FlavaFlav.net - News and Updates on Flavor of Love's Charm School and I Love New York 2

William Jonathan Drayton Jr. (born March 16, 1959), professionally known as Flavor Flav, is a rap artist and member of the influential politically conscious hip hop group Public Enemy. Friends from his early years reportedly refer to him as "Rico Drayton."

Born in Roosevelt, Long Island, New York, Flav graduated high school in Freeport, New York, before attending Adelphi University. While rapping at Adelphi under the name MC DJ Flavor, he 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. His 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 he offers on most Public Enemy performances, he has also taken center stage on songs such as "Too Much Posse," the bizarre and unforgettable "Cold Lampin' with Flava," and "911 Is a Joke," 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 is set to either twelve o'clock ("straight up") or six o'clock ("straight up and straight down"). The clock became one of Flav's trademarks, along with comic sunglasses. On stage Flav also favors flashy colors, such as hot pink, and a metal-horned helmet on his head, while Chuck D typically performed in dark colors, and the S1Ws wore pseudo-military uniforms. Flav acknowledges that his style is bizarre, and he is proud of his distinctiveness. Another of Flav's trademarks is his catchphrase, a loud and exaggerated "Yeeeeaaaahhhh Booooyyyy!"

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