Rapper Flavor Flav Blasts Bernie Sanders for Using His Likeness for a ‘Fake Revolution’

NEW YORK, NY - JUNE 01: Flavor Flav performs during the YO! MTV Raps 30th Anniversary Live
Nicholas Hunt/Getty Images
Alana Mastrangelo

Rapper Flavor Flav sent a cease and desist letter to Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT), accusing the senator of using his likeness to mislead voters, and misusing Public Enemy’s music as “the soundtrack of a fake revolution.”

The cease and desist letter was sent to Sanders through Flavor Flav’s attorney Matthew H. Friedman after the rapper discovered that Chuck D had planned a “Public Enemy Radio” rally for the senator’s presidential campaign in Los Angeles on Sunday.

“While Chuck is certainly free to express his political view as he sees fit — his voice alone does not speak for Public Enemy,” states the letter from Flavor Flav to Sen. Sanders on Friday, according to a report by SPIN.

“The planned performance will only be Chuck D of Public Enemy, it will not be a performance by Public Enemy,” clarified the rapper in his letter. “Those who truly know what Public Enemy stands for  know what time it is, there is no Public Enemy without Flavor Flav.”

In his letter, the rapper went on to explain that “his likeness” has become synonymous with Public Enemy, and that he “has not endorsed any political candidate in this election cycle and any suggestion to the contrary is plainly untrue.”

Flavor Flav added that “the continued publicizing of this grossly misleading narrative is, at a minimum, careless and irresponsible if not intentionally misleading.”

The letter went on to affirm that Flavor Flav’s “authenticity compels him to speak out to ensure voters are not misled and that Public Enemy’s music does not become the soundtrack of a fake revolution.”

“The public Enemy Movement cannot allow its cultural identity, likeness and life’s work to be misappropriated by political operatives in support of a fictional revolution,” states the letter.

“It is unfortunate that a political campaign would be so careless with the artistic with the artistic integrity of such iconoclastic figures in American culture,” the letter continued.

“Sanders claims to represent [every man] not the man yet his grossly irresponsible handling of Chuck’s endorsement threatens to divide Public Enemy and, in doing so, forever silence one of our nation’s loudest and most enduring voices for social change,” the letter adds.

A handwritten note from Flavor Flav can be seen scrawled at the bottom of the cease and desist letter, which reads, “Hey Bernie, don’t do this.”

Chuck D reacted to the drama on Sunday, stating that he supports Sanders, even though he hates “the party [bullshit].”

“I dig aspects of Bern. Hate the party Bulsht,” tweeted Chuck D. “But can relate to half the issues & get forward. Use your minds & be ready to fight whoever in office.”

In a statement to HipHopDX, Chuck D went on to suggest that Flavor Flav would be fired from Public Enemy if he doesn’t “get his act together.”

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

You can follow Alana Mastrangelo on Twitter at @ARmastrangelo, and on Instagram.

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