Public Enemy kicks out Flavor Flav after Bernie Sanders spat

(Image credit: Jose Jordan/AFP/Getty Images)

published 2 March 2020

Public Enemy unceremoniously fired cofounder and hypeman Flavor Flav on Sunday. "Public Enemy and Public Enemy Radio will be moving forward without Flavor Flav," Chuck D and the remaining members said in a statement. "We thank him for his years of service and wish him well." Shortly after releasing the statement, the Chuck D–led offshoot Public Enemy Radio played a rally for Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) in Los Angeles, performing Public Enemy hits like "Fight the Power."

On Friday, a lawyer for Flavor Flav (real name: William Drayton) issued a cease-and-desist letter to the Sanders campaign about the promotional poster for the rally, saying it contained Flav's "unauthorized likeness, image, and trademarked clock" even though he "has not endorsed any political candidate in this election cycle." The statement, written by lawyer Matthew Friedman, added: "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. ... There is no Public Enemy without Flavor Flav." Flav wrote at the bottom: "Hey Bernie, don't do this."

After Flav released the letter but before he was fired, Chuck D told Rolling Stone: "Flavor chooses to dance for his money and not do benevolent work like this. He has a year to get his act together and get himself straight or he's out." He later tweeted that his former bandmate's objection was "not about Bernie" but about doing free benefit shows.

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Chuck D, through his own lawyer, also disagreed with the statement that Flav is an essential part of Public Enemy: "From a legal standpoint, Chuck could perform as Public Enemy if he ever wanted to; he is the sole owner of the Public Enemy trademark ... the creative visionary, and the group's primary songwriter, having written Flavor's most memorable lines."

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Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.