Public Enemy Radio — P.E. mastermind Chuck D, DJ Lord, Jahi and the S1Ws — is performing at a Bernie Sanders rally in Los Angeles on Sunday (March 1), but evidently that didn’t sit well with Flavor Flav.
On Friday (February 28), Flav’s team blasted the notion and insisted the Flavor Of Love reality TV star doesn’t feel the Bern. Chuck D has now responded, issuing a hefty ultimatum to his longtime bandmate.
“Flavor chooses to dance for his money and not do benevolent work like this,” he said in a statement to HipHopDX. “He has a year to get his act together and get himself straight or he’s out.”
Chuck’s attorney went on to explain, “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-80’s, is also the creative visionary and the group’s primary songwriter, having written Flavor’s most memorable lines.”
Attorney Matthew H. Friedman of Nevada law firm Ford & Friedman spoke on Flav’s behalf in an open letter.
“We have become aware that Flavor’s bandmate and Public Enemy co-creator, Chuck D, has endorsed Bernie Sanders’ candidacy for President and plans to perform at an upcoming Sanders Rally,” Friedman wrote. “While Chuck is certainly free to express his political views as he sees fit – his voice alone does not speak for Public Enemy.”
“The planned performance will only be Chuck D of Public Enemy, it will not be a performance by Public Enemy. Those who truly know what Public Enemy stands for know what time it is, there is no Public Enemy without Flavor Flav.”
The letter, obtained by Billboard, goes on to say the Sanders movement is a “fake revolution” but insisted Flav wants nothing but “unity.”
“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,” Friedman added. “Over more than 30 years in the public spotlight – whether on television or radio – Flav has always delivered his authentic self. That authenticity compels him to speak out to ensure voters are not misled and that Public Enemy’s music does not become the soundtrack of a fake revolution.”
Flav filed a lawsuit against Chuck and BTNE [Bring The Noise and Eastlink] in 2017, a suit which was dismissed without prejudice last year.
Chuck has been more than patient with Flav over the years. Public Enemy’s latest record, Nothing Is Quick In The Desert, was also a point of contention as Flav’s unwillingness to work was more of an issue than the actual lawsuit.
“Flavor isn’t 100 percent wrong, but he brings a lot of craziness and disorganization to the fucking table, and that causes a myriad of issues that costs time and money,” Chuck said at the time. “His inability to be focused, pay attention and stay woke bleeds into other areas. Him and his manager [Greg Johnson] parting ways, to me, was a bad move.
“I’m proud of Flav, but he’s a co-owner of the masters of these Public Enemy records. That doesn’t necessarily mean songwriting. It takes effort and teamwork, and he’s got to be mentally on point to write P.E. songs. He has to step it up.”
While speaking to DX earlier this week, Chuck noted the Public Enemy Radio performance wasn’t really an endorsement, more of a call-to-action.
“This is spring of 2020, a year of hindsight and clear vision,” the pioneering MC told DX. “It’s no longer tolerable to just pontificate and not do shit. The Bernie rally is not so much of an endorsement as it is common ass sense. People gotta realize, whoever they vote for isn’t going to be Jesus. They should recognize we have a wannabe Hitler in the White House.
“That’s it. Clarity. If there’s anything that resonates with me, it’s I hate the two-party system. But we’re all affected by health care, child care and climate change. What the fuck is going to take care of that?”
The rally takes place at the Los Angeles Convention Center. Doors open at 3 p.m. and the event starts at 5 p.m. Find more information here.
Sellout. Bernie is bad for America. He praises Cubas Castro. Praises china’s Mao. Praises Soviet Russia. My cousins came from Cuba, and they are sick to their stomachs seeing Cubas policy becoming popular in America. Take freedom, not government control. Buy your guns, because you are a god damn, red blooded American!
Yeah it would be really awful if poor people didn’t have to die cause they couldn’t afford medical treatment and it would really suck if we had a habitable planet to leave to our grandchildren.
Poor people receive free medical treatment. Poor people aren’t left to die in America lmfao… Oh, and Trumps America lowered its carbon emissions more than any other nation worldwide in 2019. Quit acting as if poor people are left to die. That’s such BS.
the only people against bernie are fools who think one day they will be a millionaire/billionaire too. Bernie is for the average person who understands that corporations dont give a damn about us… and this site is flooded with right-wing/trump supporters on the daily.
Well, most other sites are flooded with leftist sheep, so here’s to some variety, hey?
