The Height of Flavor Flav’s Music, Drug Addiction and All About His Family

If you have ever heard of Public Enemy, then chances are that you know Flavor Flav who is memorable for yelling “Yeah, boyeee!” as well as his name during performances. The rapper, comedian, television personality, and actor gained fame as a member of the iconic hip-hop group before going ahead to launch other careers. He is better recognized for his appearance on a number of reality television series, most notably the dating game show Flavor of Love which ran for three seasons. Other shows he appeared in include Strange Love and The Surreal Life.

Beyond his interests in the entertainment world, Flav, who had attended culinary school while growing up, has also tried his hands at entrepreneurship. In 2011, he and Nick Cimino teamed up to set up the short-lived Flav’s Fried Chicken in Clinton, Iowa.

Details About Flavor Flav’s Music Career

During the late 1980s and early 1990s, Flavor Flav was a part of a growing stream of black rap and hip-hop artists who would go ahead and change the face of pop culture in the United States and beyond for many years to come.

Born on the 16th of March, 1959 in New York, Flav grew up as a child prodigy when it came to music. He began playing the piano when he was five years old having taught himself the intricacies of musical notes on the instrument. He also sang in church and played a host of other instruments. According to his longtime friend and leader of the Public Enemy group, Chuck D, Flav played as many fifteen instruments.

But despite having a huge interest in music, Flavor Flav had a torrid childhood that saw him constantly be at loggerheads with law enforcement as he was in and out of jail a lot during his high school days for burglary and robbery. Things began to look up for Flav when he met Chuck D at Adelphi University. The pair bonded over music and soon began creating their own.

Flav first hooked up with Chuck on his hip-hop radio show in school before linking up with Norman Rogers and Richard Griffin, the other members of Public Enemy. The group got to work and they soon had their demo seating on the desk of Def Jam Records co-founder and record producer, Rick Rubin, who took a liking to their unique style and signed them to a deal in 1986.

Public Enemy was heavily influenced by the Black Panthers as they were antagonizing and political in their sound. Some of their major albums included the RIAA certified platinum It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back which was released in 1988, Fear of a Black Planet, and Apocalypse 91… The Enemy Strikes Black which was released in 1990 and 1991 respectively.

Flavor Flav’s most recent body of work was a 2006 solo album titled Hollywood. The album was released on the reality TV dating show, Flavor of Love. Flav’s career had before his resurgence as a reality TV actor dwindled out a bit. His decision to leave New York and move to Los Angeles proved to be a smart one as he was able to earn a living and gain even more fame than the one he had as a musician.

His Battle With Drug Addiction

Flavor Flav’s battle with drug addiction is well documented. While his group Public Enemy made songs condemning drug use, Flav was neck-deep in drugs. At some point, he was shelling out a whopping $2,600 every day for drugs like cocaine, and heroin among other substances.

After years of battling addiction, his family held an intervention in 1993 and the musician finally checked into the Betty Ford Clinic. In 1997, he returned to rehabilitation, this time to the Long Island Center for Recovery. Flav has since that time slowed down with his use of drugs although he has on a few occasions been arrested for marijuana possession.

What We Know of Flavor Flav’s Family

The known members of Flavor Flav’s family are his mother, Anna Drayton, who died on December 31, 2013, and his father William Sr., who passed away after suffering from diabetes in 1997. While it is not clear if he had any siblings, he is known to be the cousins of former Penn State basketball player Shep Garner and rapper Timbo King.

Flav has never been married but he has had a litany of romances that has so far produced seven children. The women who the legendary musician has welcomed children with to the world over the years include Karen Ross, Angie Parker, and Elizabeth Trujillo.

Karen Ross and Angie Parker each have three children for him while his current girlfriend Elizabeth Trujillo, often referred to as Liz, had the final one. The names of the children born to him are Quanah, Shanique, William, Kayla, Karen, Dazyna and Karma.

Also Read: Top 10 Richest People in the world with full biography and details.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *