From being a founding member of the ground-breaking, politically minded hip-hop group Public Enemy to starring in a string of hit reality shows about his seemingly eternal search for love, Flav has continued to reinvent himself in the public eye.
Flav, born William Jonathan Drayton Jr., burst onto the public consciousness more than 20 years ago with the socially-conscious rap ensemble Public Enemy.
A classically-trained pianist, he attended Adelphi University in Long Island where he met fellow Public Enemy founding member and then graphic design student Carlton Ridenhour (Chuck D). The two began rapping together and by 1987 they — along with DJ Terminator X and Professor Griff — released the group’s debut “Yo! Bum Rush The Show.”
That was followed up the next year with “It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back.” The release made a splash on the charts thanks to hits like “Don’t Believe the Hype” and “Black Steel in the Hour of Chaos.”
Excerpted from ‘Flavor Flav’s Modesto block party‘ by Marijke Rowland. Published August 22, 2008 in the Modesto Bee.