They brought a militant focus to their music and the group's persona, drawing heavy inspiration from the Black Panthers. Rubin liked what he heard, and in 1986, Public Enemy inked a deal with the producer.įrom the start, the hip-hop group's sound was unlike any other rap that had made its way on to the airwaves. It was an early demo that found its way to the offices of a new label, Def Jam Records, and its founder, Rick Rubin. By this time, the duo had started to work with the two others who would round out Public Enemy's lineup: Norman Rogers (Terminator X) and Richard Griffin (Professor Griff). Flav, who soon adopted his new moniker in honor of his graffiti tag, joined his friend on Chuck's hip-hop radio show at Adelphi University, where Chuck studied graphic design.Īfter Chuck graduated, the two aspiring musicians landed work delivering furniture in Chuck's father's U-Haul truck. His life seemed to bounce back when he met Carlton Ridenhour (who later became known as Chuck D). By the time Flav, who quit high school in the 11th grade, was well into his teens, he had already strung together several short jail stints for robbery and burglary. He got into petty theft, and as a young child, he accidentally burned his family's home down, the result of playing with lighters. However, Flav struggled to keep himself out of trouble. He also sang in the youth choir at his church. Music came easy to him, and he taught himself how to play piano, drums and guitar. Flav was raised in the working-class town of Freeport, Long Island, where his father owned a small restaurant called the Soul Diner.Īt an early age, Flav demonstrated that he was an intelligent but troubled child. on March 16, 1959, in Roosevelt, Long Island, New York. Early Lifeįlavor Flav was born William Jonathan Drayton Jr. Later, he became known for his work on multiple reality television series, including The Surreal Life, Strange Love and Flavor of Love. I want to be like that when I grow up.Flavor Flav is an American hip-hop artist who joined forces with Carlton Ridenhour (Chuck D), Norman Rogers (Terminator X) and Richard Griffin (Professor Griff) in the 1980s to launch the highly influential group Public Enemy. “Like, he’s the Black Hugh Hefner, baby! He gives me energy. “I thought it was actually pretty cool!” Drayton said of watching the show. While Brooks’s parents, Meredith and Seth Marks, have had their fair share of steamy moments on RHOSLC, Drayton’s rapper father didn’t hold back with the many women who pursued him on Flavor of Love‘s three seasons. That being said, it’s a bit of a different journey having to watch one or both of your parents being romantic in front of the cameras for all the world to see. Once I got over those first scene heebie-jeebies and nerves, I was like, ‘All right, when’s the next time we’re filming?'” At first I’m a little standoffish, but then 10 or 15 minutes later - I’ve got a big-ass mouth - everyone’s telling me to be quiet. “I have to feel out the room and feel out the vibes before I can just open up and be who I am. I’m going to be who I am regardless of if you like it,” Drayton said. “Growing up it was like, ‘That’s Flavor Flav’s daughter!’ But has given me the platform to be myself. Much like Brooks, who has been a mainstay on RHOSLC during its first two seasons, Drayton has also experienced reality TV from both sides of the equation having starred on Growing Up Hip Hop: New York herself.īoth of them were ultimately able to get accustomed to the cameras and to being recognized because of who their parents are in order to build personal brands of their own. Catch new episodes of “ Growing Up Reality With Brooks Marks” every Thursday on In The Know!Ĭoming of age with your parents on a reality show isn’t always easy, but it can also be fun once you get used to it.įor the latest episode of Growing Up Reality With Brooks Marks, the son of Real Housewives of Salt Lake City star Meredith Marks sits down with the daughter of former Flavor of Love icon Flavor Flav, Dazyna Drayton.
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