Flavor Flav, reality-TV firebrand and founding member of hip-hop group Public Enemy, will be throwing the first pitch at the Flying Squirrels game tonight, as well as conduct a meet-and-greet from 5:15 to 6 p.m. at Parney’s Pub before the game. The theme of the night is “Old School Hip-Hop.”
Tickets for the meet and greet are $40 and include a field level ticket to the game, two autographs per guest, and a viking hat.
Flav is best known for his role as ‘hype man’ in Public Enemy, whose socially conscious hip-hop and densely creative production style changed the landscape of rap and hip-hop in the mid 80s and early 90s.
The band had a diverse set of influences as far reaching as psych-funk, free jazz, and musique concrete, and their inventive production techniques created an anarchic tone that reflected the highly politicized lyrical nature of the music.
As the hype man for the band, Flav was rarely the lead on any of Public Enemy’s songs, but their 1990 hit, “911 is a Joke,” credits Flav as the sole writer on the single. Public Enemy is also credited with helping create the rap metal genre by collaborating with New York thrash band Anthrax on the song “Bring the Noise.”
In the 2000s, Flav became a reality TV celebrity best known for his outlandish outfits and bizarre aphorisms. On his VH1 reality dating series, Flavor of Love, he wore a viking helmet and a large clock around his neck for the duration of the show. These days, Flav keeps a lower profile, but perhaps he’ll bring some of his antics to the Flying Squirrels game tonight.
The game starts at 6:35 p.m.
