Rapper and reality television star Flavor Flav has accumulated a net worth of $2 million over the course of his career. He is renowned for co-founding the groundbreaking hip-hop group, Public Enemy. The band has released 14 studio albums, along with 40 music videos, and several of their albums have earned Platinum certification. Flavor Flav is known for wearing a giant clock around his neck, and he has been a prominent figure on various VH1 reality TV series such as “The Surreal Life,” “Strange Love,” and “Flavor of Love” (2006-2008). Flavor Flav Net Worth
| Category |
Richest Celebrities › Rappers |
| Birth Date | Mar 16, 1959 (63 years old) |
| Birth Place | Roosevelt |
| Profession | Musician, Actor, Rapper, TV Personality, Composer, Restaurateur, Television producer, Voice Actor |
| Height | 5 ft 6 in (1.7 m) |
| Net Worth | $2 Million |
Early Life
Jonathan Drayton, Jr., born on March 16th, 1959 in Roosevelt, New York, spent his childhood in Freeport. His mother, Anna, father, William (a restaurant owner), brother Steven, and sister Jean all had a part in shaping him as a young boy.
Drayton discovered music early on and began to play piano, guitar, and drums, while singing in the church choir. He was attending Freeport High School when he made the decision to drop out during his junior year.
Tragedy struck the family in childhood when William set the family’s home on fire while playing with a lighter. He then went on to have multiple arrests in his teenage years for burglary and robbery.
After these setbacks, in 1978 he decided to pursue a career in culinary school, where he met his now long-time collaborator Carlton Ridenhour (Chuck D). It was here that he first went by his now-famous stage name, Flavor Flav.
Creer
Public Enemy, formed in 1985 by Chuck D and Flavor Flav, became renowned after releasing the track “Public Enemy #1” the next year. Rick Rubin, from Def Jam Records, noticed their work and gave them a record deal. Subsequently, their debut album, “Yo!
Bum Rush the Show,” went Gold and their follow-up, “It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back,” made it to the top of the “Billboard” Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart and went Platinum.
Additionally, “Fear of a Black Planet,” released in 1990, had two “Billboard” Hot Rap Songs singles, “Fight the Power” and “911 Is a Joke,” both of which were #1. Afterwards, Public Enemy has dropped 11 more albums, the last being “What You Gonna Do When the Grid Goes Down?”
which will be out in September 2020. Recently, in March 2020, the band announced that Flavor Flav had been kicked out due to a dispute about a Bernie Sanders rally, although Chuck D later stated it was a joke.
In 1996, Flavor Flav released his self-titled debut solo album and featured as a guest on songs by prominent artists such as Anthrax, George Clinton, Ice Cube, Will Smith, and Snoop Dogg. The following year, the artist became part of the cast of reality show The Surreal Life, where he developed a romance with Brigitte Nielsen.
This then resulted in the couple’s own spin-off series Strange Love, which was cancelled when Nielsen decided to rekindle her relationship with her fiancé. Flavor Flav next appeared on dating show Flavor of Love, airing for three seasons. 2007 saw him star as the honored guest of Comedy Central’s Flavor Flav Roast.
The artist has been featured in a number of films and television series, like New Jack City, Private Parts, and The Bernie Mac Show, while also playing recurring roles on Under One Roof, Nite Tales: The Series, and Dr. Fubalous. He additionally owned the restaurants Flav’s Fried Chicken, Flavor Flav’s House of Flavor, and Flavor Flav’s Chicken & Ribs.
Personal Life
Flav had three offspring with Karen Ross, three with Angie Parker, and one with Elizabeth Trujillo. While being featured on “Flavor of Love”, he had an ongoing romance with Trujillo and supposedly married her in the wake of 2013. In October 2012, Flav was detained for menacing Trujillo’s teenage son with a blade and also physically attacking her.
A year later, they both featured on VH1’s “Couples Therapy”. To repay the $111,186 that Flav owed for child support, Parker dragged him to court in 2012. Consequently, he gave Angie a $25,000 settlement in June and agreed to pay $1,200 each month.
Throughout his life, Flav has battled substance addiction and encountered numerous legal issues. In 1991, he was arrested for assaulting Ross and three years later, he was taken into custody again for possession of cocaine, marijuana, domestic violence, and attempted murder.
Upon learning this, his family intervened and managed to convince him to receive professional help from the Betty Ford Center. In 1997, when his father passed away, Flav opted to receive additional assistance from the Long Island Center for Recovery.
Subsequently, he was apprehended a number of times and spent nine weeks at Rikers Island for not paying parking tickets and driving with an invalid license in 2002. Three years after, and again in 2015, he was apprehended for various driving offences. At the time of his 2014 arrest, Flav had an incredible 16 driving license suspensions.
Awards and Nominations
Public Enemy, led by Flavor Flav, has achieved impressive awards recognition. They have earned six Grammy nominations for Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group, Best Metal Performance, and Best Music Video – Long Form, among others. In 2013, the group was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and were given a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 2020.
They also had American Music Awards and Soul Train Awards nominations, taking home the latter’s Best Rap Album for “Apocalypse ’91” in 1992. As for Flav, he earned two Teen Choice Award nominations for TV – Choice Reality Star (Male) and Choice TV: Male Reality/Variety Star, both in 2006 and 2007, respectively, thanks to his work on “Flavor of Love.”
Real Estate
In 2008, Flav made an investment of roughly $685,000 to purchase a luxurious home in Las Vegas with a size of 3,708 square feet. It offers four bedrooms and three bathrooms, creating the perfect living space.