With the 2024 Paris Olympics well under way, one of the surprising viral hits of the Games so far is Flavor Flav, who has become the US water polo team’s official hype man.
The Public Enemy co-founder has been making waves in France, giving motivational speeches to the US team and bringing the attention of the outside world to one of the Olympics’ lesser-known sports.
“This is quite an experience for me right now, you know, because the only time I’ve ever seen the Olympics was on TV,” Flav said about his new role. “You know what I’m saying? But I always wanted to see what it felt like being there.”
Flav got on board with the water polo team in May when team captain Maggie Steffens put out a call for financial support. The hip-hop icon responded, writing: “As a girl dad and supporter of all women’s sports – imma personally sponsor you my girl, whatever you need. And imma sponsor the whole team.”
He then signed a five-year sponsorship deal with the US women’s and men’s water polo teams, vowing to “elevate the visibility and excitement surrounding water polo in the United States”.
See some of Flavor Flav’s antics, including with Spike Lee and Dr. Jill Biden, below:
Took my brother Spike Lee to meet my girls of @USAWP
We Got Game
They Got Game
She Got Game
YEAH BOOYYYEEE,!!! #Olympics pic.twitter.com/0s3Sn2oAgT— FLAVOR FLAV (@FlavorFlav) July 29, 2024
FLAVOR FLAV reporting for Olympics coverage duty
I'll be on #OlympicHighlights with @KevinHart4real and @kenanthompson on @Peacock today! pic.twitter.com/hj1Rby05Rg
— FLAVOR FLAV (@FlavorFlav) July 30, 2024
Water Polo is HARDER THAN YOU THINK,!!!@MrChuckD @PublicEnemyFTP pic.twitter.com/G5tET717VC
— FLAVOR FLAV (@FlavorFlav) July 31, 2024
SO PROUD of my girls today,!!! They won 15-6,,, we in the mix,!!
Just wanted to shout out both @dawnstaley and @DrBiden @FLOTUS for coming by todays Women’s Water Polo game,,, we appreciate the support and attention they getting cuz these champions deserve it
#Olympics pic.twitter.com/tu7LzbBlsd
— FLAVOR FLAV (@FlavorFlav) July 27, 2024
What an amazing way to give back to extraordinary athletes! After hearing of how many Olympians work 2-3 jobs to achieve their dreams, Flavor Flav of Public Enemy jumped in to support, becoming the hype man & sponsor for Team USA’s Women's Water Polo Team!
: Newsweek/TikTok pic.twitter.com/CXSCPcvavj
— Ben Crump (@AttorneyCrump) July 29, 2024
He is far from the only US music star to make an impression at the Paris Games.
The US Olympic team were introduced in a promotional video at the start of the Games by Beyoncé. Dressed in a USA-branded white bodysuit, blue cowboy hat and white cowboy boots – in reference to her current country era with her new album ‘Cowboy Carter’ – Queen Bey hyped up several high-profile athletes, including Biles, sprinters Sha’Carri Richardson and Noah Lyles and swimmers Caeleb Dressel and Katie Ledecky. The video was soundtracked by her recent single ‘YA YA’.
“Get a look at America, y’all,” Beyoncé said in the video. “These hopes and dreams, these superstars that represent us. The people of this big, bold, beautiful, complicated nation. All rooting together for them.”
She added: “That pride and that joy? That’s what gets me about this team. And that’s what makes me believe in this team. And that’s why I can’t wait to see what they pull off over these next 16 days. America, give it up for Team U.S.A., the very best of who we are. What a vision to behold. What a team to believe in. What a night to celebrate.”
The Paris Olympics kicked off on Friday (July 26) with a divisive opening ceremony that included performances from a showstopping Celine Dion, a pre-recorded Lady Gaga and a history-making Gojira.
Since then, Taylor Swift has reacted to her track ‘…Ready For It?’ being used in an NBC advert for the Games. “So ready to scream at my TV cheering for these athletes,” she wrote.
Simone Biles’ women’s gymnastics team also celebrated their artistic team all-around event gold by lip-syncing to Kanye West’s famous 2005 Grammy speech.
Snoop Dogg, meanwhile, has been making his presence felt at the Games, carrying the torch through Paris and taking swimming lessons from the 23-time gold medallist Michael Phelps.
Flavor Flav, meanwhile, has outed himself as a Swiftie this year, announced a new reality show where he will earn his high school diploma, and ordered an entire red lobster menu to save a seafood restaurant.
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