by Derek Graff

Created on: June 30, 2007

Who doesn't love yelling "Flavor Flav" with their friends? The real question is how many people actually know why he's famous. Most people know him as the guy with the clock around his neck or the ghetto reality TV star from "The Surreal Life" and "Flavor of Love." Does anyone today remember him as a rapper in the extremely influential group Public Enemy?

William Jonathan Drayton Jr., Flav, was born in Roosevelt, New York in Long Island. He attended high school in New York but dropped out his Junior year because of intimidation by a local gang. After that, he sought to become some form of an entertainer. He got his own Saturday night radio show at Adelphi University in Garden City, New York under the name nctive. It was there that he first developed a political focus in his rap. He was rapping as DJ MC Flavor when he first met Carlton Ridenhour, aka Chuck D, who formed Public Enemy in 1982. They released their first album "Yo! Bum Rush the Show." After this, they emerged as the most influential group in music at the time. With street-oriented beats from Run D.M.C. and political oriented lyrics, their group became revolutionary. They created new techniques, such as avant-garde and cut-and-paste. They made unrecognizable samples, piercing sirens, hard-core beats, and deep funk. These made for an overall undeniably unforgettable unique form of music. They rewrote the rules of hip-hop. Flavor Flav provided the group with vocals and occasional drumming. He became the group's visual focus. He created the role of "rap sidekick." This role was later used by other rappers such as Busta Rhymes. He, however, was much more active on stage than the later versions of himself. He was the comic foil to counteract the serious political messages of Chuck D. He was even the main focus on certain songs like "Too Much Posse" and "911 is a Joke." In 2006, he released a self-titled album. It was his first solo album ever released.

Although it's not what he was originally famous for, you can't deny his undeniable popularity on recent reality TV shows. In 2004, he appeared on the "Surreal Life" on VH1. During the show, he developed a relationship with freakishly tall Brigitte Nelson. This relationship inspired a spin-off entitled "Strange Love." This show sparked a protest from Chuck D of Public Enemy. He said that none of the mothers of Flav's children have received child support. The show went on anyway and ended with the end of Flav and Brigitte's relationship. He appeared on a UK reality TV show entitled "The Farm," where contestants had to perform tasks related to the farm. Flav, however, did not make it into the top 5. Then Flav started looking for love on his own "Flavor of Love." Apparently one season wasn't enough because he broke up with his initial choice, Hoops, causing "Flavor of Love 2." Both seasons were extremely popular with audiences around the world.

Flavor Flav is one of the most recognizable characters in the public eye today with his infamous big clock hanging around his neck. He will forever be remembered for his work with Public Enemy in the late 80's and recent stints on reality TV. Besides, who can seriously resist the urge to yell out "Flavor Flav!".

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