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Public Enemy Drops Flavor Flav After Bernie Sanders Dispute

Published

11 months ago

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  • Flavor Flav was fired from hip hop group Public Enemy after he sent a cease and desist letter to the Sanders campaign.
  • Chuck D, along with Public Enemy Radio, an offshoot of Public Enemy, performed at a Bernie Sanders rally. Flavor Flav was not set to play but claimed the campaign misled people into thinking he was involved.
  • Chuck D has been vocal about his support for Sanders, but Flavor Flav has not endorsed a 2020 candidate.
  • Chuck D’s lawyers maintain he was allowed to perform at the event under the name Public Enemy Radio. Chuck D sent out a series of tweets claiming that Flavor Flav often refuses to perform at benefit events where he won’t get paid.

Flavor Flav Booted After Cease and Desist

It almost goes without saying that the 2020 election has caused division in homes, families, and friend groups across the United States. Now, hip hop group Public Enemy has also fallen victim to this pattern, leading to the firing of member Flavor Flav.

Rolling Stone broke the news Sunday that Flavor Flav was no longer part of the group, after being a main player in it since its inception in 1985. The news came as fellow Public Enemy member Chuck D was set to take the stage at a Bernie Sanders rally in Los Angeles, a decision that did not sit well with Flavor Flav. 

“Public Enemy and Public Enemy Radio will be moving forward without Flavor Flav. We thank him for his years of service and wish him well,” the group said in a statement to Rolling Stone. 

The riff began between Flavor Flav and Chuck D on Thursday when the news that Public Enemy Radio was set to play the Sanders rally. Public Enemy Radio is an offshoot of Public Enemy led by Chuck D including DJ Lord, Jahi, and the S1Ws. 

This resulted in Flavor Flav hitting Sanders’ campaign with a cease and desist, alleging that promotion for the concert would mislead people to believe he would be attending as a Public Enemy member.  The letter claims the campaign used “the unauthorized use of his likeness, image and trademarked clock in promotional materials” for the rally.

Unlike Chuck D, who has been vocal about his support for Sanders, the letter states that Flavor Flav has not endorsed any candidate in 2020.

“While Chuck is certainly free to express his political views as he sees fit–his voice alone does not speak for Public Enemy,” the letter continued. “The planned performance will only be Chuck D of Public Enemy, it will not be a performance by Public Enemy…There is no Public Enemy without Flavor Flav.”

“Bernie, his name is Flavor Flav and he does NOT approve your message!” the last line of the letter says. It is signed by Flavor Flav’s lawyer, as well as Flavor Flav himself, who included a handwritten note saying, “Hey Bernie, don’t do this.”

Chuck D Responds

Chuck D’s lawyers believe that Flavor Flav’s cease and desist did not stand on strong legal ground.

“From a legal standpoint, Chuck could perform as Public Enemy if he ever wanted to; he is the sole owner of the Public Enemy trademark,” his legal team said in a statement to Rolling Stone. Chuck D also spoke to the outlet about his frustration himself. 

“Flavor chooses to dance for his money and not do benevolent work like this,” Chuck D told the magazine.

Before Flavor Flav’s firing, Chuck D also sent out a series of tweets about the cease and desist letter. He claimed that some of his frustrations stem from Flavor Flav not showing support for Harry Belafonte’s group that fights social injustice after he inducted Public Enemy into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. 

After performing at the rally, when news of Flavor Flav’s departure from Public Enemy had broken, Chuck D hopped back on Twitter. He said that Flavor Flav has a history of not agreeing to perform at benefit shows, and that had there have been a financial incentive to perform at the Sanders rally, Flavor Flav “would’ve been there front & center.”

As Chuck D mentioned, this is not the only legal battle he and Flavor Flav have been a part of.  In 2017, Flavor Flav sued Chuck D and his management company over alleged unpaid profits. The suit was dismissed in 2019, but some think it could be what Chuck D was alluding to in his tweets. 

Fans React to Political Moment

In addition to Chuck D’s frustrations with Flavor Flav’s unwillingness to do non-profit kind of work, many have turned to potential political divides between the two. Public Enemy as a group has been known to get political, but Chuck D, in particular, has been very open and active about his political beliefs. In 2017 Chuck D wrote an op-ed for the Daily Beast in 2017 called “Why Donald Trump Is a White Supremacist.”

At SXSW in 2016, he said, “Fuck Donald Trump” on stage. At that same event, Flavor Flav posed a voice of dissent. 

