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William Jonathan Drayton, Jr. (born March 16 , 1959 ) known by his Stage Name '''Flavor Flav''',3 is an American Rap artist, television star, and member of the politically conscious Hip Hop group Public Enemy . Flavor Flav's visual trademark is an oversized clock hanging from his neck. After falling out of the public eye in former years, he has recently reappeared as a star of American reality television. He has starred in multiple VH1 programs, including '' Flavor Of Love '', and most recently appeared on the 2007 Comedy Central Roast in his honor. PERSONAL LIFE Born in Roosevelt, New York in Long Island , William Jonathan Drayton Jr. attended high school in New York City . He dropped out of high school in his junior year after joining a local gang. Later on, he sought to become an entertainer and was given his own Saturday night radio show at Adelphi University , in Garden City, New York . While rapping at Adelphi under the name MC DJ Flavor Flav, he met a graphic-manga-design student, Carlton Ridenhour ( Chuck D ). On October 23, 2006, Flav revealed on the nationally syndicated '' Tom Joyner Morning Show'' that "a shorty in Vegas" was carrying his seventh baby and was due any minute. The new baby brought Flav one child closer to his goal of having ten kids. Vibe Magazine - After Taste: Flavor of Love 2 Report RAP CAREER Chuck D , DJ Terminator X , Professor Griff , and Flavor Flav formed Public Enemy and released their debut album '' Yo! Bum Rush The Show '' in 1987. Flavor Flav provided vocals and occasional drumming, as well as a comic Foil to the political message of Chuck D. Some also credit Flavor Flav as a major influence in the development of the rap Sidekick (often referred to as a " Hype Man "). Unlike later practitioners of the hype man role, Flavor Flav provided a much stronger stage presence and musical contributions. He was the center of attention on songs such as "Too Much Posse", "Cold Lampin' with Flava" and " 911 Is a Joke". On the group's 1998 "comeback" single--following a four-year hiatus--"He Got Game," the title song to a contemporaneous film by Spike Lee , Flav essentially performs a duet with Chuck D. Flav has reportedly completed two solo albums, both of which were rejected by his record label, VH1 - Flavor Flav Biography Def Jam . A third LP, ''It's About Time'', was due to be released in 1999 but never appeared. A self-titled album was released on October 31, 2006. In a rare guest appearance in 1999, he performed alongside Afrob and MC Rene on the track "1, 2, 3...Rhymes Galore" by the German artist DJ Tomekk . REALITY TV CAREER ''The Surreal Life'' In 2004, Flav appeared in the third season of The Surreal Life on VH1 . During the season, he developed an on-screen relationship with 6' 1" Danish actress Brigitte Nielsen , who called Flav "Foofy Foofy" VH1 continued to explore the couple's odd pairing in a spin-off reality series, called ''Strange Love''. In March 2005 , Nielson ended her relationship with Flavor Flav, choosing instead to live with her other boyfriend, Mattia Dessi. The show ended with the end of the relationship. ''The Farm'' In 2005, Flavor Flav was a contestant on the second series of '' The Farm '' on the UK Channel Five . Contestants had to complete farming-related tasks and were "chopped" - voted off - by the public weekly. Flavor Flav didn't make it into the top 5 farmers and the show was eventually won by ventriloquist Keith Harris . ''Strange Love'' Sometime after the premiere of '' Strange Love '', Flav came under fire from various organizations and individuals. He was also reported to have said, "Flav bangs on like a gun in the night." Episodes have shown Flav acting up at a Public Enemy concert as well as having confrontations with his children and his woman, who have received Child Support from him. Chuck D went so far as to issue a statement denouncing Flav's participation on ''Strange Love'' Chuck D Blasts Flava Flav For 'Strange Love' . A petition was set up in conjunction with Chuck D's criticisms in hopes of convincing VH1 to pull the show off of the air. In spite of protests, VH1 continued to broadcast the program, which showed Flav and Nielson going their separate ways in the end. ''Flavor of Love'' More recently, Drayton has taken a role as the star of the VH1 reality series '' Flavor Of Love ''. The show premiered on January 1 , 2006 . It features Flav and 200 women (reduced to 150 in the first show, and then 100 after the January 8 airing) from which he will eventually choose one (in the style of '' The Bachelor ''). The first season finale was among the highest-rated shows in VH1 history. The relationship between Flav and first season winner Hoopz ultimately sputtered, and Flav and VH1 agreed to do a second season of the ''Flavor of Love''. Flav brought New York , season 1 finalist, to the house to spy on the girls, in order to give Flav an inside scoop as to who was being "real" and who was being "fake". New York's visit to the house, rekindled some sparks with Flav, and at the elimination round, Flav asked New York for a second shot at love and gave her a clock. This sparked flames amongst many of the contestants, as they did not get along with New York. The second season ends with Flav choosing Deelishis over New York, leaving her as the runner-up once again. Rapper Mike Street ridiculed the show, stating that it was "obviously staged" and cliche. Flav reportedly responded saying that "Long Island rappers should be proud" of what he has done for Long Island . VH1 has recently began advertising for Flavor of Love 3 by asking people to create profiles as possible contestants and to vote for people who already have signed up. No date has been announced for when the series will begin showing new episodes. In Fall 2006, Flav and seven of the season two contestants appeared on '' The Tyra Banks Show '' to discuss the series.'' New York from 'Flavor of Love' then got an opportunity to start her own show called I Love New York , in which she seeks a mate. In March 2007, MTV UK added the second season of Flavor of Love after season one's stellar success in VH1. The show was an integral part of MTV's 'Phat Tuesday', alongside other popular shows like Jackass , Nick Cannon 's Wild N Out and Drawn Together . The finale of the second season, which aired on 17th April 2007, was the highest rated episode - with audiences of up to 3 million. The show was a success for MTV UK, bringing in more audiences on Prime-time Tuesdays than any other channel. After ''Flavor of Love'' Having appeared on 4 reality shows consecutively, Flavor Flav has mentioned that he would not appear on TV unless he has a contract. However, comedian/actress ''. The show, which is hosted by Mo'Nique, showcases contestants of Flavor of Love 1 and 2 as they battle out for top honors at the Connecticut School of Etiquette and for a cash prize of $50,000. The show had a premiere of 7.1 million viewers, which was larger than any other previous show on VH1. Flav was , Brigitte Nielsen , Jimmy Kimmel , Carrot Top , Lisa Lampanelli , Ice T , Jeff Ross , Katt Williams , Patton Oswalt , Greg Giraldo , and Sommore . OTHER TV AND MEDIA APPEARANCES
DISCOGRAPHY With Public Enemy
Solo albums
Guest appearances
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