Flavor Flav

LAS VEGAS – DECEMBER 04: Flavor Flav arriving at the 2006 Billboard Music Awards, MGM Grand Hotel, December 04, 2006 in Las Vegas, NV, s_bukley/Bigstock.com

Birth Name: William Jonathan Drayton

Place of Birth: Roosevelt, Long Island, New York, U.S.

Date of Birth: March 16, 1959

Ethnicity: African-American, likely small amount of Shinnecock Native American

Flavor Flav is an American rapper, hype man, musician, and television personality. He is a founding member of hip hop group Public Enemy. He has also starred on the reality shows The Surreal Life, Strange Love, and Flavor of Love. He is known for wearing clocks around his neck. Chuck D is also a member of Public Enemy.

Flavor Flav grew up in Freeport, Long Island, the son of Anna and William Drayton. His parents were also born in Long Island. He has three children with his former partner Karen Ross; three children with his former partner Angie Parker; a son with Elizabeth Trujillo; and a son with Kate Gammell.

Flavor’s paternal grandfather was named William Drayton (the son of Joseph Drayton and Harriett/Hattie). William was born in South Carolina, to a father from Georgia and a mother from South Carolina.

Flavor’s paternal grandmother was Estell/Stella Mitchell (the daughter of Charles Mitchell and Sarah Cuffee). Estell was born in New York, to parents who were also born there. Charles was the son of Henry Mitchell and Sarah. Flavor’s great-grandmother Sarah was born in Suffolk, the daughter of William Henry Cuffey/Cuffee and Sarah Jane Cuffee. Flavor Flav has stated that he is a cousin of rapper Ol’ Dirty Bastard through his Cuffey/Cuffee line. Ol’ Dirty Bastard had said that he had Shinnecock Native American ancestry through the same family line. The Shinnecock are a Native American tribe, of mixed African-American descent, based in Suffolk, New York. The Cuffee line of his family was based in Suffolk.

Flavor’s maternal grandfather was Ossie Deleston (the son of Frank Deleston and Sarah “Annie” Cromwell). Ossie was born in James Island, Charleston, South Carolina, to parents who were also born in the state. Frank was the son of Joseph Deleston and Dolly Frazier.

Flavor’s maternal grandmother was Mary White (the daughter of James White and Mary Green). Flavor’s grandmother Mary was born in South Carolina.

Sources: Genealogies of Flavor Flav’s parents – https://www.familysearch.org

Article about Flavor Flav’s mother, with picture – https://www.bet.com