Flavour Flav doesn’t want to pay 50% in taxes. He has a lot Of kids boiiiii
Flav is broke. And on top of that he doesn’t know how to pay for taxes.
I thought Flava Flav was worth a few million? Sure, he’s not filthy rich, but considering he doesn’t have a 9-5, he is very wealthy I’d say. Shit, I wish I was worth a million!
Bernie with fight the power im done..
It’s so ironic lol. The gay peddling a larger, more intrusive government, is being supported by those who think they are “against the system”…. What a joke lol.
Wow this is so ignorant idk where to begin lol. Bernie and Public Enemy are both against the system by which the extremely wealthy get richer and the poor get poorer, there’s no irony here. An “intrusive” government is better than a corrupt one. What do “the gays” have to do with this? XD
An intrusive government is a corrupt government. Socialism will eventually make us all poor. Name a country where it worked, and if you can think of one that’s where you can go. America was not founded on Bernie’s recycled ideas. Public Enemy wasn’t founded
on them. Without a free market you would’ve never heard of them. Educate yourself, or continue to be so woke you can’t sleep.
Jairo, Bernie has three fucking houses, you dope. Chuck is a cuck champagne socialist. You have to be stupid to vote for Bernie, or you don’t make good money lol! Bernie is for the EBT crowd.
You talk about the EBT crowd like you are some how better than them, or that they don’t matter cause they are poor? You are initially saying that Bernie only appeals to pour people when Donald trump one of the richest president does nothing to help the poor. You are the problem here. Thinking that money makes you a better person. You are truly just a piece of shit
If you are poor, or someone you know is poor, maybe reevaluate your entire existence. America is the easiest nation on earth to live in. Why would both illegal and legal immigrants flock to America by the millions each year to America? Why wouldn’t they to to other countries that dopey Americans think are better? There isn’t a great nation on earth that doesn’t allow billionaires to live their lives freely.
Bernie wants to regulate the wealth. That means he wants to control the entire system. Right now we live in a free market. Everyone can decide how to spend their wealth. Its your decision if you wanna buy nikes, video games, watch movies in theatres, buy a new smart phone etc. and give your money to people and make them rich, Its voluntary. Bernie wants to create a goverment that forces people to share their money. That means more power to the goverment.
Right
Fuck Flavor Flav, what a hack. Bernie and Public Enemy are a match made in heaven!
yeah cuz Communists are the Enemy of the public. They destroying societies.
flav is a sellout crackhead. literally. #Bernie2020
Look at fuckin this. The democrats are now dividing legendary hip hop groups. The hate filled rhetoric is pissing on the roots of hip hop history. Democrats. Destructive to the minority race since slavery.
Look at fuckin this. Democrats are now creating even more divide. This time within legendary hip hop. Liberal agenda is pissing on the roots of hip hop with hate filled rhetoric. Democrats. Destructive to African Americans since slavery. Stay woke.
Had the first black president and he had a chance to fix the impoverished black communities in america but instead whats he do sends Billions of dollars to Iran. I wish people would wake up and see the Democrats only use us for votes so they can raise taxes and sell us out to other countries.
Ha! Flav is smart for staying out of the whole communist rally bs. He knows what’s up. Only the EBT crowd will be there as usual. Chuck is a cuck and his tantrum was funny. Flag has a year to fall in line with the communist manifesto or else!!!!! Lol
Flav*
I bet you don’t know what communism is.
Marx was a joo. Trotsky (real name BRownstein, btw) was a joo. Yagoda was a joo. Pretty much all of the bolshevik leaders were joos. Communism is just jud.aism. Rothschild and Marx had great admiration for each others. Imagine that, a capitalist banker and a communist were butt buddies. Both jooish.
Guy from eastern Europe must be a joo too.
Yeah, that’s where the k.hazarian empire was located right? These modern day joos are descendants of k.hazars who converted to j.udaism and have no roots in the mid-east whatsoever yet are squatting there on piece of stolen land!
Right on fam
Since you’re using Trumpian words like “cuck”, my guess is you voted for that muthaf*cka and will do so again.
To remove myself from his broken proposed policies for a second, Bernie is the most annoying candidate there is. Can you imagine listening to his pontificating arrogance for 4-8 years? No thanks.
Sanders and Biden are BOTH annoying. Biden also is the most incompetent. If Sanders, Biden or Bloomberg get the Democratic nomination, I’m not voting.