“There’s a lot of people talking a lot of shit about Trump, but guess what? He’s winning,” Flavor Flav told Billboard. “The man is winning. I ain’t gonna lie, but listen, the United States has been ran a certain way for decades and decades and decades. You never know: Maybe Trump could possibly do something. Maybe he might step in office and do something. I’m not going to doubt him.”

The news of Flavor Flav being kicked out of Public Enemy caused a stir online, with many noting that it felt like a politically charged situation.

Some saw it as a metaphor for America in 2020.

Flavor Flav has not commented on the matter yet. According to Rolling Stone, Public Enemy Radio will be releasing a new album in April.

See what others are saying: (Esquire) (Daily Beast) (The Hollywood Reporter)

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Joe Rogan Says Grimes Did Not Give Dave Chappelle COVID-19

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2 days ago

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January 22, 2021

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  • Comedian Dave Chappelle is under quarantine after testing positive for COVID-19. He is asymptomatic and his remaining shows in Austin, Texas have been canceled.
  • The news comes just days after Chappelle was photographed with Joe Rogan, Elon Musk, Grimes, and several others backstage at one of his Austin performances.
  • “Because people are asking, I was not exposed to the person who had covid and I have tested negative every day this week,” Rogan wrote on Instagram Friday. “Also, the person that gave covid to Dave was NOT Elon’s partner @grimes.”

Chappelle Tests Positive

Comedian Dave Chappelle has tested positive for coronavirus and is currently under quarantine, according to one of his representatives.

In a statement to The Hollywood Reporter, that rep also confirmed that he is currently asymptomatic and has canceled all of his remaining shows at Stubbs Waller Creek Amphitheater in Austin, Texas.

“Chappelle has safely conducted socially-distanced shows in Ohio since June 2020 and he moved those shows to Austin during the winter,” the statement read.

“Chappelle implemented COVID-19 protocols which included rapid testing for the audience and daily testing for himself and his team. His diligent testing enabled him to immediately respond by quarantining, thus mitigating the spread of the virus,” it continued.

Joe Rogan Speaks Out After He Was Photographed With Chappelle

Two of the remaining Austin shows were supposed to include fellow comedian Joe Rogan. Rogan took to Instagram Friday morning to announce that they will be rescheduled as soon as possible.

Still, many fans had questions about Rogan’s current state of health. The news of Chappelle’s positive test comes just days after he was photographed maskless with Rogan, Tesla CEO Elon Musk, musician Grimes, and several others backstage at one of his Austin performances.

Since Grimes, who is also in a relationship with Musk, recently had COVID, many were concerned that she may have exposed the group. Others wondered if Chappelle may have spread it.

Rogan eventually updates his Instagram caption to dismiss the ideas.

“Because people are asking, I was not exposed to the person who had covid and I have tested negative every day this week,” he wrote.“Also, the person that gave covid to Dave was NOT Elon’s partner @grimes.”

See what others are saying: (The Hollywood Reporter) (CNN) (AP News)

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Netflix Passes 200M Subscribers as Other Streamers Struggle With Retention

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4 days ago

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January 20, 2021

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  • In a letter to shareholders, Netflix said it has hit over 200 million subscribers following a successful year of growth.
  • The pandemic gave Netflix a significant subscriber boost in March and April. The company continued to perform well even in its final quarter, gaining 8.5 million subscribers when it was only projected to add 6 million.
  • The data also highlights how relatively unaffected Netflix has been by new streaming services entering the market. While companies like Disney+, HBO Max, and Peacock continue to grow, they also struggle to retain the subscribers that sign up.

Netflix Passes 200 Million Subscribers

Netflix has topped 200 million subscribers following a year of strong growth in 2020.

In its Tuesday letter to shareholders, Netflix announced that it added 8.5 million subscribers in its fourth quarter. This exceeds projections, which estimated the streaming giant would only add around 6 million. In total, Netflix gained 37 million new memberships throughout 2020, bringing the company to 203.6 million subscribers.

Pandemic lockdowns gave Netflix a substantial boost in March in April. In the company’s first two quarters, it added a combined 25.7 million subscribers. According to data from the letter, Netflix had added over 10 million more subscribers by May of 2020 than it had by May of 2019.

