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Tag: public enemy

  • Flavor Flav Cited for Illegal Fireworks

    Flavor Flav Cited for Illegal Fireworks

    Rapper and reality star Flavor Flav was cited by police Friday at his Las Vegas home, just as he began his annual fireworks show. Flav had been launching thousands of dollars worth of illegal fireworks for his fourth of July event since 2009, though this year his neighbors’ complaints were heard, and authorities confiscated over 100 pounds of illegal fireworks.

    Las Vegas Police Lt. Ken Romaine said that Flavor, born William Jonathan Drayton, Jr., was issued two fireworks-related citations. Flavor commented that his neighbors won’t have to worry about the fireworks event next year, as he’s moving it away from the neighborhood. He added that he doesn’t want to go to jail over fireworks, and that his roughly 110 guests were “having a ball” before police shut the party down.

    Here is a clip from Flav’s 2013 fireworks show:

    Flavor rose to fame as a member of the mainstream hip-hop group Public Enemy. He is also known for making the role of the “hype man” popular, by yelling “Yeah boy!” and “Flavor Flav!” during performances. When Rick Rubin initially signed Public Enemy in 1984, he didn’t fully understand Flavor Flav’s role in the group, and wanted to sign Chuck D as a solo act. Chuck D wasn’t having this, and Flav remained on as his comic foil, offsetting Chuck D’s more serious and political charged themes with relative silliness.

    Flavor Flav displays his skills as a hype man in Public Enemy’s “Can’t Truss It” from 1991:

    Flavor Flav picked up a misdemeanor charge in April over a domestic violence incident involving his stepson in 2012. He was originally looking at a felony, but struck a deal to complete counseling by August. The fireworks citations should not affect his ongoing legal issues, according to his attorney Kristina Wildeveld. “The rapper wasn’t ordered to stay out of trouble, he only has to complete the classes, which he is doing,” she said, adding, “Flav really loves America. There was no intention ever to hurt anyone.”

    Image via Wikimedia Commons

  • Flavor Flav Enters Guilty Plea To Domestic Violence Charges

    Rapper and reality TV star, Flavor Flav, pleaded guilty to a domestic violence charge in Las Vegas. The 55-year-old was sentenced to counseling and probation.

    Flavor Flav, whose real name is William Jonathan Drayton Jr., admitted to pulling a knife on the son of his longtime girlfriend in 2012. According to the teen’s testimony, Drayton made threats to kill him and chased him into a bedroom. The rapper then stabbed the knife through a door.

    Since the event, the family has been going through counseling sessions and has talked through their differences.

    Drayton was facing charges that could have had him spend 12 years in prison. His guilty plea resulted in reduced charges. He was also given due credit for spending time in jail after he was arrested, said Tess Driver, the spokeswoman for the Nevada district attorney.

    “I love my son and my son loves me, too,” the rapper said in court.

    Both Drayton’s girlfriend and her son, who is now 18-years-old, were not present in court.

    Drayton is also facing another case for driving without a license and speeding in New York while he was on his way to his mother’s funeral. He was arrested on January 9. Defense attorney Kristina Wildeveld said that the rapper is in the process of resolving that case by paying fines.

    “I’m standing here in front of the camera, not behind bars,” Drayton said in front of the cameras after exiting the courthouse.

    According to the judge, Drayton could spend a year in county jail if he ever violates the agreement in the domestic violence case. He will be appearing in court on August 18 when he completes his counseling sessions.

    Drayton has been touring with the group Public Enemy since he was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame last year.

    Image via YouTube

  • Flavor Flav Speeding Case Postponed

    Rapper Flavor Flav must return to his native New York City to address charges in his speeding case, which has been postponed until May 16, his lawyer said Tuesday.

    The reality TV star appeared in a Nassau County court Tuesday to face charges from an arrest on Jan. 9, but the case was postponed.

    According to police, Flav, whose real name is William Drayton, was speeding and driving without a license, which is a felony, on the Meadowbrook Parkway on Long Island on the way to his mother’s funeral.

    Drayton, 55, told reporters as he entered a Nassau County courtroom on Tuesday that he hoped to resolve the case. Drayton said that flights from Las Vegas, where he currently resides, to New York City were costly.

    His attorney, Indji Bessim, says the case was postponed to May 16.

