Flavor Flav: From Public Enemy to Flavor of Love

You know him as Flavor Flav, Public Enemy’s flamboyant rapper, but his real name is William Jonathan Drayton, Jr. He was born on March 16, 1059 in Roosevelt New York. To his credit, Flav is a classically trained pianist and attended Adelphi University in Long Island, NY. MC DJ Flavor, as he was known back then, met up with a graphic design student named Carlton Riddenhour (who later would be known to the world as Chuck D).

Chuck D formed the politically-conscious rap group Public Enemy in 1982, and in 1987, released the debut LP Yo! Bum Rush the Show. Flav’s absurdity launched the role of the rap sidekick. He even started the fashion craze of the ‘blinged out’ grill, as Flav sports gold, never platinum, teeth. He performed vocals in his trademark stuttering style, and would later influence such rappers as Busta Rhymes and Ol’ D.B. (Dirty Bastard).

During Public Enemy’s reign as Hip-Hop supreme, Flav’s antics and silliness complimented the stern authoritarian role of Chuck D, who was always dressed in solemn, dark colors. Flav is rarely caught without the trademark clock around his neck, so folks will “know what time it is,” and he also sports some funky sunglasses. He’s usually clad in something flashy and ridiculously bright, not to mention he could possibly also be seen sporting a metal-horned helmet on his head. Another ‘trademark’ if you will, of Flav is his epileptic, jerky style dancing – just picture the music video “911 is a Joke.”  Flav knows he’s a little on the strange side, but embraces his uniqueness.

The cartoon-like rapper has had numerous encounters with law enforcement authorities. During Public Enemy’s spotlight years, Flav was a heavy crack user, and has even had his driver’s license suspended at least 43 times. Proudly enough, Flav has remained clean since 2004.