ALBAWABA - Multiple celebrities withdrew from the America 250 celebration amid political controversy.
Several performers who were scheduled to perform at a giant celebration of America's 250th birthday on the National Mall next month have denied rumors that they will be attending.
Morris Day and the Time, Young MC, and the C+C Music Factory all made online announcements that they would not be performing at the "Great American State Fair" in Washington.
“I HAVE INFORMED MY AGENTS THAT I WILL NOT BE PERFORMING AT THE FREEDOM 250 EVENT,” Young MC wrote in a Facebook post. “The artists were never told about any political involvement with the event.”
“And despite the claims by the organizers that the event is nonpartisan, SPIN magazine describes it as 'Trump-backed.'” "I hope to perform in D.C. in the near future at an event that is not so politically charged,” he added.
Other artists also expressed similar feelings.
Vocalist Freedom Williams of C+C Music Factory said in a vulgar Instagram post that he also instructed his agency to remove him from the celebration, as he was unaware of its political connections.
“He didn’t mention Trump. I’m getting all these texts, ‘We’re going to cancel C+C Music Factory; the event is going to be a terrible show,’” Williams said in the video post.
“So I told my agent, yeah, no, I'm not good to do that. … I don’t f— with Trump. I don’t give a f— about Trump. I know the type of f—ing anarchy he creates. But the day I let you motherf—–s tell me what to do is the day I die,” he added.
The Time and Morris Day declined to play as well.
“Contrary to rumor, Morris Day & The Time will not be performing at the ‘GREAT AMERICAN STATE FAIR,’” the artist wrote in a Wednesday graphic posted to Facebook.
In the caption, the artist added, “It’s a no for me."
Rappers Flo Rida and Vanilla Ice, along with country music star Martina McBride, are still scheduled to perform.
Requests for comment regarding the other artists' choice to withdraw from the event were not immediately answered by Freedom 250, the organization organizing the fair.
The event is meant to "bring together people from all 56 states and territories to celebrate the traditions, innovation, music, military heritage, freedom, and entrepreneurial spirit that define our nation," according to Freedom 250 CEO Keith Krach's initial statement announcing the lineup.
