Flavor (William Drayton) was born in Roosevelt, Long Island, NY during 1959. Flava was encouraged early to learn and excel in music. As a child, he was classically trained in piano and learned how to also play the guitar and drums.
During the 80s, Flava joined the rap group Public Enemy The experience helped to create his trademarks (a large clock hanging from around his neck, a Viking helmet, gold teeth, and the catch phrase "Yea Boy!"). Eventually he left Public Enemy, trying his luck at a solo music career.
The solo dreams never took off and he was arrested often for drug charged (in 1996 he was arrested for the possession of two pounds of marijuana). In 1997, he overdosed and checked into rehab; he has been sober ever since.
Flava's career did pick up eventually when he was hired to be on the reality show The Surreal Life. Followed by Strange Love and later, the relationship reality hit Flavor of Love.
Flavor of Love went through three complete seasons and led to a spin off called I Love New York (starring Tiffany Pollard AKA New York).
There has been claims from reliable sources that Flava was actually engaged before the final season of Flavor of Love even began, but since he had already spent the check fromVH1, he filmed the third season anyway.
Flavor Flav has a large family of seven children that span three mothers: Shaniq, Kwan, Karen, Da'zyna, Kayla, William, and Karma (Karma is by his fiancée, Liz). In addition, he has two grandchildren.
