Flava Flav has lived a life that spans decades marked with extreme highs and some requisite lows but life is certainly sweet for who is arguably Hip-Hop’s best hype man. The founding member of the famed Public Enemy collective is in Paris to support the USA Water Polo teams, sparked by his passion for being a girl dad and wanting to elevate women in sports.
As reported by the Associated Press, Flava Flav, 65, is enjoying his first time experiencing the Olympics in person after years of watching the games on television. His enthusiasm and million-dollar smile have been hard to avoid for anyone observing the USA Water Polo teams, most specifically the women’s group.
From the AP:
Flav, a founding member of the hip-hop group Public Enemy, is in Paris as part of his duties as the official hype man for USA Water Polo — a partnership that came together after he connected with U.S. captain Maggie Steffens on Instagram in May.
The 65-year-old Flav is embracing his new responsibilities with his usual brand of seemingly boundless enthusiasm.
“I’m so ready, man. … I’m so hype right now about this sport,” said Flav, wearing a custom USA Water Polo clock around his neck. “I wish I was playing it. I’m hyping myself up right now to ask them to let me on the team.”
The outlet goes on to add that Flava Flav reached out to Maggie Steffens on social media after learning about how the team has struggled financially. Flav offered to sponsor the team, sparking the partnership. As seen in the report, Flav will work with USA Water Polo for five years while using his fame to bring visibility to the sport. It should be noted that the women’s water polo team has brought home the gold medal in the past three Summer Olympics.
Adding to this, Flav’s work with the team is bringing the sport into the homes of Black families as they learn about the little-known sport. One member of the team, Ashleigh Johnson, who is the first Black member of the water polo Olympics team, added that Flav’s work is spreading to those communities and beyond.
In sad news, Steffens is currently mourning the loss of her sister-in-law and artist Lulu Conner, the sister of her husband, Bobby Conner. Ms. Conner designed the custom clock that Flava Flav has been wearing for the games, as reported by PEOPLE.
Details are scant but Steffens confirmed it was a medical emergency.
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Photo: Getty
