TMZ has a video of former (and apparently current) Public Enemy rapper Flavor Flav being rapped about the head and body by a man who has been identified as Ugandi Howard, who served time for involuntary manslaughter. Howard apparently finished up his parole requirements after being released from prison in 2005.
For the record, the TMZ video is like many smartphone videos – it shows the fight but not what started it. From what can be seen, Flav was in a relatively secluded spot in the casino because there weren’t many people around (though they may have fled before things got bad). Flav is 58, and because it isn’t clear what started the beating (Flav was taken to the hospital for treatment) it seems Howard was either not a big fan of his rap or Flav said something that did not sit well with Howard.
If it was a planned attack, Howard chose the right spot. The video shows Flav on the floor with Howard sticking him with a few solid right hands, while a bystander tries to keep Howard away from Flav who is clearly defensive. There is plenty of open space between the slot machines which ended up being a boxing ring for the two. (It’s not clear if Flav was playing the 50 Cent machines, another possibility of what set Howard off.) The video ends with police wrestling a bit with Howard, who seemed pissed that the cops were arresting him.
Flav lives in Las Vegas, so it’s possible the guy went looking for him. Howard’s defense attorney back in ’93 is now a Clark County district attorney, so he can’t expect any help there. But Flav is no angel here either. He has been convicted of a DWI and a felony charge of battery in a domestic violence case. Flav’s lawyer, Kristina Wildeveld, said in a statement that “He has never caused ill will to his fans.” But she said nothing about how that applies to his enemies.
My take on the video is that Flav said something that pissed the guy off. The reason is that the guy stopped and seemed to be waiting for Flav to get up, like he had started the thing and was giving him a fair shot. But when the 58 year old Flav stayed on his booty, Howard moved in for the big finish. It really is unbecoming of a 58 year old man to be crawling around on the floor of a casino — unless they are looking for the $100 bill they dropped. Howard was clearly trying to seriously hurt Flav, so something went on where he was waiting for an apology or something that would stop the drubbing. The fight scene ends with some guy protecting Flav as he was trying to get back up off the floor.
There are a couple of lessons to be learned from this video. One, ex-rappers who have trouble getting up off the floor should show exercise some Low-T characteristics and not act aggressively towards their fellow man. Two, Las Vegas casinos are not as safe a place as the commercials lead you to believe. The fact there is zero security in the area where the fight takes place is proof enough — security cameras or not. Finally, didn’t your mother tell you that you shouldn’t talk to strangers?
What goes on in Vegas only stays in Vegas when there is not some snoop around with a smartphone camera waiting to make a few bucks on your fame – and misery.
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