According to Stereogum, the Writers Guild of America were holding a strike outside of the Warner Bros studio in Burbank, California, when they received a surprise visit from Public Enemy’s rapper Flavor Flav.
The writers have received support from other stars such as Weezer and Imagine Dragons. Flavor Flav was the last to arrive, but brought with him some pizzas for the writers on strike, and went into an impromptu playback of Public Enemy’s song “Fight the Power,” which fits the atmosphere and the call of the strike greatly.
The rapper has some ties with Hollywood as he has appeared on some reality TV shows before. He was alongside the Ted Lasso team, Quinta Brunson, Jason Sudeikis and the Abbott Elementary crew, among others, at the site of strike.
His appearance on the strike was shared widely on social media. WGA leader Shawn Wines says that Flavor Flav has been a “personal fashion hero” to him, while TMZ reported on him bringing in the needed pizzas and giving a show for the writers at the strike lines. Flavor Flav later posted on twitter with a pun, encouraging people to give support to the writers, and “Do the Write Thing.”
Flavor Flav, also known as William Drayton Jr, is a founding member of Public Enemy, an American hip hop group formed by Chuck D and Flavor Flav on Long Island. The band, despite many lineup changes along the years and many controversial hoaxes and incidents, such as the arrest of Flavor Flav in 2021, was honored with the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award at the 62nd Grammy Awards, a proof of their musical talents and importance in the hip hop genre. The band has been producing great hits since the 80s and 90s, making members like Flavor Flav an important part of the public’s memory of the time’s music, which makes his appearance at the strike lines an inspiring one.
The song he played, “Fight the Power,” was a controversial one that proposed a confrontational and militant approach to the prejudices the black communities were facing, which, when met by public ears, was interpreted to be more about fighting authoritative powers for the individuals. His choice of playing the song at the strike is a vivid way demonstrates his support.
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