Flavor Flav!
|
|
Flavor Flav Biography
Born in Roosevelt, New York on Long Island, William Drayton graduated high school in Freeport, New York before attending Adelphi University. While rapping at Adelphi under the name MC DJ Flavor Flav, Flavor Flav met a graphic-design student, Carlton Ridenhour (Chuck D).Chuck D, DJ Terminator X, Professor Griff, and Flavor Flav formed Public Enemy and released their debut album Yo! Bum Rush the Show in 1987.
Flav participated in Public Enemy as second rapper or vocalist (the primary vocalist was Chuck D), and as the band's drummer. Flavor Flav's stuttering vocal style has influenced rappers including Busta Rhymes and the late Ol' Dirty Bastard. Providing a comic foil to the political message of Chuck D, some credit Flav with the development of the rap sidekick (often referred to as a "hype man"). Unlike later practitioners of the hype man role, however, Flav's stage presence and musical contributions were at least as strong as Chuck D's, and his surreally absurd rapping added a humanizing light-heartedness to the group. In addition to the comic and derisive asides Flavor Flav offers on most Public Enemy performances, Flavor Flav has also taken center stage on songs such as "Too Much Posse," the bizarre and unforgettable "Cold Lampin' with Flava," and "911 Is a story," which provided one of the group's most colorful music videos. On the group's 1998 "comeback" single--following a four-year hiatus--"He Got Game," the title song to a contemporaneous film by Spike Lee, Flav performs essentially a duet with Chuck D.
Flav often wears a clock around his neck, stating that observers will "know what time it is." The clock became one of Flav's trademarks, along with comic sunglasses. Flav credits himself as having been the originator of the current platinum grill craze in hip hop fashion. Flav acknowledges that his style is bizarre, and Flavor Flav is proud of his distinctiveness. Another of Flav's trademarks is his catchphrase, a loud and exaggerated "Yeeeeaaaahhhh Booooyyyy!"
Flav has reportedly completed two solo albums, both of which were rejected by his record label, Def Jam. A third LP, It's About Time, was due to be released in 1999 but never appeared. A fourth album, "Hollywood," is scheduled for release on October 31, 2006.
Flavor Flav Reality TV Career
Flavor Flav Surreal Life
In 2004, Flav appeared in the third season of The Surreal Life on VH1. During the season, Flavor Flav developed an on-screen relationship with 6' 1" Danish actress Brigitte Nielsen, who affectionately called Flav "Foofy Foofy." VH1 continued to explore the couple's odd pairing in a spin-off reality series, called Strange Love. Due to mutual jealousy, the couple was constantly fighting and yelling. In March 2005, Brigitte ended her relationship with Flavor Flav, choosing instead to live with her Italian boyfriend, Mattia Dessi. The show essentially ended with the end of the relationship.Flavor Flav Strange Love Controversy
Sometime after the premiere of Strange Love, Flav came under fire from various organizations and individuals including North Carolina's Reverend Paul Scott, who labeled Flav's performance a "coon act" on "a modern day minstrel show". Episodes have shown Flav acting up at a Public Enemy concert as well as having confrontations with his children and their mother, who have received no child support from him. Chuck D went so far as to issue a statement denouncing Flav's participation on Strange Love. A petition was set up in conjunction with Chuck D's criticisms in hopes of convincing VH1 to pull the show off of the air. VH1 continued to broadcast the program in spite of protests, which showed Flav and Brigitte going their separate ways in the end.Flavor Flav Flavor of Love
More recently, Drayton has taken a role as the star of the VH1 reality series Flavor of Love. The show premiered on January 1, 2006. It features Flav and 20 women (reduced to 15 in the first show, and then 10 after the January 8 airing) from which Flavor Flav will eventually choose one (in the style of The Bachelor). The show started with an effort to paint Flav in a good light. Several times on the show, Flavor Flav expresses a desire to settle down, find a companion, and have more children.The first season finale was among the highest-rated shows in VH1 history. The relationship between Flav and first season winner Hoopz ultimately sputtered, though, and Flav and VH1 agreed to do a second season of the Flavor of Love. The second season ends with Flav choosing Deelishis.
In Fall 2006, Flav and seven of the season two contestants appeared on The Tyra Banks Show to discuss the series
