Young MC, Morris Day and Milli Vanilli are among the scheduled acts who have said they won’t show up.
WASHINGTON — A day after President Donald Trump’s Freedom 250 announced the “first batch” of performers for its Great American State Fair show on the National Mall in June and July, scheduled performers such as Young MC and Morris Day said they would not appear.
Day and Young MC issued a statement on social media on Wednesday, disputing Freedom 250’s statement. Scheduled performers also include the 1980s pop duo Milli Vanilli, whose lead singers Rob Pilatus and Fab Morvan were discredited after it was revealed they were merely lip-syncing. One of the actual singers, Jodie Rocco, told The Associated Press that she, her sister Linda Rocco, and any of the studio singers who performed under the band’s name after the scandal were not invited to participate.
“When my sister and I saw our name ‘Milli Vanilli’ listed as one of the performers, I was shocked,” Judy Rocco wrote in an email.
Milli Vanilli won a Grammy Award for Best New Artist in 1990, but the award was revoked after the scandal broke. Pilatus and Morvan released an album under their own names, “Rob & Fab”, in 1993, but sales were poor. Pilatus died in 1998, while Morvan attempted a solo career and published a memoir, “You Know It’s True: The Real Story of Milli Vanilli,” which earned him a Grammy nomination for “Best Audiobook, Narration and Storytelling Recording.”
Efforts to contact Morvan and determine whether he would perform on the National Mall were not immediately successful.
A spokesperson for Freedom 250 did not immediately respond to a request for comment Thursday. Freedom 250, launched by Trump late last year, describes itself as a “national, nonpartisan organization leading the celebration of our nation’s 250th birthday.” Trump appointed Keith Krach, who served as deputy secretary of state during his first term, as the organization’s chief executive.
Trump and his supporters’ relationship with the music industry has long been contentious. Celine Dion, Elton John and Guns N’ Roses are among many artists who have objected to having their music played at Trump rallies.
In a post on Instagram, the Young MC questioned whether the show on the National Mall would be non-partisan. “The artists were never informed that the event had any political involvement,” he wrote, adding that he hoped to “conduct a less politically charged event in Washington, D.C. in the near future.” Day posted on Instagram, “Contrary to rumors, Morris Day and the Times will not be performing at the Great American State Fair.”
Young MC and Milli Vanilli are both on the list for the June 26 “I Love the 90s” concert. Day was included in the June 27 performance list. Other announced performers include the Commodores, Flo Rida and Martina McBride. The Great American State Fair is scheduled for June 25-July 10.
There will be at least one “I Love the ’90s” show: Vanilla Ice.
“He was proud to help celebrate America’s 250th anniversary!” a representative for the “Ice Ice Baby” rapper wrote in an email to The Associated Press. “Everyone is welcome to join in and celebrate America’s birthday and our freedoms!”
