Flavor Flav sends cease and desist letter to Bernie Sanders campaign over campaign rally gig

While Chuck D was slated to perform at a Los Angeles rally for Bernie Sanders on Sunday night but his Public Enemy partner Flavor Flav did not want to be a part of it. 

Flavor Flav, 60, issued a cease and desist to Bernie Sanders’ campaign ahead of a the rally in Los Angeles featuring a performance by a version of Public Enemy.

Chuck D was slated to perform under the moniker Public Enemy Radio, which is comprised of Chuck D, DJ Lord, Jahi, and the S1Ws, which Flavor Flav is not a part of. 

The cease and desist order to the Sanders campaign was for ‘the unauthorized use of Flavor Flav’s likeness, image and trademarked clock in promotional materials circulated by the Sanders campaign.’ 

‘While Chuck is certainly free to express his political view as he sees fit — his voice alone does not speak for Public Enemy,’ reads an excerpt of the letter.

‘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 excerpt continues.

At the end of the letter, Flavor Flav added a hand-written note stating, ‘Hey Bernie, don’t do this!!’ 

Chuck D (real name: Carlton Ridenhour) added a pointed statement that seemed to indicate his partnership with Flavor Flav was coming to an end.

Flavor Flav (real name: William Drayton) has been in conflict with the group since 2017, when he sued Chuck D and the band’s management firm over unpaid royalties and merchandise profits. 

‘Flavor chooses to dance for his money and not do benevolent work like this. He has a year to get his act together and get himself straight or he’s out,’ Chuck D said.

Chuck D’s lawyer added, ‘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,’ he added.

Chuck D also fired a few shots at Flavor Flav on Twitter as well, stating, ‘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,’ Chuck D said.

‘FLAV refused to support @Sankofa (a social justice organization founded by Harry Belafonte) after @HarryBellafonte inducted us. He don’t do that,’ Chuck added.

‘So I don’t attack FLAV on what he don’t know. I gotta leave him at the crib so y’all trying to fill his persona with some political aplomb is absolutely‘stupid,’ he added.

‘Obviously I understand his craziness after all this damn time. Duh you don’t know him from a box of cigars or me either,’ the rapper concluded.