New York, NY (Top40 Charts/ Flavor Flav Official Website) Born
William Johnathan Drayton in Long Island, NY, Flavor Flav is now acknowledged as the greatest hype man ever - inventing the role as a member of the ground-breaking rap group Public Enemy. Known for his unique persona and flamboyant style, Flav has created slangs, sayings and styles that make him one of the most-sampled voices in music, as well as one of the most well-known celebrities in America. His television series have shattered records for viewers of reality television, especially Flavor of Love, a spinoff of The Bachelor. While he spent most of the 1990's addicted to crack cocaine, he has since cleaned up his life.
Flav signed with publishing mogul Farrah Gray to promote Flavor Flav: Icon that takes readers on a journey into the truth behind his larger-than-life image - revealing all and sparing no one. Flav exposes the tensions within Public Enemy, his bitterness over his treatment by Def Jam Records, his struggles with addiction and the many visits to both rehab and jail, before re-inventing himself in reality television as VH1's most eligible - and most watched - bachelor.
Flav holds back nothing in sharing his experiences with other hip hop royalty - from Jam Master J to LL Cool J to Run DMC, and lashes out at critics who lambast him as little more than a 'clown.'
Told with the gritty, compassionate and often-hilarious style that has made him a legend, his memoir is a thrill ride from the heights of stardom to the depths of despair and back again. Fans get to share not only Flav's unique perspective on music and reality TV, but will learn more about the man himself; an accomplished musician proficient in fifteen instruments, an experienced chef, an avid bowler, and a deeply spiritual human being.
This media magnet attracts fans from around the world in every age group- from his older Public Enemy following in the late 80's to early 90's, to his millions of younger fans who know him from his appearances on The Surreal Life, Strange Love and Flavor of Love. In fact, the 2006 season two finale of Flavor of Love grossed 7.5 million viewers - the highest ever in the existence of the VH1 network!
This father of seven openly admits 'I've been down some pretty dark holes - but somehow I always found the strength to climb back out of them.' In his book, Flav shares not only his struggles but the lessons he learned that changed his life and set him on a new path. Adorned with his signature clock, glasses, hats, and gold-rimmed teeth, Flavor Flav is one of the most recognized faces in America today.
