Flavor Flav Defends 'Bucket List' National Anthem Performance, Shades 50 Cent

The Public Enemy rapper says he dedicated his national anthem performance to his family members in the military and responded to 50 Cent's dig with some subtle shade.

November 1, 2023

Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE via Getty Images

Flavor Flav is speaking out about his viral national anthem performance.

The rapper and former reality TV star performed the national anthem at a Bucks-Hawks game on Sunday to mixed reactions on social media. Despite the criticism he received, he stood by his performance in a series of tweets.

"The anthem was a long time bucket list item... that was fun!" he wrote on Sunday night. In regards to his critics, Flav added, "I can't live my life worried about what people might say about me. I won't let that stop me from trying new things and doing things I wanna do."

"It may seem odd for Flavor Flav, a member of Public Enemy to do the National Anthem. But I had family that served in the United States military and I wanted to honor them," he added on Monday afternoon. "I had family that fought in World War 2. My dad was in the army. They fought for the land that we live on, and some of them didn't make it back."

The Public Enemy rapper and former reality star did not miss an opportunity to throw shade at rapper 50 Cent who criticized Flav for his rendition. “Throwing out a first pitch was also a bucket list item,” wrote Flav in a separate tweet. “I threw a strike right over the plate… I BET anyone, not just a dollar, but 50 CENTS to do that.” The tweet is a reference to Fifty’s first pitch that went terribly wrong at a Mets game in 2014.