Flavor Flav was not pleased that Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) falsely claimed the hip-hop group Flav co-founded, Public Enemy, would perform at one of his campaign events on Sunday, so he complained.
Now he’s out of the band.
“Public Enemy and Public Enemy Radio will be moving forward without Flavor Flav,” the group said in a statement to Rolling Stone. “We thank him for his years of service and wish him well.”
On Friday, a lawyer for the rapper, whose real name is William Drayton Jr., sent a “cease-and-desist” letter to the Sanders campaign, stating that Flav and Public Enemy have not endorsed the democratic socialist who is currently the front-runner for the 2020 presidential nomination.
“To be clear Flav and, by extension, the Hall of Fame hip hop act Public Enemy with which his likeness and name have become synonymous has not endorsed any political candidate in this election cycle and any suggestion to the contrary is plainly untrue,” said the statement from attorney Matthew H. Friedman.
The letter, obtained by The Hollywood Reporter, says that although the group’s other co-founder, Chuck D, would perform at the Sanders event, that doesn’t count as a band endorsement.
“The continued publicizing of this grossly misleading narrative is, at a minimum, careless and irresponsible if not intentionally misleading. Flav is reaching out, not in the spirit of division, but for the sake of unity in the hope of preserving the integrity of the Public Enemy Movement and the faith and trust his millions of fans around the world have placed in him,” the letter says.
But a lawyer for Chuck D told the Rolling Stone: “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. He originally drew the logo himself in the mid-80s, is also the creative visionary and the group’s primary songwriter, having written Flavor’s most memorable lines.”
Sanders held a rally at the Los Angeles Convention Center, and his website said that “Public Enemy Radio” will perform.
“Join Bernie Sanders, Sarah Silverman, and Dick Van Dyke, with a special performance by Public Enemy Radio. Doors open at 3:00 p.m. and the event starts at 5:00 p.m. Capacity is limited and admission is granted on a first come, first served basis,” the website said.
“Flavor Flav has had a long legal history with Chuck D, suing his bandmate and the band over unpaid legal royalties in 2017,” The Hollywood Reporter wrote. “The Feb. 28 letter from Flavor Flav’s legal representation concludes, ‘If Bernie allows this deceptive marketing to continue without clearly correcting the messaging to reflect the true nature of this endorsement which should accurately read: ‘Chuck D of Public Enemy’ — Senator Sanders will himself have played a part in whitewashing a key chapter in American History. Bernie, his name is Flavor Flav and he does NOT approve your message!”
Flav also said the move was “grossly irresponsible.”
“Sanders claims to represent everyman not the man yet his grossly irresponsible handling of Chuck’s endorsement threatens to divide Public Enemy and, in so doing, forever silence one of our nation’s loudest and most enduring voices for social change,” the letter says.
Flav, who also once starred on a reality TV show, included a personal note for the Vermont senator in his own handwriting. “Hey Bernie, don’t do this!! Flavor-Flav,” the rapper signed the document, adding a drawing of a clock, which he often wears as a necklace.
