Flavor Flav Spent $5.7 Million on Drugs in 6 Years?

By Nicki Gostin Posted Jun 7th 2011 10:15PM

Flavor Flav holds nothing back in his memoir, dubbed 'Flavor Flav: Icon,' in which he takes readers on a journey from being the court jester of rap to the court jester of Reality TV. In between there were years of wall-to-wall cocaine addiction and it's a wonder the New York native can remember any of it (he's amazed as well). Public Enemy's ebullient hype man spoke openly to PopEater about how he got clean, the "difficult" experience of starring in a dating show even though he had a girlfriend the whole time, his plans to get married "real soon" and talks about a debt owed to MC Hammer.

You're very honest in the book about your drug use. It got really crazy.
Yeah I was spending $2,600 a day, for six years, every single day. I don't know how much that is but if you did the math, wow, I went through a lot of money. If I did the math I'd probably be shocked on how much money I spent, I'd probably punch myself in the face.

(Editor's Note: 2,191 days -- one leap year day included -- at $2,600 a piece equals $5,696,600.)

When you recounted your life, can you believe everything you've done?
I've done a lot. I didn't really think about it like that. I thought more, damn how can I remember everything I've done!

How did you get clean?
I went out to California in the middle of 2003 and I changed my people, places and things. My also wanting to pursue a TV and movie career, I knew that in order for me to do that and be successful, I had to leave all of that behind me. I had to because me being a major celebrity, everything that I do, word will travel. I didn't want to build a bad reputation in other states. I wanted to leave all that stuff in New York. That's what really helped me get clean by me not wanting to build up a reputation of me going through neighborhoods buying drugs.

Didn't MC Hammer help your TV career?
Yeah I asked him for his advice on whether I should do 'The Surreal Life' or not. I wasn't going to do it, I figured it was for has-beens, at that time I didn't consider myself a has-been, I considered myself still hot. I asked MC Hammer for his advice and he said I should do it because if I do it then great things could happen afterwards like it did for him and he was right.

And America fell in love with you.
That's because I fell in love with America! You only get back what you give off Nicki!

You lost your virginity when you were very young.
I was six years old. I lost my virginity by experimenting. The girl was the same age as me. We kind of felt a little something funny. We knew it was kind of wrong yet we felt it was kind of natural.

How is that even possible?
I mean I call it a lost virginity when the penis penetrates the vagina, I do consider that a cherry pop.

Ever get tired of schlepping that big clock around?
Never. The clock is American Express. I don't leave home without it. My neck is used to it after all of these years. My neck has developed certain muscles, I forget the clock is around me.

You did a dating show and yet you had a girl friend the whole time.
Yes I did. Well I'm an entertainer, my job is to bring America good TV. In my book I had to write about me being an entertainer but yet after I finished entertaining I go home to my family. Yeah that was kind of difficult but I had to do it. I'm still with my girlfriend, we've been together now going on eight years and we have a kid together.

So when are you going to marry her?
Real soon. I just got to put myself in a much more comfortable state for me to get married. I'm still not in a comfortable state. There are certain things I want to do within myself. I just really want to be in the right financial position before I say 'I do.'

You have seven kids.
Yeah from 25 to 4 and I'm going for three more so I can have my personal 10. I want a starting five and some substitutes. I also have four grand-children and my grand-kids call me grand-daddy. I spoil them as much as I can.

You also had 62 traffic violations.
Over 62. I don't have a license right now but there's just a couple more things that I have to do here in New York to clear that up and once we do that, we are good to go.

You're an avid bowler.
Oh yes, I get down. I'm Flavor Flav Twinkle Toes Flintstone. My average is like 150, 160, stuff like that. Every now and then I get up to 170, 180.

Was your relationship with Brigitte Neilsen real?
That was definitely really, really real. She's married now, she's over in Italy with her husband and children. She's doing good. We speak from time to time.

Hey thanks for speaking to me Flav.
(To the tune of Toni Basil's hit 'Mickey') Oh Nicki you're so fine, you're so fine you blow my mind!

More Q&As From Nicki Gostin: Ice T, Jerry Seinfeld, Will Ferrell, Paul Reiser and Jerry Seinfeld

http://xml.channel.aol.com/xmlpublisher/fetch.v2.xml?option=expand_relative_urls&dataUrlNodes=uiConfig,feedConfig,entry&id=1001693&pid=1001692&uts=1307460579

http://www.popeater.com/mm_track/popeater/tv/?s_channel=us.tvpop&s_account=aolpopeater,aolsvc&omni=1&ke=1

http://cdn.channel.aol.com/cs_feed_v1_6/csfeedwrapper.swf

The Flavor of Flav

LOS ANGELES, CA - JUNE 01: Flavor Flav performs onstage during An Evening With Flavor Flav at The GRAMMY Museum on June 1, 2011 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Mark Sullivan/WireImage)

WireImage

Flavor Flav Snapshots

LOS ANGELES, CA - JUNE 01: Flavor Flav performs onstage during An Evening With Flavor Flav at The GRAMMY Museum on June 1, 2011 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Mark Sullivan/WireImage)

