Flavor Flav has clarified his recent comments about Chappell Roan, saying in a tweet that “we all have her back and stand up with her”.
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Earlier this week, the Public Enemy member and hip-hop figure appeared on TMZ‘s year-end television special, Merry Elfin’ Christmas, to discuss the 2024 headlines that most stood out.
When asked about the former NME Cover artist’s recent stance against the “predatory behaviour” of so-called “superfans”, Flav opined that her statements were “one of the biggest mistakes she can make because it’s all of the people that make her who she is to society”.
Yesterday (December 4), in a brief X/Twitter thread, Flav clarified his comments, saying that his initial statement was made “with the limited info I was given”.
“I was asked about Chappell Roan and was told that she was rude to fans,” Flav tweeted. “I don’t really know her or the situation and said that it’s a mistake because it’s the fans that make us who we are. BUT,,, if individuals are threatening her privacy or boundaries,,, good for her to speak up,!!”
The media still creating clickbait headlines,,,
With the limited info I was given,,, I stand by what I said,,, the fans make us. But these ain’t fans. Predatory and stalking behavior and disrespect ain’t cool and she stood up for herself and we all have her back and stand up… https://t.co/EFMDrAk8en pic.twitter.com/ImHZqNz7sr
— FLAVOR FLAV (@FlavorFlav) December 4, 2024
In a follow-up tweet he made in response to “the media still creating clickbait headlines”, Flav wrote that “predatory and stalking behavior and disrespect ain’t cool”.
“She stood up for herself and we all have her back and stand up with her,” he continued. He shared a video of Roan meeting water polo athlete Ash Johnson, whom Flav considers a friend.
“At the MTV VMAs she was as [sic] so good and kind to my water polo goalie,” he tweeted. He also cited Weird Al Yankovic’s recent cover of ‘Hot To Go’ as a sign that Roan has “really made it”.
On a separate note, Flav also shared in a now-deleted tweet that he was at the filming of NBC’s Rockefeller Tree Ceremony television special last night and went backstage to see his friends in the Backstreet Boys. However, he tweeted, “security came up to me and says @nbc does not want me in this area and I need to leave”.
“I deleted the tweet,,, but my spirit is broken,” he wrote in a follow-up tweet. NME has reached out to NBC for comment.
They don’t deserve you pic.twitter.com/br2w8sgXGH
— Tone Ciccarone 👨🏻💻🎹 (@tonyciccarone) December 5, 2024
Roan’s statements have also been applauded by celebrities like Miley Cyrus, Stevie Nicks, Rachel Zegler, and Daniel Craig, the latter saying he admires “the guts to say those things”.
Olivia Rodrigo also revealed in recent months that Roan has been a key support figure in helping her deal with an “overwhelming” entertainment industry.
In recent news, Roan celebrated her song ‘Good Luck, Babe!’ for reaching one billion streams on Spotify, saying the occasion is “cuckoo loco”.
‘Good Luck, Babe!’ also tops the list of NME‘s 50 Best Songs of 2024. Nick Levine wrote: “There are hits, and then there are career-making hits. Released in April, this standalone single sent Chappell Roan supernova and turned her debut album, ‘The Rise And Fall Of A Midwest Princess’, into an overdue smash.”
“With ‘Good Luck, Babe!’, Roan set out to write a “big anthemic pop song”. It was an unqualified success: over subtly insistent synth-pop, Roan serves up home truths to someone desperately trying to deny their queerness.”
“The chorus – “you’d have to stop the world just to stop the feeling” – is both pitying and empathetic: a rare combination. It also shows off Roan’s gift for saying something profound in a way no one has quite managed before. If she wants it, the world’s her oyster.” See the full list here.
