Exclaim!

Public Enemy Fire Flavor Flav After He Refuses to Play Bernie Sanders Rally

Public Enemy Fire Flavor Flav After He Refuses to Play Bernie Sanders Rally
By Sarah Murphy
Published Mar 02, 2020
Flavor Flav is officially no longer a member of Public Enemy following a dispute over playing a Bernie Sanders benefit show.
 
In a statement, the rap group said, "Public Enemy and Public Enemy Radio will be moving forward without Flavor Flav. We thank him for his years of service and wish him well."
 
The decision came after Flav refused to perform at a non-paying benefit gig for the U.S. presidential hopeful on Sunday (March 1). Flavor Flav has been a member of the group for 37 years.
 
According to group leader Chuck D, Flav's lawyers filed a lawsuit against him on Friday (February 28). Flav also sent a cease and desist letter to Sanders's campaign, accusing them of using his "likeness, image and trademarked clock in promotional materials" without permission.
 
Instead, Chuck D opted to perform as Public Enemy Radio, an offshoot of the rap group, which the rapper claims he started "to get far away from that ridiculousness." Public Enemy co-founder DJ Lord performed alongside Chuck D at the rally.
 
Chuck D explained that they use the moniker to perform at benefits and fundraisers like the Sanders rally, and that when Flavor Flav refused to perform at Harry Belafonte's Many Rivers Festival in 2016, it was the last straw.

"Flavor chooses to dance for his money and not do benevolent work like this," Chuck D wrote in a statement. "He has a year to get his act together and get himself straight or he's out."

Chuck D's attorney added: "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."
 
Read Chuck D's tweets leading up to the ousting of Flavor Flav below.