Yeah, not voting is TOTALLY the way to stick it to the man…. Ignoring politics doesn’t make it go away. It’s astounding how dumb the younger generations can be, especially when you’re the largest voting block going. If you all got out and made your voices heard and actually participated in significant numbers you could be voting for someone who actually represents you. But you lazy dumb asses sit on the sidelines with these stupid “i’m not going to vote hot takes” and you then let some boomer pick someone that doesn’t speak for you.
Public Enemy is maybe trademark by Chuck but if he is gonna make it about his voice alone he is just like the supposed power they were collectively fighting.
WORK FOR YOUR SHIT…FREELOADERS!!!!
YOU AIN’T CHIPPED IN ON THIS!!!!
This man is gonna let politics mess up the friendship and union of a legendary hip hop group?. Wtf is happening SMH
Griff’s conspiracy theories on YouTube and him having Sole on the last album was the first red flag.
P.E., the O.G.’s!! Everybody knew Flav has been selling out. Finally hearing it from the horse’s mouth
Chuck L is wack for this. Your friend was blessed by God to make it through this far and you want to throw your “power” around because he won’t put his faith in a man? Then because of that youd say he rather dance for his money? Where’s Chuck at funneling his money and voice into campaigns of well to do Black candidates? This makes me want to never listen to a Public Enemy record again in life SMH
Why would u want another black president? The last one was trash
Lmao at chuck D thinking hes WOKE af by supporting a commi fuck who wants to take everyone’s money . Dude is a str8 clown
Your broke ass doesn’t have any money to take anyways. You’d be one of the first people to benefit from what he’s proposing. And communism isn’t what he’s proposing at all. He’s not even THAT far left. This nation is just so far to the right, the middle seems far left. He’s barely left of middle.
Flat not even registered to vote but i’m sure he’d stand at a Trump Rally for a check for old Uncle Don
Flav wouldn’t, but Griff would.
Wish Professor Griff would way in on this
Griff is too busy with his conspiracy theories.
Who are these irrelevant, washed up, grumpy men?
Well, they were the truth 30 yrs. ago. LMAO
FLAV, YOU CAN COME OVER AND WORK WITH ME, I’M LOOKING FOR NEW ARTISTS TO PRODUCE!
Flav right! No candidate for PE! I hope this isn’t choosing the the Higher ups over crew again (Professor Griff). Bernie said no to Slave reparations.
bernie is pro Castro and pro cuba so you know that means he is pro oppression
VIVA FEDEL !!!
Fuck Miami too !!!!
No the fuck he is not. Congrats. On a post of dumb hot takes, you made the dumbest one of all.
Which slave is still alive to get reparations???
Can we just get the original Bomb Squad to assemble like Voltron one more time?
Be honest,when you went to a P.E. concert or listen to an album,and said”Boy,Flavor Flav is deep” ,nah.
EVERY. OTHER. POST.
I don’t care if you hate hip hop culture,
you love SOMETHING and NOBODY who loves this culture would post as much hate collectively as these trolls here do. It’s kinda funny because you really expect people to value your opinions on a “washed up” group? So y’all hate hip hop so much, you post about it. Just a bunch of racists low-key hating on a legacy you can do absolutely nothing about.
PE and Chuck D fan musically for the entire existence of PE. I would hope that an educated man (black or otherwise) would want a system that limits govt, enables citizens to protect themselves legally, and instills measures that allow citizens to move off of welfare. A Bernie govt., would do the opposite of those things – unAmerican
I agree with Flav with this one, I ain’t feelin the Bern either and beside Chuck D got nerve, Hip Hop is still the ENTERTAINMENT industry, you’re whole existence is singing and dancing for money no matter what the message is.
Don’t bother reading the comments. It’s full of Conservative trolls trying to pass off as hip hop heads.
Someone disagreeing with my opinion = Troll
a politician in his late seventies, fight the power, lol.
B Sanders wins we all goin down. Please be smart people
No we’re not. He’s proposing what basically every other industrialized nation on the face of the earth already does. But you keep trying to protect that kings gold there peasant. How’s that 401K after this last week?
You’re aware Bernie Sanders is a millionaire right? He is literally one of kings you’re describing in your little scenario. You really think this old rich man is gonna go against his wealthy friends so you can get free tuition and healthcare? Hahahahahahahaha!!!! You have much to learn little kid lol.
Wouldn’t anyone rather dance and get money than anything else?
Find your father and tell him the mistake he made