Remember when Chuck D and Flavor Flav of Public Enemy were going back and forth over the former's support of Bernie Sanders?
Well, it was all a hoax that was somehow inspired by Orson Welles' 1938 "The War of the Worlds" radio broadcast. Oh, and Enemy Radio, which consists of Chuck D, DJ Lord, Jahi and the S1Ws, have a new single ("Food As a Machine Gun") and album (Loud Is Not Enough) to promote. Flavor Flav is featured on the album's "Food As a Machine Gun" track, which you can listen to above. You can also listen to Loud Is Not Enough over on streaming platforms like Apple Music and Spotify.
"So it's April 1, 2020 and as we hoard food and empty store shelves, Chuck D and Flavor Flav hijack it as April 'FlavChuck' Day to end the HOAX with Enemy Radio's new song, 'FOOD AS A MACHINE GUN.' 'Don't Believe The Hype' 2020 style" Chuck D said in a statement for the new single and album. "That's right, this is Enemy Radio featuring Public Enemy, with more around the corner: Enemy Radio's debut album, 'LOUD IS NOT ENOUGH,' is here. 'FOOD AS A MACHINE GUN' is the first taste, an attack on the food industrial machine that opens minds to the direct need, dependency and necessity - yet killer - of our current lives, taking inspiration from Kristin Lawless and her book, 'Formerly Known As Food.'"
Chuck continued, "Does it take doing crazy sht or catastrophe to wake people up? Obviously so, even when paying attention is the cheapest price to pay. So if you got that in your wallet, Enemy Radio is serving up ‘FOOD AS A MACHINE GUN.’"
The hoax all began after it was announced that Public Enemy would be performing at a rally for Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders in Los Angeles. Soon after the announcement, Flavor let it be known that he wasn't down with the Vermont Senator.
"While Chuck is certainly free to express his political views as he sees fit -- his voice alone does not speak for Public Enemy," Flavor Flav's lawyer Matthew H. Friedman wrote in what can now be classified as a fake cease and desist letter that was sent back in February. "Sanders claims to represent everyman not the man yet his grossly irresponsible handling of Chuck’s endorsement threatens to divide Public Enemy and, in so doing, forever silence one of our nation’s loudest and most enduring voices for social change," the letter continued.
Chuck D fired back in a series of tweets in which he said Flavor didn't "know the difference between Barry Sanders or Bernie Sanders."
So I don’t attack FLAV on what he don’t know. I gotta leave him at the crib so y’all trying to fill his persona with some political aplomb is absolutely‘stupid’ Obviously I understand his craziness after all this damn time. Duh you don’t know him from a box of cigars or me either
Then, a statement was released announcing that Flavor was being kicked out of the group. "Public Enemy and Public Enemy Radio will be moving forward without Flavor Flav," the group said in March. "We thank him for his years of service and wish him well." For what it's worth, the promotional seed for Enemy Radio's upcoming album was planted in the aforementioned statement.
And .@MrChuckD,,,i didn't sue you on Friday,,,i asked the @berniesanders campaign to correct misleading marketing,,,that's all it was,,,I'm not your employee,,,i'm your partner,,,you can't fire me,,,there is no Public Enemy without Flavor Flav,,,so let's get it right Chuck,,,
Chuck D also sat down with Talib Kweli on the People’s Party podcast to talk about the whole thing. "I'm not saying it's a hoax," Chuck said during the interview. "I'm saying the original intention was to get your attention."
You can check that out below.
But despite what Chuck D claims, Flavor Flav tweeted Wednesday that he's not part of any hoax, and asked people to donate to those in need.
