You're suggesting we venture into the troubled alt universe that is the life of former Public Enemy hip hop jester, time-keeper, crackhead, school-bus driver, courthouse cook, reality star, convicted felon, wrestling host, PlayStation character, vodka promoter, and restaurateur Flavor Flav? Must we? Oh, alright: "Planet Flav" is nothing if not colorful.
Now a Las Vegas resident, 54-year-old William Jonathan Drayton, Jr. had disappeared from the public eye for a few years before resurfacing in VH1's "The Surreal Life" back in 2005, which spawned one of the most unlikely-ever romances when the 5'8" gold-toothed rapper apparently became the beau of ex-Mrs Sylvester Stallone and scary Nordic giantess, Brigitte Nielsen.
In 2009 Flav hosted an album-launch party at Studio 54, which is the first record we could trace of his burgeoning relationship with Las Vegas. The following year he hit the headlines here when his car hit someone else's, then in 2011 came an announcement that Flavor Flav planned to open a branch of his Iowa-based fried-chicken restaurant at the Riviera. Ten days after this news, however, came word that the parent restaurant, which was run by a partner who used Flav's own secret recipe, had closed amid accusations (from Flav) of expired potato salad and (from his erstwhile partner), of financially crippling demands by the rapper to change out the frying oil every hour.
Flav remained buoyant, however, touting ongoing plans to launch some kind of "entertainment complex" in Sin City.
What transpired next was the launch of "LeFLAV STRAIGHT UP" 80-proof premium vodka, with a party at the former Las Vegas Hilton. By 2012, the restaurant plan was back on the drawing board and on March 16 of that year (which happens to be his birthday), House of Flav debuted at the address that was formerly home to the legendary Capozolli's Italian joint in a strip mall on Maryland Parkway, which somewhat inauspiciously had burned to the ground in 2007.
Specializing in soul food, with a menu featuring various fried-chicken dishes and its owner's signature red velvet waffle, reviews were nothing if not mixed. While the proprietor, who was often in da house, was praised by patrons for his charm and generosity, we've seen the fare both praised as "the BEST fried chicken I've ever had!" and "absolutely and utterly remarkable," while also damned as "like eating iodized salt with a crispy skin." There were frequent complaints about over-pricing, patchy service, long waits, and limited and underwhelming side dishes. Long-time R-J restaurant critic Heidi Knapp Rinella decried, with irony, how House of Flava "is woefully short of flavor," with "pasty" mac & cheese and unseasoned coleslaw. "Our meals also came with cups of Tabasco-esque hot sauce, so maybe that's supposed to be the source of the flavor, but if so, somebody doesn't get it," she complained.
It was thus of little surprise when news broke the following September that the restaurant, already challenged by its location in a distinctly dubious neighborhood, had closed. The undaunted Flav was evidently still bitten by the restaurant bug, however, and launched one last fried-chicken venture, this time in Sterling Heights, Michigan. But in June 2013 gossip site TMZ reported that the venue, which also served ribs, had been shut down for good by the police, citing rental-payment debts of $20,000. These weren't Flav's only financial woes around this time, either: The previous year the IRS announced that the rapper owed them close to $1 million in back taxes.
In a rare musical interlude, in November 2012 Public Enemy played the Las Vegas Strip, but (regrettably, since the current writer is actually a fan) we didn't learn about this until well after the event, not least because the venue -- db's Pool & Pong -- was and remains so enigmatic that we had no idea of its existence inside the Miracle Mile Shops at Planet Hollywood. We did feel somewhat vindidated in our ignorance when we subsequently read that the official blog of Caesars Entertainment, owner of Planet Hollywood, had no clue about its new secret venue or when it had opened, either.
In October of 2013, Flavor Flav was back in the headlines for all the wrong reasons once again, when he was jailed in Las Vegas for felony and misdemeanor charges following an argument with his fiancee that apparently saw the diminutive rapper threatening to attack her 17-year-old son with a knife. Then, in January of this year, he was arrested yet again, this time in Nassau County, New York, when he was caught speeding on the way to his mother's funeral. Flav was charged with felony aggravated unlicensed operation of a vehicle and criminal possession of marijuana. He was also cited for speeding, having already accumulated no less than 16 license suspensions during his less-than-illustrious driving career.
We're not sure what the outcome of those charges will be, but William Drayton has pleaded not guilty to the Las Vegas charges and is currently free on bond pending a trial slated for April 28 in Nevada state court. If found guilty of felony assault with a deadly weapon and child endangerment with a weapon, it could get him up to 12 years in prison, but we understand a plea agreement is currently under discussion which would avoid trial. Keep an eye on "Today's News" nearer the time for updates.
