It’s officially the end of an era. After three decades, the iconic hip-hop group known as Public Enemy confirmed it would be “moving forward without Flavor Flav”—the group’s longtime hype man and breakout reality star of Flavor of Love fame.
Ahead of the split, Flav came out publicly slamming Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders and former bandmate Chuck D, claiming that the campaign is using his old group’s name for an endorsement on which he didn’t sign off.
On Friday, Flavor Flav, whose birth name is William Drayton, had his lawyer send a letter to the Sanders campaign, alleging that the political rally performance would use Flav’s “unauthorized likeness” and “image” for promotion purposes.
“While Chuck is certainly free to express his political view as he sees fit—his voice alone does not speak for Public Enemy. The planned performance will only be Chuck D of Public Enemy, it will not be a performance by Public Enemy. Those who truly know what Public Enemy stands for know what time it is, there is no Public Enemy without Flavor Flav,” the letter read.
“Don’t Believe The Hype!” the letter concluded.
In a post to Twitter early Monday morning, Chuck D wrote that he had appeared at the Sanders rally on Sunday night. He added that if a “$bag,” or payment, had been involved, “Flav would’ve been there front & center.” His former partner, he added, “will NOT do free benefit shows.”
Spoke @BernieSanders rally with @EnemyRadio. If there was a $bag, Flav would’ve been there front & center. He will NOT do free benefit shows. Sued me in court the 1st time I let him back in. His ambulance lawyer sued me again on Friday & so now he stays home& better find REHAB
— Chuck D (@MrChuckD) March 2, 2020
I heard I’m trending, like I care . I built @EnemyRadioRS so it does benefits & fundraisers … He said he never gonna do them. So his refusal to do @HarryBelafonte #ManyRiversFestival in Atlanta 2016 was my last time. I built Enemy Radio to get far away from that ridiculousness.
— Chuck D (@MrChuckD) March 2, 2020
On Twitter, Chuck D also claimed that he had built the group Public Enemy Radio to perform Public Enemy’s material at “benefits & fundraisers.”
U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders, the frontrunner for the Democratic Party presidential nomination, has already won the primaries in Iowa, Nevada and New Hampshire, though former Vice President Joe Biden took it home in South Carolina last week.
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