A concert series honoring the country’s 250th anniversary announced its first wave of artists on Wednesday.
Also on Wednesday: Multiple announced artists dropped out.
The concerts, scheduled to take place in June and July in Washington, D.C., were heavy on hitmakers of the 1980s and 1990s. Some posted that they were not aware the event was part of the initiative planned by the Trump administration celebrating the nation’s milestone anniversary. So the Grammy-winning hip-hop artist Young MC will not be busting a move during the festivities after all.
On Instagram, he wrote that he hopes to perform in Washington “in the near future at an event that is not so politically charged.”
“I have informed my agents that I will not be performing at the Freedom 250 event,” Young MC, whose real name is Marvin Young, wrote in all capital letters. “The artists were never told about any political involvement with the event.”
Young MC joined Morris Day, frontman of the Prince-affiliated funk-rock band the Time, who wrote that he and the group would not be participating with a short, direct Instagram post: “It’s a No for Me.”
The fallout continued on Thursday when the Milli Vanilli singer Jodie Rocco said that the group had not been asked to perform, despite being announced in the lineup.
“My sister and I were shocked to see our name, ‘Milli Vanilli’, as one of the performers,” Rocco wrote in an email to The Associated Press. (The announcement of the Freedom 250 lineup featured an image of the group’s original frontman, Fab Morvan, who did not sing on the original hits and has been performing separately from Rocco; it was unclear whether Morvan planned to appear at the event.)
In a statement, Rachel Reisner, a spokeswoman for Freedom 250, called the group “nonpartisan” and said, “Freedom 250 is focused on our signature celebrations and events that honor our history and engage all Americans — welcoming all who share our goal of commemorating this milestone in a way that uplifts and unites America.”
The organizers of the series also said they were continuing to work with the artists and their managers to see if they could be persuaded to return.
The group C+C Music Factory, known for the hit “Gonna Make You Sweat (Everybody Dance Now),” is apparently weighing whether to perform. The lead vocalist, Freedom Williams, initially said he would not attend after learning the event was orchestrated by the Trump administration.
But in a lengthy video post discussing a wide range of disparate topics, he appeared intent on performing to spite those who reacted angrily to the initial announcement of the group’s participation.
The other announced performers were the hip-hop artists Vanilla Ice (who appeared at Donald Trump’s New Year’s Eve party at Mar-a-Lago) and Flo Rida, Martina McBride, the Poison frontman Bret Michaels and the Commodores.
Accepting or declining an invitation for a Trump-associated event is largely viewed as an endorsement or rejection, a story line that has played out countless times during his two terms in office.
In the aftermath of winning championships, sports teams now often debate the customary offer of attending a White House celebration. Multiple high-profile artists have publicly demanded that the Trump campaign stop using their music at rallies or in social media posts. Last year, a number of artists canceled planned shows at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts after Trump’s sweeping changes to the institution. Just last week, New York Giants quarterback Jaxson Dart drew reactions when he introduced Trump at a political event.
The concert series is scheduled to take place between June 25 and July 10 on the National Mall.
Jonathan Abrams is a Times reporter who writes about the intersections of sports and culture and the changing cultural scenes in the South.
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