Public Enemy have dropped founding member Flavor Flav after more than 35 years.
The hip-hop group released a statement confirming the news, according to Rolling Stone, after the rapper, real name William Jonathan Drayton Jr., sent a cease-and-desist letter to Bernie Sanders.
The statement read, “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.”
Now, Flav is responding via Twitter.
The rapper shared his outrage at being dropped, tweeting that Chuck D is destroying “something we’ve built over 35 years over politics”, adding “I’m not your employee, I’m your partner. You can’t fire me.”
Adding he’s “very disappointed”, he also says he’s been clean for 10 years.
Chuck D insisted it wasn’t all about Sanders on Twitter, posting:
The news comes after Flav denounced Sanders’ March 1 rally in Los Angeles, which saw Chuck D perform.
Making it clear that he did not support the candidate, a letter from Flav’s attorney Matthew H. Friedman said: “We have become aware that Flavor’s bandmate and Public Enemy co-creator, Chuck D, has endorsed Bernie Sanders’ candidacy for President and plans to perform at an upcoming Sanders Rally.”
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“While Chuck is certainly free to express his political views as he sees fit—his voice alone does not speak for Public Enemy. 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.”
It continued: “To be clear Flav and, by extension, the Hall of Fame hip hop act Public Enemy with which his likeness and name have become synonymous has not endorsed any political candidate in this election cycle and any suggestion to the contrary is plainly untrue.
“Flav has always delivered his authentic self. That 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.”
