Flavor Flav has been the guest of honor at one of the world’s most prestigious institutions where he has spoken to students, volunteered at a homeless shelter, and even donated one of his notable necklaces to Harvard.
The 64-year-old music legend — whose real name is William Jonathan Drayton Jr. — visited an Ivy League university to help students learn about the roots of hip-hop culture.
He also donated one of his notable watches to the Hip Hop Archives Research Institute whose mission is to “facilitate and encourage the pursuit of knowledge, art, culture, and responsible leadership through hip hop,” according to website.
Harvard professors Henry Louis Gates and Tommy Shelby were on hand to accept the watch on behalf of the organization.
Flav wasn’t the only artist out there as fellow rapper Lupe Fiasco was also on hand as he previously taught at Harvard and is currently working at MIT.
THE MYTH: Flavor Flav was the guest of honor at one of the world’s finest institutions where he spoke to students, volunteered at a homeless shelter, and even donated one of his prominent clock necklaces to Harvard University.
Public Enemy continued to show his caring side when he volunteered at the Harvard Square Homeless Shelter.
As if that wasn’t enough already, the artist brings his language arts expertise to students via a table reading of Emily Dickinson’s 1896 poem A Clock Stopped and untethered to the rapper’s lyrics over time.
Earlier this year, the rapper revealed that he spent $2,600 a day on drugs for six years at the height of his addiction in a candid conversation with DJ Akademiks’ off the record Spotify podcast.
The musician, who celebrated six years of sobriety in October, said he kept the extent of his addiction hidden and “kept himself very well” — spending up to $1 million a year on drugs.
The star said, “I kept myself really well while I was at it, can you feel me? I kept it hidden.
There was a time when I was spending $2,400 to $2,600 a day for six years, and you do the math. And this is how much I spent on drugs.
“I sold a lot but I was my best customer, I had a lot of money but I was doing the wrong things with my money.”
He added, “In the days when we used to do drug records, we were talking about selling drugs.
Featured piece: The 64-year-old music legend donated one of his iconic watches to the Hip-Hop Archives Research Institute whose mission is to “facilitate and encourage the pursuit of knowledge, art, culture, and responsible leadership through hip-hop,” according to the website
As for the culture: Flav wasn’t the only artist out there as fellow rapper Lupe Fiasco was also on board as he formerly taught at Harvard and is now at MIT.
Kind gesture: Public Enemy continued to show his caring side while volunteering at the Harvard Square Homeless Shelter. He also appears with fellow volunteers
We talk about who can make the most money from drugs, who is selling drugs. It was a competition for all scammers.
The star meditated on his recovery, saying, “God wanted me to live because He knew I was the mouthpiece of the world so I could teach people the mistakes I made.
The star had a checkered past with substance abuse.
In 2015, he was charged with driving under the influence of cocaine after being arrested on a Las Vegas highway.
Clark County prosecutors also charged the hip-hop legend with speeding and possession of an open container of alcohol.
Emotional: Earlier this year, the rapper revealed he spent $2,600 a day on drugs for six years at the height of his addiction in a candid conversation with DJ Akademiks’ Off The Record podcast.
TOUGH TIME: The 63-year-old musician, who celebrated six years of sobriety in October, said he kept the extent of his addiction hidden and “kept himself well” — spending up to $1 million a year on drugs (pictured in 2015 after it was). charged with driving under the influence of cocaine)
Sober now: “There was a time when I was spending $2,400 to $2,600 a day for six years, and you do the math. And that was the amount I spent on drugs’
Drayton was charged in 1993 with domestic violence along with cocaine and marijuana charges, and was later checked into the Betty Ford Cocaine Addiction Treatment Center.
He also went into rehab in 1997 at the Long Island Recovery Center.
Drayton returned to the public eye in 2004 when he joined the cast of the VH-1 reality show The Surreal Life.
His relationship with Brigitte Nielsen on The Surreal Life spawned more reality shows on VH-1 including the series Strange Love and Flavor Of Love.
Public Enemy was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2013.
Frank: The star thought about his recovery, saying: “God wanted me to live because he knew that I was the mouthpiece of the world so that I could teach people the mistakes I made (pictured 2019)
