Flava Flav
| Flavor Flav | |
|---|---|
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Flav performing in 2011
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | William Jonathan Drayton, Jr. |
| Also known as | Flav MC DJ Flavor Flav. |
| Born |
March 16, 1959 Roosevelt, New York, U.S. |
| Origin | Long Island, New York, New York, U.S. |
| Genres | |
| Occupation(s) |
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| Instruments | |
| Years active | 1982–present |
| Associated acts |
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| Website | publicenemy |
William Jonathan Drayton Jr. (born March 16, 1959), better known by his stage name Flavor Flav (/ˈfleɪvər ˌfleɪv/), is an American musician, rapper, actor, television personality, and comedian who rose to prominence as a member of the hip-hop group Public Enemy. He is also known for popularizing the role of the hype man and for yelling "Yeahhhhhhhhhhhh boyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy!" and "Flavor Flav!" during performances. After falling out of the public eye for a number of years, Flav reappeared as the star of several VH1 reality series, including The Surreal Life, Strange Love, and Flavor of Love.
Drayton was born in Roosevelt, New York and grew up in nearby Freeport, two communities each within the Town of Hempstead, New York. He self-taught himself to play the piano, and began playing aged five years old. A musical prodigy, he sang in the youth choir at his church and mastered the piano, drums, and guitar at an early age. According to Chuck D, he is proficient in fifteen instruments. He set a house on fire as a small child while playing with a lighter; by the time he dropped out of high school in the eleventh grade, he had been in and out of jail for robbery and burglary. He attended Adelphi University on Long Island where he met Carlton Ridenhour, who would become known as Chuck D. Flavor Flav took his stage name after his graffiti tag. They first collaborated on Chuck D's hip-hop college radio show, then began rapping together. The two worked for Chuck D's father's delivery service.
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