Flavor Flav Visits WGA Picket Line, Urges Writers to ‘Fight the Power’

18 March 2011 - Las Vegas, Nevada - Flavor Flav. Worship Thursday with Public Enemy at Tao Nightclub inside The Venetian Las Vegas, NV. Photo Credit: MJT/AdMedia/Shutterstock

Flavor Flav rallied behind striking writers on Thursday (May 18), with food, drinks, and a message to “fight the power.”

The Public Enemy rapper visited the Writers Guild of America picket line outside Warner Bros. Studios in Burbank, Calif., at the same time Abbott Elementary creator Quinta Brunson and Ted Lasso star Jason Sudeikis were there walking the picket line.

Flavor Flav told KCAL News he joined the writers to “give them a little energy.”

The rapper grabbed a megaphone, led the crowd in a series of chants, and belted out part of Public Enemy’s 1989 political anthem “Fight the Power.”

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The gathering took place on the same day SAG-AFTRA sent out strike-authorization ballots to its members. A vote of approval gives union leaders the power to call a strike if contract negotiations with the studios break down. SAG-AFTRA’s current TV/Theatrical contract expires on June 30.

Sudeikis, who’s a member of the WGA and SAG-AFTRA, told KCAL News the unions would be in a better position to negotiate if they join forces.

“These unions have got to consolidate,” he said.

Brunson, who’s also in both unions, agreed with the former SNL star.

“I think we have a better chance of getting what we need,” she explained.

The WGA strike began on May 2, after contract talks broke down between the union and The Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP), which represents the studios and streamers.

The WGA is calling for industry standards on the number of writers assigned to each show, pay increases, increases in streaming residuals, and rules that would limit the use of artificial intelligence in writing projects.

The AMPTP has said it presented a “comprehensive package proposal” to the guild, which included “generous increases in compensation for writers,” but the proposal was rejected.

Watch the video from KCAL News below: