Recording artists ditch Freedom 250 after SPIN notes ties to Trump but C+C Music Factory doubles down on performing
The kill shot for the recordings artists was when SPIN called the event “Trump-organized.”
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The kill shot for the recordings artists was when SPIN called the event “Trump-organized.”
The Great American State Fair is set to kick off at the National Mall in Washington, DC to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the founding of the United States of America. But the musical acts who were announced to perform during the two week, 50-state affair, have started dropping out for political reasons.
Freedom 250 announced the line-up this week, saying it would be an "unforgettable celebration." Martina McBride, Young MC, C+C Music Factory, Vanilla Ice, Milli Vanilli, The Commodores, Morris Day & The Time, Flo Rida, Bret Michaels, "and many more," Freedom 250 promised, would be performing. The celebration was launched with President Trump's executive order establishing Task Force 250, an unprecedented nationwide celebration to honor this absolutely stellar event.
Morris Day, Young MC, and The Commodores all backed out. C+C Music Factory, however, will go on with the show. In a rant, rapper Freedom Williams said no one could cancel him, that most of his audience is white anyway, likely Trump voters, that he doesn't like Trump—or Tiger Woods—that he doesn't care about the 250th anniversary, but that he absolutely would not listen to people telling him what to do. And he said all this while sitting on the toilet.
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His controversial commentary has not yet been addressed by Freedom 250. Of those comments and Williams' position with the group, Stereogum reports "C+C Music Factory rapper Freedom Williams addressed the booking in a seven-minute toilet video, dissing the Trump administration but saying that he'd still play the show, though it's hard to imagine it actually happening after all of that. (For the record, actual surviving C+C Music Factory member Robert Clivilles says that Williams was never a real member and that he's doing his best to ruin the group's name by taking bookings like this.)"
Morris Day posted "It's a no for me," calling off his June 27 concert. Milli Vanilli singer Jodie Rocco said she was surprised to see their group on the list of performers and it's unclear where they stand at this point, reports Variety.
Young MC offered, "The artists were never told about any political involvement with the event. And despite the claims by the organizers that the event is non-partisan, SPIN magazine describes it as 'Trump-backed.' I hope to perform in DC in the near future at an event that is not so politically charged."
SPIN slammed the event and the artists involved, saying "...while organizers promised a roster 'bringing the hits,' they perhaps neglected to specify which century those hits would be arriving from." The outlet said the acts were old, not original, and said of Vanilla Ice that he has been the "perpetual butt of white rapper jokes."
The kill shot for the recording artists wasn't the insult to their artistry, but when SPIN called the event "Trump-organized." The article from SPIN goes on to note that "Freedom 250 describes itself as the 'official public-private partnership' coordinating the nation’s anniversary celebration in conjunction with the White House Task Force 250, federal agencies and the U.S. Semiquincentennial Commission."
SPIN's tone throughout is snarky, dismissive, and elitist, dissing on funnel cake and state fairs in general, but the mention of Trump was enough to send these recording artists running back to the hills.
"Our music has always been our voice and we choose not to publicly affiliate with any single political party. We support the betterment of all Americans," said The Commodores.
Martina McBride issued a lengthy post to "clear the air," saying, "I will not be performing at the Great American State Fair on June 25th. I was presented with an opportunity to perform at a nonpartisan event but that turned out to be misleading." She said she "asked lots of questions and was assured this was a nonpartisan event that was meant to celebrate ALL 50 states." She said that "is, in fact, not what is happening."
Poison's Bret Michaels quit, too, saying, "Unfortunately, what was presented to us as a celebration of our country has evolved into something much more divisive than what I agreed to be a part of. Concerns have also been raised regarding the safety of my fans, band, crew, family and myself, including threats that are completely unfounded and unforgivable. Because of that, I have made the difficult decision to step away from this performance."
The Great American State Fair is set to run June 25 to July 10 and while these big acts have dropped out, there are still others left on the roster who have not yet been announced and not yet dropped out.
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