LEAVES A BAD TASTE
Flavor Flav axing over Bern hard to swallow
As a longtime Public Enemy fan, and a Chuck D devotee, I never thought I’d hear myself say this, but I think I’m with Flav on this one.
While it’s probably true that Public Enemy’s Flavor Flav doesn’t know the difference between Bernie Sanders and Barry Sanders or even Col. Harland Sanders for that matter, it doesn’t mean that presidential candidates should be able to use his likeness — or his clock — without his permission.
But that is where we are on the eve of Super Tuesday, where the biggest political battle may not be over the delegates at stake or even the soul of the party, but over the future of the best and biggest hip-hop group of all time.
Bernie Sanders may have broken up Public Enemy, and I for one may not be able to forgive him.
Flav, whose government name is William Drayton, was fired from Public Enemy Sunday night after he slapped Sanders with a cease-and-desist letter for claiming the group would perform at a rally in Los Angeles.
Flav, who was not scheduled to perform, said the group’s appearance was an endorsement, and he didn’t sign off on the gig. “Sanders has promised to ‘Fight the Power’ with hip-hop icons Public Enemy — but this Rap Icon will not be performing at the Sanders rally,” Flav said in a letter from his lawyer.
Flav, 60, accused the campaign of using the hype man’s “unauthorized likeness, image and trademarked clock” to promote the rally, even though he “has not endorsed any political candidate.”
But front man Chuck D, whose real name is Carlton Ridenhour, said the show featuring his offshoot group, Public Enemy Radio, would still go on.
“Public Enemy and Public Enemy Radio will be moving forward without Flavor Flav,” the group said in a statement to Rolling Stone. “We thank him for his years of service and wish him well.”
Now, as much as we’d like to make Sanders out to be Yoko Ono in all of this — it’s a Beatles reference; just Google it — the split is more likely about what every musical group split is about. Money.
Several years ago, Flav sued Chuck D and the group’s business manager over “unpaid profits.”
Chuck D, 59, went on Twitter Sunday to respond.
“My last straw was long ago,” he wrote. “It’s not about BERNIE with Flav … he don’t know the difference between Barry Sanders or Bernie Sanders. He don’t know either. So I don’t attack FLAV on what he don’t know.”
But here’s what Flavor Flav does know: No quality rap war can survive without a sharp response.
“Are you kidding me right now??? … over Bernie Sanders???” Flav tweeted at Chuck D on Monday. “You wanna destroy something we’ve built over 35 years OVER POLITICS??? … all because I don’t wanna endorse a candidate… I’m very disappointed in you and your decisions right now Chuck.
“And, I didn’t sue you on Friday… i asked the @berniesanders campaign to correct misleading marketing … that’s all it was … I’m not your employee … i’m your partner … you can’t fire me … there is no Public Enemy without Flavor Flav … so let’s get it right Chuck.”
Say what you want about Flavor Flav, his gargantuan timepiece, his crazy grill, his endless legal problems or his silly “Flavor of Love” reality TV show, but his rap is still strong. You have to wonder if the Bernie Sanders campaign is really the hill to die on.
Chuck D is the man. Always was, always will be. But how many titles did Michael Jordan win without Scottie Pippen?
YEEAAAHHHH BOOYYYEEE.
Don’t believe the hype.