Flavor Flav Talks Addiction & Once Spending $2.5K Per Day On Crack & Coke

BY Erika Marie 11.3K Views
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He says he's been sober for eight-and-a-half years.

Before he became known as a ridiculous character on a dating reality show, Flavor Flav was the outrageously unique rap artist who was apart of one of the most iconic hip hop collectives: Public Enemy. With fame, however, came money, women, alcohol, and drugs, and Flav has struggled throughout his life with all of the above. His substances of choice were cocaine and crack cocaine, and the rapper admits that his addictions have caused him nothing but trouble.

Flav has had a number of run-ins with the judicial system, even before his Public Enemy days. He's faced charges like robbery, burglary, attempted murder, domestic violence, multiple driving offenses, and drug possession. He recently sat down with VladTV to discuss the rise of his career and memories of his times with Public Enemy, but it was difficult not to reminiscence without bringing up his drug addiction.

"That was one of the worst mistakes that I could’ve really ever made with my life, experimenting with drugs," Flav admitted. "Let me tell you something, man. Drugs, them sh*ts is real easy to get on, and they're hard as hell to get off. If I would’ve known that back in those days, then I don’t think I would’ve experimented with it. I got to the point, Vlad, where I was spending like $2,300 to $2,500 dollars per day on coke and crack. Per day. And I did that sh*t for six years straight. Do the math. That’s a lot of money, bro."

“I thank God that I’m still living today and to be able to talk about it. 'Cause, now I can teach about it," he said. "I can teach about the mistakes that I made and hopefully people won’t make the same mistakes. I had a lot of people around me that was supposed to be my friends, but yet, when I would go to the bathroom or something, they would steal my sh*t and I would come back and my pile would be smaller. I thank God for those thieving-ass friends that I had because if it wasn’t for them stealing my sh*t, maybe those could have been the hits that took me out."

The rapper called that period in his life a "nightmare" and said that he appreciates the lessons he learned from his experiences. He admits that since he's been sober, he's been in situations where other people have been doing drugs in front of him. While he's not bothered by it, he said he doesn't stay around it.

Flav also shared that he was an addict for 18 years and "I’ve been clean off of coke and crack now for about a good eight-and-a-half years. I still got about ten to go before I can be back to where I was. So right now, to this day, yes, addiction can still set into me. So, that’s why I’m smart enough not to f*ck with that sh*t."


About The Author
Since 2019, Erika Marie has worked as a journalist for HotNewHipHop, covering music, film, television, art, fashion, politics, and all things regarding entertainment. With 20 years in the industry under her belt, Erika Marie moved from a writer on the graveyard shift at HNHH to becoming a Features Editor, highlighting long-form content and interviews with some of Hip Hop’s biggest stars. She has had the pleasure of sitting down with artists and personalities like DJ Jazzy Jeff, Salt ’N Pepa, Nick Cannon, Rah Digga, Rakim, Rapsody, Ari Lennox, Jacquees, Roxanne Shante, Yo-Yo, Sean Paul, Raven Symoné, Queen Naija, Ryan Destiny, DreamDoll, DaniLeigh, Sean Kingston, Reginae Carter, Jason Lee, Kamaiyah, Rome Flynn, Zonnique, Fantasia, and Just Blaze—just to name a few. In addition to one-on-one chats with influential public figures, Erika Marie also covers content connected to the culture. She’s attended and covered the BET Awards as well as private listening parties, the Rolling Loud festival, and other events that emphasize established and rising talents. Detroit-born and Long Beach (CA)-raised, Erika Marie has eclectic music taste that often helps direct the interests she focuses on here at HNHH. She finds it necessary to report on cultural conversations with respect and honor those on the mic and the hardworking teams that help get them there. Moreover, as an advocate for women, Erika Marie pays particular attention to the impact of femcees. She sits down with rising rappers for HNHH—like Big Jade, Kali, Rubi Rose, Armani Caesar, Amy Luciani, and Omerettà—to gain their perspectives on a fast-paced industry.