{"id":472522,"date":"2026-05-29T05:27:08","date_gmt":"2026-05-29T05:27:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/472522\/"},"modified":"2026-05-29T05:27:08","modified_gmt":"2026-05-29T05:27:08","slug":"freedom-250-lineup-in-chaos-as-some-artists-drop-out","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/472522\/","title":{"rendered":"Freedom 250 Lineup in Chaos as Some Artists Drop Out"},"content":{"rendered":"

\n\tA lineup announcement of musicians who supposedly agreed to perform at the \u201cGreat American State Fair<\/a>\u201d on Washington D.C.\u2019s National Mall as part of Freedom 250 on Wednesday has sparked chaos among the performers. Morris Day, leader of the Time<\/a>, promptly announced that a performance by his funk ensemble was \u201ca no for me,\u201d and others have followed suit.<\/p>\n

\n\tMartina McBride<\/a>\u00a0on Thursday took to social media to \u201cclear the air\u201d and\u00a0announce, \u201cI will not be performing at the Great American State Fair on June 25th.\u201d The singer said that while she was \u201cpresented with an opportunity to perform at a nonpartisan event,\u201d the supposed show \u201cturned out to be misleading.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tWilliam King of the Commodores confirmed to Rolling Stone over the phone that the band would not be performing at the event. \u201cOur music has always been our voice and we choose not to publicly affiliate with any single political party,\u201d the band said in a statement on Instagram<\/a>. \u201cWe support the betterment of all Americans.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tThe initial lineup of musicians for the event \u2014 which was organized by Keith Krach, an appointee of President Trump \u2014 included Martina McBride, Flo Rida, Vanilla Ice<\/a>, Young MC<\/a>, C+C Music Factory<\/a>, Milli Vanilli, the Commodores, and Bret Michaels. It didn\u2019t take long for Day to distance himself from the event, who called the booking a \u201crumor\u201d in a social media post<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\n\tYoung MC, 59, announced late Wednesday night that he wouldn\u2019t even dare bust a move at the event. \u201cI HAVE INFORMED MY AGENTS THAT I WILL NOT BE PERFORMING AT THE FREEDOM 250 EVENT,\u201d he wrote on Facebook<\/a>. \u201cThe artists were never told about any political involvement with the event.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tYoung MC told VIBE<\/a> on Thursday, \u201cI had no clue it was considered a \u2018Trump-backed\u2019 event, so that was new to me,\u201d the rapper says. \u201cMy whole thing was \u2018tell me what the event is, what it\u2019s about, who you are, and then give me the choice of whether I want to do the event or not.\u2019 I was never given that choice. I was told one thing and then it was a bait-and-switch. All the comments I\u2019ve seen from the artists that have dropped out thought it was supposed to be a regular show in D.C.\u201d<\/p>\n

\t\tEditor\u2019s picks<\/p>\n

\n\tMembers of C + C Music Factory, meanwhile, have said they\u2019re excited to play the event. Freedom Williams, the rapper featured on \u201cGonna Make You Sweat (Everybody Dance Now)\u201d and the group\u2019s other hits, filmed himself (maybe) on the toilet<\/a> to say he wanted to do it. \u201cI don\u2019t fuck with Trump,\u201d he said. \u201cI don\u2019t give a fuck about Trump. I don\u2019t give a fuck about Trump\u2019s family. I don\u2019t know the n\u2014a. I\u2019m from New York. I know the type of anarchy he creates. But the day I let you motherfuckers tell me what to do is the day I die.\u201d He then said he\u2019d vote for Genghis Khan, Hitler, and \u201cmotherfucking Ivan the Terrible before I let you n\u2014as tell me what to motherfucking do.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tRobert Clivill\u00e9s, one of the Music Factory\u2019s namesake Cs, however, said he couldn\u2019t back Williams\u2019 screed in an Instagram post<\/a>. Williams obtained the trademark<\/a> to the group\u2019s name in 2005 and has been performing without Clivill\u00e9s. In a separate post, Clivill\u00e9s commented that it was \u201cFreedom Williams soley [sic] misrepresenting C&C Music Factory,\u201d suggesting he was using the group\u2019s name without permission. \u201cPlease vent on his personal page and know that this is not a C&C Music Factory Participation.\u201d Moreover, he said the Music Factory \u201cdoes not participate nor side with any specific political party.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tMembers of a group called the Real Milli Vanilli said they would not be performing at Freedom 250. \u201cOthers using the name \u2018Milli Vanilli\u2019 that appear on the advertisement should be considered a tribute band with no association vocally or musically to our sound or songs,\u201d the group\u2019s Jodie Rocco said in a statement posted to social media<\/a>. Since Fab Morvan, the remaining face of the group, is pictured in the photo, though, it\u2019s unclear who was booked.<\/p>\n

\t\tRelated Content<\/p>\n

\n\tVanilla Ice\u2019s manager, TQ Management, tells Rolling Stone that the rapper is looking forward to the concert. \u201cVanilla Ice is contracted and will perform at the Great American Fair at the National Mall on Friday, June 26,\u201d the rep says. \u201cHe is proud to help celebrate America\u2019s 250th Anniversary! Everyone is welcome to attend and celebrate USA\u2019s Birthday and our Freedom!\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tReps for Bret Michaels, Flo Rida, and Milli Vanilli\u2019s Fab Morvan did not immediately respond to Rolling Stone\u2018s requests for comment.<\/p>\n

\t\tTrending Stories<\/p>\n

\n\tTrump\u2019s appointee, Krach, outlined his goals for Freedom 250 in a statement on his website<\/a>. \u201cI am grateful to President Trump for the opportunity to execute his vision for Freedom 250,\u201d he wrote. \u201cAt its core, Freedom 250 is a national movement \u2014 bringing states, businesses, organizations, and citizens together to honor our history, cherish our God-given freedoms, and help build a golden age of opportunity for the next 250 years.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tThis article was updated on May 28 at 9:15 p.m. ET to include a statement from Martina McBride.<\/p>\n