Following days of back-and-forth over their participation at a rally for Bernie Sanders, Public Enemy and Public Enemy Radio have issued a statement that Flavor Flav is out of the group.
“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,” a statement from the group’s rep read. Flav had been with the group since meeting Chuck D. at Adelphi University in Long Island in the mid-1980s.
Additionally, the statement said that Public Enemy Radio is “taking it back to hip hop’s original DJ-and-turntablist foundation,” and confirmed that Chuck D, DJ Lord, Jahi and the S1Ws are participating in the group.
Public Enemy Radio will be releasing a new album, titled Loud is Not Enough, in April.
On Friday, Flavor Flav sent a cease and desist letter to the Sanders campaign, accusing them of using the Public Enemy name and “likeness, image and trademarked clock in promotional materials” without his permission.
Prior to Public Enemy’s statement, Flavor Flav issued one of his own:
“Chuck and I were blessed to build something that wasn’t a dictatorship it was a movement based on the way we lived in our neighborhood and what we faced in our community…we faced poverty and violence and we were ignored by our government and the media – all we were left with was family. I don’t want our family and our movement broken up.
“I am a little worried about my partner Chuck, I hope he is ok and that Public Enemy can get back to doing the good works we have done for 30 years…not for money but for people like me who have been denied their rights to participate because of bullshit policies.
“To be clear I support any alternative to Trump and just wish Sanders clarified his misleading marketing which caused these problems.
“I have nothing personal against Bernie but I have issues with how he and his people have handled this.”
Earlier on Sunday, Chuck D. addressed the issue in a series of tweets, including saying “…last final note the last final note was my last straw was long ago. It’s not about BERNIE with Flav… he don’t know the difference between BarrySanders or BernieSanders he don’t know either. FLAV refused to support @Sankofa after @harrybelafonte inducted us. He don’t do that.”
Chuck D. elaborated on that in a series of tweets following the performance at the Sanders rally, which you can see below:
Spoke @BernieSanders rally with @EnemyRadio. If there was a $bag, Flav would’ve been there front & center. He will NOT do free benefit shows. Sued me in court the 1st time I let him back in. His ambulance lawyer sued me again on Friday & so now he stays home & better find REHAB
— Chuck D (@MrChuckD) March 2, 2020
I heard I’m trending, like I care . I built @EnemyRadioRS so it does benefits & fundraisers … He said he never gonna do them. So his refusal to do @HarryBelafonte #ManyRiversFestival in Atlanta 2016 was my last time. I built Enemy Radio to get far away from that ridiculousness.
— Chuck D (@MrChuckD) March 2, 2020
93yr old @harrybelafonte could bust his ass come 3000 mls to present PublicEnemy its @rockhall induction 2013 ( many still are clueless on) &anyone feel that they cannot give a ounce of time to reciprocate that honor to his @Sankofa fundraiser-to judge a Bikini $how. #Ungrateful
— Chuck D (@MrChuckD) March 2, 2020
Following the dismissal, SPIN received the following comment from Flavor Flav’s lawyer:
“Flav reached out in the interest of unity supporting Chuck’s right to speak his mind but without unnecessarily misleading the public. Unfortunately, for the time being, Chuck has opted to fire off an increasingly unhinged series of tweets. Including one where Chuck regards Flav as property (a car) he can park until he is ready to use him again. Now Chuck has opted to break up Public Enemy and fracture the movement more than three decades in the making to “move forward” with Public Enemy RADIO.
“Chuck may own the name Public Enemy but all you had to do was look at the masses of clock wearing fans pouring out of the Rally when Public Enemy RADIO started to play to know that there is no Public Enemy without Flavor Flav.”