When it comes to the success of their fourth quarter, Netflix pointed to shows like “Bridgerton” and “The Crown.” The fourth season of “The Crown” hit the platform in November, prompting many to return to older seasons of the show. Netflix claims the series has been viewed by 100 million households since it first aired in 2016.

Success Amid Growth of Competition

The year 2020 could have been a difficult one for Netflix as new streaming services entered the market. Disney+, Apple TV+, HBO Max, Peacock and more have all made waves with their original programming or by taking some of their brand’s content from Netflix to host on their own site. User-based content on YouTube and TikTok also became increasingly popular throughout the pandemic, further posing as a threat to Netflix. 

Still, it reached a massive milestone. 

“Our strategy is simple: if we can continue to improve Netflix every day to better delight our members, we can be their first choice for streaming entertainment,” Netflix said in the letter. “This past year is a testament to this approach.”

Netflix potentially sees Disney+ as the biggest competitor among new platforms. In its letter, the company noted that the streamer added 87 million subscribers in its first year. In a Q&A, Netflix CEO Reed Hastings seemed enthusiastic about this competition.

“It’s super impressive what Disney’s done,” he said. “It’s going to be great for the world that Disney and Netflix are competing show-by-show, movie-by-movie. We’re very fired up about catching them in family animation, maybe eventually passing them, we’ll see. It’s a long way to go just to catch them, and maintaining our lead in general entertainment that’s so stimulating like ‘Bridgerton,’ which I don’t think you’re going to see on Disney anytime soon.”

Streamers Struggle with Retaining Subscribers

Even as new streamers have had impressive years, there is one hurdle that many are still struggling to jump over: retaining the subscribers who sign up. The Los Angeles Times named Disney+, HBO Max, Peacock, and Apple TV+ in particular, writing that people create accounts with these services, watch the TV shows or movies they are interested in, and cancel once they are done.

An October survey from Deloitte said that 46% of respondents canceled at least one streaming service in the last 6 months, which is up 20% from January of last year. Most who had canceled said they did so because they had finished watching whatever programming it was that brought them to that service. 

Places like Disney+ and HBO Max are really vulnerable to this because they have banked on drawing people in with exclusive marquis titles like “Hamilton” or “Wonder Woman 1984.” However, since they are newer, they are still building their original programming catalog, meaning that people can quickly burn through highlight titles. 

See what others are saying: (Los Angeles Times) (Wall Street Journal) (The Hollywood Reporter)

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Paramount+ To Launch March 4

Published

5 days ago

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January 19, 2021

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  • ViacomCBS is launching Paramount+ in the United States and Latin America on March 4 before rolling out to other markets internationally later this year. 
  • The streaming service will be a relaunch and expansion of CBS All Access. It will include content from Nickelodeon, MTV, and more on top of the CBS-focused selection. 

Paramount+ Gets Launch Date

ViacomCBS will be launching its streaming service Paramount+ in the U.S. and Latin America on March 4 before rolling out in more countries throughout the year. 

It will be an expansion and rebrand of CBS All Access, the service the company currently offers that is used by nearly 8 million subscribers. Paramount+ will go beyond the CBS-centric content promoted there, including works from brands like Nickelodeon, MTV, BET, Comedy Central, and the Smithsonian Channel.

More details about their streaming strategy will be released during an investor event on February 24. Right now, ViacomCBS is boasting that the service will have over 30,000 episodes and movies in their catalog, which will also include live sports and breaking news. 

“The Paramount brand is known and loved all around the world, and is synonymous with great entertainment. It’s always brought people together, which makes it a perfect fit for a streaming service that’s uniquely positioned to do the same,” Josh Line the chief brand officer of ViacomCBS said during a brand announcement in September. “The Paramount+ streaming service will elevate ViacomCBS’ iconic family of brands.”

State of the Streaming Wars

Paramount+ has already announced a slew of original projects including a revival of “iCarly” and a series about the making of “The Godfather” titled “The Offer.”

The service is entering an already crowded battlefield as the streaming wars wages on. It will have plenty of uphill battles to fight since brand recognition for Paramount is not nearly as strong as it is for studios like Disney or NBCUniversal. It will also have to compete with Netflix, which leads the pack in subscribers and unveils new content regularly; HBO Max, which will be home to Warner Media’s new theatrical releases; and Hulu, which hosts original content as well as shows currently airing on cable and network television. 

ViacomCBS has not released information on pricing, but that will likely come during or before the February investor event.

See what others are saying: (Variety) (Deadline) (CNBC)

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