Flavor Flav is doubling down on his stance against firearms, penning an emotional op-ed calling for a total ban on the weapons following the release of Public Enemy‘s new protest song, “March Madness.”
In the essay published Wednesday (July 2) for Newsweek, the hip-hop star details his own personal history with guns while drawing on his concerns for his children’s safety. The piece comes amid a sharp increase in school shootings over the past few years, with CNN reporting that there have already been 23 in the U.S. this year alone as of May 13.
“I fear for my kids when I drop them off at school,” Flav wrote. “Our schools aren’t safe and our kids aren’t safe.”
“This is because gun protection laws are weak,” he continued. “Guns are falling into the hands of the wrong people. I would know. I went to jail because of guns … So I am speaking from firsthand experience.”
Along with bandmate Chuck D, Flav dropped “March Madness” in honor of Juneteenth. Opening with a recording of a teacher reporting a school shooting to a 911 operator, the track finds the duo slamming “crooked politicians” for “acting scared of the NRA.”
“Kids supposed to have fun, none of this ‘Run for cover for your life, son,’” Chuck D spits on his verse.
In his op-ed, Flav shared his thoughts on why gun violence has become so widespread in the U.S., before telling readers about his hopes for the new song. “Fear and power are two of the biggest emotions that drive us,” he wrote. “America is being built on fear. You have people who are scared. And these people are fighting for gun rights to protect themselves. They wouldn’t have to protect themselves if all guns were banned.”
“I hope this song, ‘March Madness,’ reignites the conversation,” the rapper added. “I hope this song sparks change. I hope this anthem gives a voice to those who feel powerless against a system of power and greed. I hope we can come together to create a wall of unity with peace and togetherness that is so strong, no one can divide and tear us down.”
The essay comes as Public Enemy is on its world tour, with the unit most recently stopping in Trondheim, Norway, during one of several shows opening for Guns n’ Roses. The next concerts queued up include stops in Stockholm, Austria, Poland and more European countries.
“March Madness” marked Public Enemy’s first piece of new music since dropping What You Gonna Do When the Grid Goes Down? in 2020. The protest track appears on new LP Black Sky Over the Projects: Apartment 2025, which the group surprise-released as a Bandcamp-only digital download on June 27.
