened.
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 his birthday in March 2012.
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.
They are known for making their sides from scratch.
The ribs are smoked then dipped in the house sauce.
The chicken comes in fresh weekly from the Gold’n Plump Company.
Flavor Flav's Chicken & Ribs closed in July 2013 after being evicted by its landlord for
failure to pay rent.
Other TV and Media Appearances In May 2005, Flav took part in the UK reality
TV show The Farm on Channel 5.
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.
On November 18, 2009, Flav became a downloadable character in the PlayStation Network's video
game Pain.
Flav stars in Deon Taylor's horror anthology Nite Tales and Dark Christmas.
On May 10, 2010, Flav guest hosted the wrestling show WWE Raw.
On August 14, 2011, Flav appeared as a host at the twelfth annual Gathering of the Juggalos.
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.
On February 5, 2012, Flav appeared along with Sir Elton John in a Pepsi Co. ad during Super
Bowl XLVI.
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.
He also starred as the voice of Father Time in the animated series YooHoo and Friends.
From June to September 2012, Flav co-starred and rapped in the web series Dr. Fubalous.
Flav has also appeared in Yoo-hoo and friends as Father Time.
Personal life 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
and his sister Jean Delores Madison,while making extra cash scalping baseball tickets.
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.
Family Flav has one sister, Jean Delores Madison.
Flav has seven children: Shaniq, Karen, William Jr, Dazyna, Quanah, Kayla, and Karma.
Three of his children were with Karen Ross, three were with Angie Parker.
His girlfriend as of at least 2008, Liz, is the mother of his youngest, Karma.
As of at least October 2012, Elizabeth Trujillo, then 39, lived with him in Las Vegas and had
been his fiancee for eight years.
Flav's mother, Anna Drayton, died on December 31, 2013.
Substance abuse and legal issues By the time he dropped out of school in the
11th grade, Flav had been in and out of jail for robbery and burglary.
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.
In 1993, Flav was charged with attempted murder and imprisoned for 90 days for shooting at
his neighbor.
That same year, 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 an
addiction to crack cocaine.
After Flav's father died of 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.
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.
On May 2, 2011, Flav was arrested on four outstanding misdemeanor warrants for various
driving offenses.
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.
Flav has since been released.
In June 2011, Flav told 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.
On October 17, 2012, Flav was jailed in Las Vegas on felony charges stemming from a domestic
argument with Trujillo and threats to attack her teenage son, Gibran, with a knife.
Discography With Public Enemy
Yo!
Bum Rush the Show It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back
Fight the Power...
Live!
Fear of a Black Planet Apocalypse 91...
The Enemy Strikes Black Greatest Misses 1986-1992
Muse Sick-n-Hour Mess Age He Got Game
BTN 2000 There's a Poison Goin' On
Revolverlution There's A Poison Goin On
Son of a Bush New Whirl Odor
Rebirth of a Nation How You Sell Soul to a Soulless People Who
Sold Their Soul?
Most of My Heroes Still Don't Appear on No Stamp
The Evil Empire of Everything Solo albums
Flavor Flav, also known Hollywood Guest appearances
Anthrax, "Bring The Noise" Barshem, "Where's My $5 At?"
Chad Muska, "Flavor Man" De La Soul, "Come On Down"
DJ Hurricane, "Freeze The Frame" DJ Tomekk, "1, 2, 3, Rhymes Galore"
George Clinton, "Paint The White House Black", "Tweakin"
Heavy D, "You Can't See What I Can See" Ice Cube, "I'm Only Out For One Thang"
Living Colour, "Funny Vibe" Material, "Burnin"
Moby, "MKLVFKWR" Nigo, "From New York To Tokyo"
Paris, "Freedom" Prince Akeem, "Only We Can Do This"
Will Smith featuring Biz Markie and Slick Rick.
"So Fresh" Snoop Dogg, "Bad Bitch"
Various, "Self Destruction" Wu-Tang Clan, "Soul Power"
P.Diddy, Music video for "P.E. 2000" Taking Back Sunday, Music video for "You're
So Last Summer" Eric B. & Rakim, music video for "I Ain't
No Joke" Melanie Amaro, Music Video for "Respect"
References
External links Artist profile at MTV
Flavor Flav at the Internet Movie Database