Throwdown Thursday: Flavor Flav vs. Public Enemy

Judging by his reality show performances, Flavor Flav is all about love. But this week the rapper expressed a very different emotion when he sued his bandmates.

Flavor of animosity? It’s Throwdown Thursday and this week we’re talking a different kind of rap battle. Billboard and other news outlets are reporting that Flavor Flav, whose real name is, wait for it, William J. Drayton, is suing former bandmate Chuck D and Public Enemy’s management and production team, saying they’ve been stiffing him on royalties and creative input while still profiting off his image and persona for years. Flav says he’s written more than 50 of Public Enemy’s songs but hasn’t gotten regular royalty checks for years. When the group’s most recent album, Nothing is Quick in the Desert, came out in June, it seems that was the last straw.

According to court documents: “On or about June 29, 2017, Drayton was shocked to see that a new ‘Public Enemy’ album was being released, and his image was being used in multiple media outlets to promote the album. He had never heard of the album, nor heard any of the final mixes.”

The amount of money at stake is yet to be determined, but it seems there’s now a weight heavier than a giant clock hanging from the legendary hip hop group. Stay tuned to see how this all plays out.

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If nothing else, it’ll be good drama for any future reality shows Flav wants to do.