Public Enemy's Chuck D and Flavor Flav Feud Revealed as April Fools' Day Hoax

Don’t believe the hype, Chuck D hasn’t fired Flavor Flav from legendary hip-hop group Public Enemy. In fact, it was all an April Fools’ Day hoax to promote their new music.

The group first announced founding member Flav’s ousting in March, wishing him well in a statement from the group.

“You can’t fire me. There is no Public Enemy without Flavor Flav,” the rapper tweeted in response.

Now the two rappers have revealed the entire thing was an elaborate stunt to draw attention to their latest release as a group and to illustrate their belief that the media covers bad news over good news when it comes to hip-hop.

“I had watched Orson Welles’ War of the Worlds from 1938 when he pulled the wool over the public’s eyes as they put 100% belief in the technology of radio,” explains Chuck D in a statement. “Most people followed like a Pavlovic dog just like they do now.”

Chuck D’s latest group, Enemy Radio, released their debut album Loud Is Not Enough on Wednesday. The collection’s first single is a collaboration with Public Enemy titled “Food As a Machine Gun.”

“Does it take doing crazy s— or catastrophe to wake people up?” asks Chuck D. “Obviously so, even when paying attention is the cheapest price to pay.”

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Talk of a rift between the two started after Flav, 61, sent a cease and desist letter to Bernie Sanders concerning a rally where Chuck D, 59, was set to appear.

In the letter, Flav clarified that he didn’t endorse any candidate, though marketing for the event made it look as if the whole group was cosigning.

Chuck D reveals he created this new group to handle events like the Sanders rally without obligating Flav, something the rapper was very much aware of.

“Flav doesn’t do benefits and stays away from political events — we been cool and always agreed about that,” continues Chuck D.

The hip-hop group was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2013, at which time singer Harry Belafonte called them “radical, revolutionary change agents.”

“Out of this storm came a plan between Flav and me to remind people that what’s important should have as much, if not more, value than just what’s popular,” states Chuck D. “Thus came the HOAX, our ‘War of the Worlds.’ Believe half of what you hear and NONE of what you see.”