    Drayton also faces felony assault and other charges in Las Vegas after allegedly threatening his longtime girlfriend’s teenage son. He is accused of “pushing his fiancee to the floor and wielding two knives as he chased and threatened her 17-year-old son during an argument.” His official charges in that case include assault with a deadly weapon and misdemeanor domestic violence. Although that case has not yet been resolved, court costs continue to rise for the Drayton.

    The entertainer will continue to fight the speeding charges. In 2002 and 2011, he was arrested for driving with a suspended license.

    Drayton’s mother, Anna Drayton, died Dec. 31, 2013. The rapper was allowed him to attend the January 9th funeral, despite his arrest.

    Image via Wikimedia Commons

  • Flavor Flav’s Speeding Cased Postponed

    Flavor Flav’s Speeding Cased Postponed

    William Jonathan Drayton, Jr., better known by his stage name Flavor Flav, appeared in a Mineola, New York courtroom Tuesday, where a judge postponed a criminal speeding case against the rapper, after he was pulled over on a Long Island parkway as he was en route to his mother’s funeral in January.

    Flav, 54, plead not guilty to a felony charge of aggravated unlicensed operation of a motor vehicle, a speeding violation and marijuana possession. While removing his signature clock chain to pass through courthouse metal detectors, the reality television star told reporters he’s, “Just trying to get this over with as fast as possible so I can get back to my life in Vegas.”

    Flavor rose to fame as a member of the mainstream hip-hop group Public Enemy. He is also known for making the role of the “hype man” popular, by yelling “Yeah boy!” and “Flavor Flav!” during performances. When Rick Rubin initially signed Public Enemy in 1984, he didn’t fully understand Flavor Flav’s role in the group, and wanted to sign Chuck D as a solo act. Chuck D wasn’t having this, and Flav remained on as his comic foil, offsetting Chuck D’s more serious and political charged themes with relative silliness.

    Flavor Flav displays his skills as a hype man in Public Enemy’s “Can’t Truss It” from 1991:

    Flav had 16 license suspensions at the time he was pulled over on January 9th, while doing 79 in a 55 mph speed zone on the Meadowbrook State Parkway. Concerning the 16 license suspensions, Drayton’s lawyer, Indji Bessim, commented, “We’re still conferencing the matter,” and added that she had “no idea” if Flav would change his present plea.

    Drayton, who will be back in Nassau County Court in Mineola on May 16, commented, “Hopefully, by my next court date, we can get this thing resolved,” while complaining of the price of plane tickets from Las Vegas to New York.

    Image via Wikimedia Commons

  • Sinaloa Cartel Boss Joaquin ‘El Chapo’ Guzman Arrested

    Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman, the head honcho of the Sinaloa Cartel, was finally arrested on Saturday February 22. The Mexican cartel is famous for trafficking drugs into the United States, Europe, Asia, and even Australia. Last year, Chicago declared Guzman as Public Enemy Number One. The United States had sought Guzman’s extradition in the past, and had offered $5 million bounty on the drug lord’s head.

    Guzman was captured in a surprise raid on a hotel in a beach resort in Mazatlán, Mexico. The joint operation of the Mexican marines and the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) was the peaceful implementation—no shots were fired—of a plan that has been in the works for more than a month.

    Months before Guzman’s capture, the Mexican authorities have been capturing and killing many of the cartel’s lieutenants. The operations gave the DEA and the Mexican authorities the information they needed to track down Guzman. The information leading to the capture comes from an investigation conducted by the Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency, which, together with Homeland Security, arrested people connected to the Sinaloa Cartel around five years ago in Arizona.

    Mexico Attorney General Jesus Murillo Karam stated that the authorities almost arrested Guzman earlier this month, but the cartel chief eluded capture by using a complex tunnel network that was linked to the city of Culiacan’s sewer system.

    The seven residences believed to be Guzman’s hiding places were raided by the Mexican marines, but the entrances were reinforced with steel, enabling the drug boss to escape through the tunnels. The underground tunnel system is used by the cartel to smuggle drugs across the border.

    The authorities were also careful about apprehending Guzman in public areas, fearing citizens might be caught in crossfire.

    Guzman was previously arrested, but in 2001 was able to bribe his way out of his high-security prison, reportedly escaping in a laundry truck. Throughout the years, he was able to avoid capture by bribing corrupt officials.

    http://youtu.be/Cz6RF26Fgws

    Image via YouTube