From Public Enemy hype man to U.S. Olympic Water Polo team sponsor, Flavor Fav has blazed a unique path.
“I never dreamed when I was younger that I would be doing this,” Flav, 65, told Yahoo Entertainment.
A musical prodigy proficient in 15 instruments, “I always did want to be famous one day with my music,” which he did alongside Chuck D. “I just didn’t know exactly what part of the field that I was going to come out of. All I did was just live day to day and try. I didn’t really imagine that I would be who I am now.”
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Another thing Flav (real name: William Drayton Jr.) tried was reality TV, some 20 years ago. Initially reluctant to appear on the Surreal Life in 2004 — when the genre was new and the stars weren’t exactly A-list — he agreed to take part in Season 3 of the VH1 show. It was there that he met Brigitte Nielsen, the actress from Rocky IV and ex-wife of Sylvester Stallone, and their opposites-attract pairing landed them their own spin-off: 2005’s Strange Love.
Brigitte Nielsen and Flavor Flav at the VH1 Big in ’04 awards. Two decades ago, they appeared on the same season of Surreal Life and their opposites-attract chemistry landed them their own show, Strange Love. Flav went on to topline his own show, Flavor of Love. (Chris Polk/FilmMagic)
“That was an amazing show and Brigitte Nielsen is one amazing person,” he said. “She’s very lovable, very kind and very sweet. We really had fun doing Strange Love because it was strange. You got a tall Danish blonde that’s a model and a movie actor, and then you got the short, Black rapper. I’m 5’7”, she’s 6’2” [in] bare feet. [But] thanks to Brigitte, we made great television.”
Their relationship didn’t survive the season. Nielsen went to live with her Italian boyfriend (now husband) Mattia Dessì with whom she had a daughter in 2018 at age 54. As for Flav, VH1 handed him another series, Flavor of Love, a Bachelor-like show that brought the network big viewership for three seasons, from 2006 to 2008.
“I kind of reshaped and molded reality TV. There’s been other shows like mine … but they didn’t do as well as mine,” said the perpetual hype man. “That’s because I’m the original. I was the first out the gate. The only one who can ever break my records is Flavor Flav.”
He continued, “What reality TV gave me was the power to be able to bring over 7 million people to my viewership. I’ve done it once and I can do it again.”
There’s been talk of a series around him pursuing his high school diploma. There’s also a Flavor of Love reboot in the works, though not with him.
These days, Flav’s about using his fame for good causes. He was at the 2024 Olympics to hype the water polo team after signing a deal to sponsor the team for five years and provide financial support. He’s currently looking into sponsoring the U.S. Olympic women’s hockey team, saying, “We’re trying to put [a deal] together and get it done.”
Flav cheering on Team USA at the Paris Olympics. (Clive Rose/Getty Images)
Last year he paid an athlete’s rent when she couldn’t. Since January, he’s been fundraising for Black families who lost homes in the Los Angeles County wildfires, and recently passed the $150,000 mark.
“I am considered a mouthpiece to the world,” Flav said. “I’m considered a leader. A lot of people do follow me and I try to do the right thing with my power … and not mislead people with my power.”
He takes pride in using his life experience to help others, visiting jails, group homes and schools for many years to share “the mistakes that I’ve made through life. … Because everybody makes mistakes,” said the performer, who is four years sober. “Nobody’s perfect. [Life is] going to always be a learning adventure.”
Flav’s passion for championing other artists is strong too. When asked about being a famous Swiftie — aka a fan of Taylor Swift — he corrects us, “I am King Swiftie, thank you. And let me tell you, I didn’t get that name from Taylor, I got it from the Swifties, [so it’s] even more legitimate. The Swifties see how hard I go in for my girl.”
He’s happy to rattle off his favorite things about the pop songstress, who shouted him out at an “Eras Tour” stop in Hamburg last year, praising her life-inspired lyrics and marveling at how she caused record-breaking seismic activity (“it hit the Richter scale, baby!”).
“I go in hard for Taylor — and that’s because she’s real, man,” he said. “She’s one of the most important artists of our time. I’m very proud of her. I’m happy for her with Travis [Kelce] — the whole nine.”
Flav and Taylor Swift at the 2023 iHeartRadio Music Awards. (Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for iHeartRadio)
He recently hung out with Jason Kelce at the Super Bowl, saying he’s “pretty cool people … he’s got mad love for Flav.”
Flav is bringing a lot of his signature enthusiasm to a new partnership with 5-Hour Energy timed to the start of daylight saving time on March 9. He helped create a mini bottle, 1-Hour Energy, to give people a boost who are tired from the time change.
For the record, Flav only had a half-energy shot before our conversation, he said. “A full one would have me on my way to Mars. I’m already full of energy,” he said.
That he is.
