The new generation today might now know who Flavor Flav is, but surely some of those who enjoyed rap music in the mid-1980s still know who Flavor Flav is. He found prominence by being part of the group Public Enemy as its rapper and hype man, along with rapper Chuck D. Since then, Flavor Flav has continued to appear in the music scene and in various reality television shows. Let us take a look at the rapper’s life, career, and his net worth now.
William Jonathan Drayton Jr., or more famously known today as Flavor Flav, was born on March 16, 1959 in Roosevelt, New York. At the young age of 5, he taught himself how to play the piano and was also part of a church choir where he soon became proficient in playing the piano, guitar, and drums.
With a background like that, one could just simply think that Flavor Flav had a good future ahead of him. Unfortunately, that wasn’t the case for him. When he was in 11th grade, he dropped out of school and was in and out of jail because of robbery and burglary.
Flavor Flav tried to steer his life back to the right track. He attended a culinary school in 1978 and then proceeded to attend Adelphi University in Rhode Island. While he was attending university, he met Carlton Ridenhour (who eventually became known as Chuck D.). The two worked together on Chuck D’s hip-hop college radio show and started rapping together. Drayton then used “Flavor Flav” as his stage name and hasn’t stopped using it since.
In 1985, Flavor Flav and Chuck D. created their group Public Enemy. Flavor Flav became one of the founding members and the group’s hype man— someone who hypes the crowd or brings the energy up for the main rapper, who is, in this case, Chuck D. When they released “Public Enemy #1”, the duo caught the attention of Def Jam Records executive Rick Rubin. Originally, Rubin only wanted to sign Chuck D. since he didn’t really understand Flavor Flav’s role in the duo, but Chuck D. insisted that Flavor Flav is an essential part of the group so Def Jam Records signed them both.
Public Enemy released their first album in 1987 but gained more prominence in 1988 with the release of “It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back”, an album that reached double platinum status.
In 2006, Flavor Flav released his first solo album which actually took at least seven years to produce.
Aside from being part of Public Enemy, Flavor Flav also starred in reality television shows. He participated in the VH1 reality TV show The Surreal Life. After the show concluded, he and actress Brigitte Nielsen starred in Strange Love where they were filmed as they traveled the world “in love”.
Flavor Flav had already earned enough in his career so he decided to start his own restaurant business in 2011. He and Nick Cimino opened Flav’s Fried Chicken Iowa. Unfortunately, the business faced a lot of issues and closed just four months after its opening. Flavor Flav’s Chicken and Ribs then opened in Las Vegas in 2012 but also eventually closed in 2013 when the business owners failed to pay rent to the shop’s landlord.
Knowing that Flavor Flav is now 62 years old, it’s safe to assume that he had already amassed a good fortune. Although he faced multiple issues not only in business but also in his entertainment career, Flavor Flav was still able to save and create a great net worth. As of today, his net worth is said to be at an estimated $4 million. That figure is still not bad considering that his main source of income today is through TV appearances and earnings from his rap music.
At present, Flavor Flav enjoys his life with his fiance and their son in their home in Las Vegas.