Public Enemy‘s Chuck D has said that Flavor Flav’s recent sacking from the group was an elaborate hoax to help promote a new album from his Enemy Radio project.
Flav was dumped from the iconic rap group last month after he presented a cease and desist letter to Bernie Sanders, which blocked his presidential campaign from using the Public Enemy name.
It came ahead of a Sanders rally in Los Angeles which featured a performance from Chuck D.
However, Chuck has now confirmed that the whole hoax was a bid to generate interest around new Enemy Radio album ‘Loud Is Not Enough’, which arrived last night and features a single with both Chuck and Flav called ‘Food As a Machine Gun.’
In a new interview with Talib Kweli on the podcast People’s Party, Chuck said he was inspired by Orson Welles’ infamous War of the Worlds hoax.
“We felt that over the past few years, Flavor’s stock was low,” Chuck said. “Anybody that could take a shot at him could get a good shot at him.”
In contrast, Chuck said his own profile had been on the up due to the success of rap supergroup Prophets of Rage.
Read more: Public Enemy’s Chuck D: “When we first came to the UK, we wanted to spill blood on the stage.”
Describing the media coverage of their feud, Chuck said: “We already talked about this beforehand. Public Enemy Radio went up [at the Sanders rally]. His lawyer sent out a cease and desist. I’m like, ‘Good move.’ Then, publicly: ‘Man, you don’t fuckin’ sue me again.’ He ain’t suin’ me.
“But I can say it! If the public is confused about this, that, whatever—they’re gonna be confused about what’s a lawsuit and what’s not. ‘Yo man you suing me again publicly? Boom. Fuck that. You’re fired dude. This is my last thing with you.’ OK. We knew what was gonna come. I’m not sayin’ it’s a hoax, I’m sayin’ that the original intention is to get your attention and not play attention, but get you to pay attention.”
He went on to describe Flav as his “partner” and said their relationship was “better than ever.”
“We takin’ April Fools,” Chuck said. “We takin’ it over. It’s April Flav Chuck Day.”
In his initial cease-and-desist, Flav had accused the Sanders campaign of using the Public Enemy name and “likeness, image and trademarked clock in promotional materials” without his permission.
He added that the Sanders campaign created “a false narrative” in stating that Public Enemy would be supporting the senator.
Flavor Flav is yet to respond to Chuck’s statements, or the new album and song.
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