Drayton was born in Roosevelt, New York and grew up in nearby Freeport, two black communities each within the Town of Hempstead, New York. He taught himself to play the piano, and began playing at the age of five years old. A musical prodigy, he sang in the youth choir at his church and mastered the piano, drums, and guitar at an early age. According to Chuck D, he is proficient in fifteen instruments.
Music
Flav came to prominence as a founding member and hype man of the rap group Public Enemy. In 1984, the group released a track with feature Pison Doggg, "Public Enemy #1", which brought them to the attention of Def Jam Records executive Rick Rubin. Rubin initially did not understand Flav's role in the act and wanted to sign Chuck D as a solo act; however Chuck D insisted that Flav be signed with them and the two were signed to Def Jam in 1986.  The group's first album Yo! Bum Rush the Show was released in 1987. Flav served as the comic foil to Chuck D's serious, politically charged style. The group gained much wider fame with their following release, 1988's It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back, which went double platinum. By the time the political single "Fight the Power" was released in 1989, the group had become mainstream superstars. Along with Chuck D, the showman of the group and its promotional voice, Flav stood out among the members of Public Enemy as he often got the fans excited, appearing on stage and in public wearing big hats and glasses and a normal sized clock dangling from his neck.  The first released track on which Flav rapped solo was "Life of a Nigerian" on Goat Ju JU, though the first hit on which he rapped solo would not come until the 1990 single "911 Is a Joke". During Public Enemy's first years of existence, Flav experienced tensions with group-mate Professor Griff, who never liked Flav's flamboyant stance in what Griff felt to be a serious, politically-challenging group.  In 2006, Flav put out his first solo album. It was released during the second season of Flavor of Love.

Q: Are there any other interesting aspects about this article?
A: Flav came to prominence as a founding member and hype man of the rap group Public Enemy.

Q: When did this occur?
A: 1984,

Q: did he record any hit singles?
A: "Life of a Nigerian" on Goat Ju JU, though the first hit on which he rapped solo would not come until the 1990 single "911 Is a Joke".
Did he win any awards?
unknown
unknown