Flavor Flav Net Worth (Money & Salary)

What is Flavor Flav’s Net Worth?

Flavor Flav, an American rapper and reality television personality, boasts a net worth of $2 million. He is widely recognized for co-founding Public Enemy, which is one of music history’s most influential rap groups, boasting 14 studio albums and over 40 music videos. The group’s debut album, “Yo! Bum Rush the Show,” released in 1987, received critical acclaim, as did subsequent albums: “It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back” (1988), “Fear of a Black Planet” (1990), and “Apocalypse 91… The Enemy Strikes Black” (1991), all of which achieved Platinum status. Flavor Flav, often spotted with a large clock around his neck, has made significant contributions to reality TV, featuring in shows like VH1’s “The Surreal Life” (2004), “Strange Love” (2005), and “Flavor of Love” (2006-2008).

Flavor Flav / Ethan Miller/Getty Images

Early Life

William Jonathan Drayton, Jr., known as Flavor Flav, was born on March 16, 1959, in Roosevelt, New York. He was raised in Freeport, New York, alongside his mother Anna, restaurant-owner father William, brother Steven, and sister Jean. Flav began self-teaching himself piano at the age of 5, and also explored playing guitar and drums during his childhood. He participated in the church choir and attended Freeport High School but dropped out during his junior year. As a child, he inadvertently set his family’s house ablaze while playing with a lighter, and throughout his teenage years, he was arrested multiple times for burglary and robbery. In 1978, he chose to attend culinary school where he met Carlton Ridenhour (better known as Chuck D) at Adelphi University in Long Island, who invited him to feature on his college radio program. The two subsequently began collaborating on rap music, and Drayton adopted the stage name Flavor Flav.

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Career

In 1985, Flavor Flav and Chuck D established Public Enemy, releasing their breakout track “Public Enemy #1” a year later, which caught the eye of Rick Rubin, a Def Jam Records executive. They subsequently signed a contract with the label, leading to the debut album “Yo! Bum Rush the Show,” which was released on February 10, 1987, and received a Gold certification from the RIAA. Their second album, “It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back” in 1988, achieved Platinum status and soared to #1 on the “Billboard” Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart. Following that, they released 1990’s “Fear of a Black Planet,” which included the chart-topping “Fight the Power” and “911 Is a Joke” on the “Billboard” Hot Rap Songs chart. Since then, the group has produced 11 more albums, including “New Whirl Odor” (2005), “Rebirth of a Nation” (2006), and “The Evil Empire.

“Everything” (2012) marked their 15th album, while “What You Gonna Do When the Grid Goes Down?” was set for release in September 2020. In March 2020, a disagreement over a Bernie Sanders rally led the group to announce Flav’s exit from the band; however, Chuck D later clarified that this was a hoax.

In 1996, Flav launched a self-titled solo album and collaborated with various artists, including Anthrax, George Clinton, Ice Cube, Will Smith, and Snoop Dogg, among others. His reality television debut came in 2004 with “The Surreal Life,” where he began dating Danish actress Brigitte Nielsen. The following year, VH1 provided the couple with their own show, “Strange Love,” but Nielsen chose to end the relationship as the series concluded, deciding to return to her fiancé. Flav went on to host the dating series “Flavor of Love,” which aired for three seasons, and in 2007, he was featured as the guest of honor on the “Comedy Central Roast of Flavor Flav.” Throughout his career, Flav has appeared in various TV and film projects, including “New Jack City” (1991), “Private Parts” (1997), and “The Bernie Mac Show” (2004), as well as having recurring roles in “Under One Roof” (2008-2009), “Nite Tales: The Series” (2009), and “Dr. Fubalous” (2012). Additionally, he ran the restaurants Flav’s Fried Chicken, Flavor Flav’s House of Flavor, and Flavor Flav’s Chicken & Ribs.

(Photo by Jesse Grant/Getty Images Getty Images)

Personal Life

Flav is the father of three children with Karen Ross, another three with Angie Parker, and one with Elizabeth Trujillo. While engaged to Trujillo, he was simultaneously dating other women on “Flavor of Love,” with reports indicating they married sometime post-2013. In October 2012, he faced arrest for assaulting Liz and threatening her teenage son with a knife, which led the couple to appear on VH1’s “Couples Therapy” the following year. Additionally, in 2012, Parker sued Flav for the $111,186 he owed in child support; to avoid a six-month prison sentence, he paid her $25,000 in June and agreed to monthly payments of $1,200.

Throughout his life, Flav has dealt with addiction and legal troubles. Following a 1991 arrest for assaulting Ross, and subsequent arrests in 1993 related to cocaine, marijuana, domestic violence, and attempted murder, his family intervened, encouraging him to seek help at the Betty Ford Center. After losing his father in 1997, he sought further treatment at the Long Island Center for Recovery. Since then, Flav has faced multiple arrests, spending nine weeks in Rikers Island in 2002 for parking violations and driving with a suspended license, and accumulating driving-related arrests in 2011, 2014, and 2015, alongside having 16 suspensions at the time of his 2014 arrest.

Photo by Ethan

Miller/Getty Images

Awards and Nominations

Flavor Flav has received six Grammy nominations alongside Public Enemy: four in the category of Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group—specifically for “Fight the Power” in 1990, “Fear of a Black Planet” in 1991, “Apocalypse 91” in 1992, and “Greatest Misses” in 1993—one for Best Metal Performance for “Bring the Noise” with Anthrax in 1995, and one for Best Music Video – Long Form for “The Enemy Strikes Live” in 1993. In 2013, the group was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and it received a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 2020. Additionally, they have garnered nominations from the American Music Awards and the Soul Train Awards, winning Best Rap Album for “Apocalypse ’91” in 1992. For his role in “Flavor of Love,” Flav was nominated for Teen Choice Awards in 2006 for TV – Choice Reality Star (Male) and in 2007 for Choice TV: Male Reality/Variety Star.

Real Estate

In Las Vegas, Flav purchased a home measuring approximately 3,708 square feet for around $685,000 in 2008. This residence features four bedrooms and three bathrooms.