Legendary Rapper Says He Fears for His Kids at School Drop-Off
When you've got a Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction, 40-plus years of hits with Public Enemy, and a reality-TV resume that refuses to quit, you'd think the scariest part of your day would be dodging paparazzi. But for Flavor Flav, the real panic sets in when he pulls up to the school curb.
'I fear for my kids when I drop them off at school,' the 66-year-old rapper wrote in a Thursday, July 2 Newsweek op-ed that calls for a total U.S. gun ban. 'Our schools aren't safe and our kids aren't safe.'
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Flav (real name: William Drayton Jr.) is dad to eight kids across four different relationships. He shares daughters Shanique, Karren, and Kayla with his ex Karen Ross. He has Da'Zyna, Quanah, and William with ex Angie Parker. His son Karma is from his relationship with longtime partner Liz Trujillo, and his youngest, Jordan, was born in 2019 with his ex-manager Kate Gammell.
It's take yo kids and grandkids to the rink at @rockcenternyc season,!!! ⛸️🧊 pic.twitter.com/6BSVUPHxHo
— FLAVOR FLAV (@FlavorFlav) October 12, 2024
The Flavor of Love star says his worry comes from 'first-hand experience.'
'Guns are falling into the hands of the wrong people. I would know. I went to jail because of guns. I ended up on Rikers Island,' he wrote, recalling the firearm conviction that landed him behind bars in the early '90s.
Many of y'all have opinions without reading the article. Guns did affect my life when they were brought into the black communities,,, so I speak from a place of experience. The only thing I'm carrying now is the conversation.
— FLAVOR FLAV (@FlavorFlav) July 4, 2025
Now, he argues, weak laws have created 'domestic errorism' that slaps 'a price tag on the heads of our children.' The warning couldn't be clearer.
CNN's running tally shows 23 U.S. school shootings so far this year — nine dead and 33 injured as of May 13 — spanning college campuses and K–12 hallways alike. By comparison, ABC News (via the K–12 School Shooting Database) reports that 2024 saw 330 K–12 school shooting incidents, the second-highest total since at least 1966 (which is as 'far back as the data goes'), surpassed only by the 349 incidents recorded in 2023.
'Fear and power are two of the biggest emotions that drive us,' Flav wrote. 'Let our fear of losing our children be more powerful than our fear of our next-door neighbor.'
That belief fuels 'March Madness,' the protest single he and Chuck D released on Juneteenth. It opens with a real 911 call from a teacher reporting 'a school shooting and begging for help.'
BLACK SKIES OVER THE PROJECT (Apartment) 2025PUBLIC ENEMY drop surprise new album,!!We hear you and we here to still Fight the Power with ya as The Hits Keep On CominYou can't stream it but you can pay what you want for the next 72 hours at bandcamp.… pic.twitter.com/yjpnnSSbBY
— FLAVOR FLAV (@FlavorFlav) June 27, 2025
Flav says the goal is to restart a national conversation. He hopes the song gives a voice to people who feel powerless and helps build what he calls a 'wall of unity' strong enough to stand up to fear and division.
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'I hope this song sparks change,' he wrote. 'I hope this anthem gives a voice to those who feel powerless against a system of power and greed."
The track appears on Black Sky Over the Projects: Apartment 2025, a surprise album Public Enemy released in late June on Bandcamp. It's their first new music since What You Gonna Do When the Grid Goes Down?, which was released on September 25, 2020.
Legendary Rapper Says He Fears for His Kids at School Drop-Off first appeared on Parade on Jul 4, 2025
This story was originally reported by Parade on Jul 4, 2025, where it first appeared.
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