Flavor Flav Snapshots

LOS ANGELES, CA - JUNE 01: Flavor Flav gestures onstage during An Evening With Flavor Flav at The GRAMMY Museum on June 1, 2011 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Mark Sullivan/WireImage)

Flavor Flav Snapshots

LOS ANGELES, CA - JUNE 01: Flavor Flav and GRAMMY Foundation vice president Scott Goldman onstage during An Evening With Flavor Flav at The GRAMMY Museum on June 1, 2011 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Mark Sullivan/WireImage)

Flavor Flav Snapshots

LOS ANGELES, CA - JUNE 01: Flavor Flav (L) signs the neck of a fan in the GRAMMY Museum after An Evening With Flavor Flav at The GRAMMY Museum on June 1, 2011 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Mark Sullivan/WireImage)

Flavor Flav Snapshots

LOS ANGELES, CA - JUNE 01: Flavor Flav (L) poses with a fan in the GRAMMY Museum after An Evening With Flavor Flav at The GRAMMY Museum on June 1, 2011 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Mark Sullivan/WireImage)

Flavor Flav Snapshots

LOS ANGELES, CA - JUNE 01: Flavor Flav gestures onstage during An Evening With Flavor Flav at The GRAMMY Museum on June 1, 2011 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Mark Sullivan/WireImage)

Flavor Flav Snapshots

LOS ANGELES, CA - JUNE 01: Flavor Flav gestures onstage during An Evening With Flavor Flav at The GRAMMY Museum on June 1, 2011 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Mark Sullivan/WireImage)

Flavor Flav Snapshots

LOS ANGELES, CA - JUNE 01: Flavor Flav gestures onstage during An Evening With Flavor Flav at The GRAMMY Museum on June 1, 2011 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Mark Sullivan/WireImage)

Flavor Flav Snapshots

NEW YORK, NY - MAY 28: Flavor Flav promotes the new book "Flavor Flav: The Icon the Memoir" at Hue-Man Bookstore & Cafe on May 28, 2011 in New York City. (Photo by T Roth/WireImage)

Flavor Flav Snapshots

NEW YORK, NY - MAY 28: Musican Flavor Flav promotes the new book "Flavor Flav: The Icon the Memoir" at Hue-Man Bookstore & Cafe on May 28, 2011 in New York City. (Photo by Marc Stamas/Getty Images)

Flavor Flav Snapshots

Tags: Flavor Flav

Comments

(109)

Tuesday 07 June

By heldt666

Vote down Vote up Report this

Isn't it cute when they first try to use the typewriter and learn to spell?
The button on the left marked "Shift" does this: M D U W,
then a little to the right there are: , . ; ' .
Next time they loosen your straps, try to form a coherent thought and give it a go.

By Marcus

This clown referred to himself as a "major celebrity". On what planet? He's no more famous than any other pimp wannabe.

By ed baggett

What a waste !

By Leslie

Are you black?

By Sendai

It was his money to do what he wanted. I don't see the problem spending the money on drugs when so many demand the legalization of Pot because they don't want to stay straight.

By joyce

i'm more concerned for anyone who would pay a dime to see or hear this loser.

By gary

The stupid fuc*er probably CANT do the math!

By ddan720

i call bull on the drugs 2,600 a day is about 3 ounces of coke impossible

By bobcobbjr

You can take the BOY out of the jungle but you can't take the jungle out of the BOY...

High Rank Vote down Vote up Report this

The saddest part of this story is what could have been done with almost 1 million dollars a year.
Instead of handing it to Mexican and Colombian drug lords, he could have fed thousands of needy black children who are at or below the poverty line.
His own race, who went to school hungry, trying to get an education.
Something this clown obviously didn't get
Write about that in your book, loser.

By David

There are many reasons...punch yourself in the face.

By frankerin

Anybody surprised? The media culture and the minority subculture are cancerous.

By Davemon

He must not have been getting very good dope or he'd have kicked long ago. What a loser!!!

By jessi

he is one ugly little dude

By Teri

Icky poo......................... yuck... need I say more.

By janelee595

i saw him once on t v, i saw no talent in him, and who are all those people in the pictures never heard of any of them. i can say that he is a typical big mouthed, small, thuggish, uneducated,unsophisticated,individual that i would not care to spend time with.

By Davidd

Once a fool always a fool.

By sevnwolves

Is there any bigger waste of skin than this?

By zapman132

Flav found his American dream legit... It's his money, his life and not yours? You haters out there spend way too much time hating. He definitely has something you all lack, creativity, talent and an image people willingly pay money to see. I admit the big clock around his neck does looks stupid, but look where it got him. I would not know him today had it not been for that clock.

By David Garcia in Hong Kong

This is crazy, considering that to get those drugs to him, a whole (and possibly, international) network of manufacturers, conduits and drug mules were involved.

What's sad is that to give this creepy guy his high, some people (e.g, the mules, lowest of the low in the drug traffic totem pole and who have very few options), risked everything to earn, and had to go to their deaths when they got found out.

Hey, cocaine user, after you went clean, have you ever thought about how many families in lesser-developed nations that 5M you wasted would have fed and kept alive?

Probably not, because I haven't heard or read anywhere of you making amends. You probably just don't care about others, no?

Just makes my blood boil.

Page 4 of 6