Public Enemy News

(9/27/02, 6 p.m. ET) - Public Enemy hype man and part-time rapper Flavor Flav was sentenced to nine weeks in jail by a judge on Wednesday (September 25). The sentence was imposed because Flavor Flav violated the terms of his parole by failing to make his scheduled appointments with his probation officer and failing to pay numerous traffic violations. The rapper will serve the sentence at New York's Riker's Island prison and will unfortunately miss Public Enemy's tour with Blackalicious and Dilated Peoples.

Fans of the rapper have started a petition to get him freed at allhiphop.com. The petition reads, in part, "We charge that the conditions in Riker's Island are deplorable and completely unsuitable for somebody who we proclaim to be a hero of hip-hop and American culture. We charge that the system will let a repeat offender like Robert Downey Jr. have multiple opportunities to resolve personal issues, but when it come to Flavor Flav and others like him, we get a judge who makes it his personal cause to make an example of him. And furthermore, we charge that hip-hoppers in general are the victims of an unfair and biased judicial system."

Remaining Public Enemy/Dilated Peoples/Blackalicious tour dates (subject to change):

September 30 - Chicago, IL - House Of Blues

October 2 - Denver, CO - Ogden Theatre

October 3 - Albuquerque, NM - Sunshine Theatre

October 4 - Scottsdale, AZ - Cajun House

October 5 - Devore, CA - Glen Helen Blockbuster Pavilion

October 6 - Solana Beach, CA - Belly Up Tavern

October 7 - West Hollywood, CA - House Of Blues

October 9 - Anaheim, CA - House Of Blues

October 11 - San Francisco, CA - The Fillmore

Yves Erwin Salomon, New York

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