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William Jonathan Drayton Jr. (born March 16, 1959), known by his stage name Flavor Flav ( ), is an American rapper and television personality. Known for his catchphrase "Yeah, boyeeeeee!" when performing, he is a founding member alongside Chuck D, of Public Enemy, a rap group that has earned six Grammy Awards nominations. He has been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
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.
Drayton Jr. is the cousin of former Penn State basketball player Shep Garner, and of Brooklyn MC Timbo King of Royal Fam. He is also a cousin of rappers Ol' Dirty Bastard, RZA, and GZA of the Wu-Tang Clan. Drayton began teaching himself piano at the age of five. He was an accomplished musician playing piano, drums, and guitar at an early age while singing in the youth choir at his church. According to Chuck D, Drayton is proficient in playing fifteen instruments.
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. He attended culinary school in 1978. Later, he went to Adelphi University in Garden City, New York, where he met Carlton Ridenhour (who later became known as Chuck D). They first collaborated on Chuck D's hip-hop Campus radio show, then began rapping together. Drayton's stage name Flavor Flav was originally his graffiti tag.
, 1991]] The first released track on which Flav rapped solo was "Life of a Nigerian" on Goat Ju JU, 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.
in Brisbane, January 2009]] 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," after a disagreement of the group's decision to endorse Bernie Sanders and perform at his Los Angeles rally. Flav denounced the firing, maintaining that he was Chuck D's partner in Public Enemy and could not be fired from it. On April 1, 2020, Chuck D announced that the firing was a hoax. Flav said shortly thereafter that he was not a part of the hoax and disapproved of the stunt.
Flavor of Love aired for three seasons. It is a reality show where Flav looks for love and 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. The Comedy Central roast of Flavor Flav aired on August 12, 2007. 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.
Flavor Flav's House of Flavor in Las Vegas opened on his birthday in March 2012. 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, north of Detroit. The business was not affiliated with the previous two ventures Flav 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..
On November 18, 2009, Flav became a downloadable character in the PlayStation Network's video game Pain. He stars in Deon Taylor's horror anthology and Dark Christmas. On May 10, 2010, Flav guest hosted the wrestling show WWE Raw. On August 14, 2011, he 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 Elton John in a Pepsi ad during Super Bowl XLVI. On February 11, 2012, he celebrated the UNLV Rebel's 65-63 UNLV Runnin' Rebels victory over San Diego State as an honorary member. From June to September 2012, he co-starred and rapped in the web series Dr. Fubalous. Favor Flav , 2012, cast bio for Dr. Fubalous Flav also appeared in YooHoo & Friends as Father Time, and the animated feature Hitpig!, both directed by animator David Feiss. In 2025, He competed in season thirteen of The Masked Singer as "Space Ranger" which resembles an alien cowboy, and was eliminated on "Ghostbusters Night".
Flav also made a custom bronze clock necklace for U.S. gymnast Jordan Chiles after her bronze medal was controversially rescinded at the Paris 2024 games. He helped raise money for the family of Paralympic Games sprinter Nick Mayhugh to travel to Paris to see their relative play, and paid rent for Veronica Fraley, an Olympic discus thrower during the Olympic games. Flav is a long time fan of women's sports, and 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.
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. In 1993, Flav was charged with attempted murder and imprisoned for 90 days for shooting at his neighbor. Later that year, Flav was charged with domestic violence, and possession of cocaine and marijuana. His family performed an intervention, and he checked into the Betty Ford Center in Rancho Mirage, California for an addiction to crack cocaine. After Flav's father died of complications from diabetes in 1997, Flav decided to re-enter rehabilitation at the Long Island Center for Recovery. He also broke both arms in a motorcycle crash.
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 Ticket resale baseball tickets. In 2002, Flav spent nine weeks in Rikers Island jail for driving with a suspended license, numerous parking tickets, and tardiness for probation appointments. After being released from jail, Flav broke up with Johnson and moved in with his mother on Long Island.
Chuck D became concerned about Flav's well-being and, toward the end of 2003, suggested that 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.
On May 2, 2011, Flav was arrested on four outstanding misdemeanor warrants for various driving offenses. Police said Flav had two outstanding arrest warrants for driving without a license, one for driving without insurance, and one related to a parking citation. He was released within a few days. In June 2011, he said on the 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. 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.
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.
Flav's mother, Anna Drayton, died on December 31, 2013. On January 9, 2014, Flav was pulled over on Long Island's Meadowbrook Parkway for driving in a 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. Flav was arrested near Las Vegas on May 21, 2015. The charges included speeding and driving under the influence.
On July 21, 2019, a son, Jordan was born to Flav and Kate Gammell.
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." Flavor Flav has a penchant for Illeism.
Discography
Filmography
Film
1990 Mo' Better Blues Impatient Movie Patron 1991 New Jack City D.J. 1992 Why Colors? Himself Short 1993 CB4 Himself Who's the Man? Himself 1997 Private Parts Male Nurse 2003 Death of a Dynasty Reporter #1 2005 Confessions of a Pit Fighter Lucky 2006 Cain and Abel Slim Jim 2015 Body High Himself The Sweet Taste of Redemption - Short 2017 The Labyrinth Midnight 2019 Hold On Officer Drayton 2024 Memes & Nightmares - Hitpig! Chef Show Host (voice)
Television
2000 Behind the Music Himself Episode: "Public Enemy" 2001 Top Ten Himself Episode: "Rap" 2002 Where Are They Now? Himself Episode: "Musicians" 2004 Six Months to Live Himself Episode: "Episode #1.2" Mad TV Himself Episode: "Flavor Flav/Christina Milian/Joe Budden" The Surreal Life Himself Main Cast: Season 3 The Bernie Mac Show Himself Episode: "Who's That Lady?" My Wife and Kids Himself Episode: "The Return of Bobby Shaw" 2005 Wonder Showzen Himself Episode: "Birth" Strange Love Himself Main Cast The Farm Himself Episode: "Episode #2.1" 2006 VH1 Goes Inside Himself Episode: "Yo! MTV Raps" In the Mix Himself Episode: "Pursuing Happiness" 2006-08 Flavor of Love Himself/Host Main Host 2007 Comedy Central Roast Himself Episode: "Comedy Central Roast of Flavor Flav" My Shot With Himself Episode: "Rock the Bells" Criss Angel Mindfreak Himself Episode: "Mentalism" 2008-09 Under One Roof Calvester "Cali Cal" Hill Main Cast 2009 Himself/Host Main Host 2010 WWE Raw Himself Episode: "New Raw GM" 2012 Celebrity Wife Swap Himself Episode: "Flavor Flav/Dee Snider" Dr. Fubalous Papa Skwaught Main Cast 2013 Couples Therapy Himself Main Cast: Season 3 Criss Angel Believe Himself Episode: "Levitate Shaq" 2014 Restaurant Stakeout Himself Episode: "Hoover Dam'd Pizza" 2018 A.P. Bio Himself Episode: "Selling Out" 2019 Bigfoot Littlefoot Bigfoot Kevin (voice) Episode: "Bigfoot Littlefoot Begins" WTF, Baron Davis Lavante Episode: "Kenny's Side Hustle" Dear White People - Episode: "Vol. 3: Chapter X" Himself Recurring Cast 2020 TNA Impact! Himself Episode: "Contenders Beware" 2021 Cakealikes Himself/Guest Judge Episode: "Flavor Flav" For Real: The Story of Reality TV Himself Episode: "Addicted to Love" 2022 Criss Angel's Magic with the Stars Himself Episode: "100 Foot Rope Escape" 2023 Hip Hop Treasures Himself Episode: "Flavor Flav/CeeLo Green/The Furious Five" 2024 Celebrity Family Feud Himself/Contestant Episode: "Episode #11.7" 2025 The Masked Singer Himself/Space Ranger Contestant: Season 13 Wheel of Fortune Himself Episode: "iHeartRadio Week 3" Quarterback Himself Episode: "Final Steps" Gown and Out in Beverly Hills Himself Episode: "Episode #5.5" Dancing with the Stars Himself/Guest Judge Episode: "Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Night"
Notes
External links
Categories: Www.publicenemy.com Official Website, 1959 Births, Living People, Adelphi University Alumni, African-american Male Rappers, 21st-century American Male Rappers, African-american Television Producers, Television Producers From New York, Hardcore Hip-hop Artists, American People Convicted Of Burglary, East Coast Hip-hop Musicians, American People Convicted Of Assault, Underground Rappers, American People Convicted Of Robbery, Illeists, People From Freeport, New York, People From Roosevelt, New York, Public Enemy Members, Rappers From New York, 21st-century American Rappers, Clocks, Hype Men
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