NEW YORK (AFP) – Two of the nine artists who were announced as headliners for a concert series celebrating the 250th anniversary of the United States have publicly backed out of the event, a day after the lineup was released.
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On Wednesday, the committee in charge of the shows announced the performers scheduled to take the stage in Washington between June 25 and July 10 – listing a bevy of performers who haven’t had a hit in decades, like rapper Vanilla Ice, C+C Music Factory, and half of the duo best known for lip-syncing, Milli Vanilli (the other member died in 1998).
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But rapper Young MC, best known for 1989’s “Bust a Move,” wrote on Instagram that he “will not be performing at the Freedom 250 event,” noting that SPIN magazine called it “Trump-backed” but “the artists were never told about any political involvement with the event.”
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Freedom 250 organisers say they are nonpartisan, but President Donald Trump has announced a series of bombastic plans as he seeks to stamp his mark on this summer’s anniversary – most notably a UFC fight on the lawn of the White House on his 80th birthday in June.
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Musician Morris Day, who once collaborated with Prince and portrayed his musical rival in the movie “Purple Rain,” also denied involvement with the event.
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“Contrary to rumor, Morris Day and the Time will not be performing at the ‘Great American State Fair,'” he wrote on Instagram.
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The White House did not respond to a query about the lineup changes.
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Freedom Williams, who fronts C+C Music Factory, denied being a Trump supporter in a profanity-laced Instagram video, but said the group will take part in the event.
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In a country that has continually produced some of the world’s biggest music stars, the lineup announcement had triggered a wave of mockery on social media.
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“We fought a Revolutionary War, a Civil War, two World Wars, defeated fascism and communism while establishing an indomitable Democracy that’s the envy of the world. And how are we going to celebrate 250 years of American exceptionalism? A UFC fight and Milli Vanilli,” X user @cturnbull1968 wrote, in a post that neatly captured the national mood.
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By contrast, on Wednesday night the nation’s capital hosted singer Bruce Springsteen, a fierce opponent of the president, who announced he would return to the Washington area on October 3 for the Power to the People Festival, where he will perform with the Foo Fighters, Dave Matthews, Joan Baez and other top-billing acts.