Mayhem erupted after the lineup for the President Donald Trump-backed Freedom 250 concert series dropped earlier this week.
Multiple performers are already fleeing from being associated with the polarizing politician.
Most of the performers on The Great American State Fair bill have already pulled out. Yet one Black artist seems to be committed to showing up.
Florida-born rapper Tramar “Flo Rida” Dillard, 46, has yet to bow to the intense online pressure.
The Washington, DC. event commemorating America’s 250th birthday is scheduled between June 25 and July 10 at the National Mall.
Supporters call for the “Right Round” hitmaker to denounce his participation in the Freedom 250 celebration.
Flo Rida’s Instagram comment section has been overtaken by fans questioning whether was now aligned with Trump government.
If critics were expecting a definitive condemnation of the current administration, they were left disappointed.
“Performing for Trump? Why??” one concerned Instagram user asked Flo under a recently shared video filmed in Belgium.
Instead of shutting down the conversation for following other black artist who backed out, he laughed. He replied to the criticism with three rolling laughing on the floor emojis.
Other commenters also weighed in on Flo Rida seemingly sticking with the plan to play The Great American State Fair.
Many called Flo Rida “MAGA sellout,” among other names, posting emojis of clown faces. Another disgruntled poster said, “Flo Rida will do anything for a dolla.”
His top pinned Instagram post from Feb. 16 was flooded with critiques as well.
“Please tell me you ain’t a Trumper,” voiced one individual. A more sympathetic supporter requested that he cancel, writing, “God bless you, Flo!!! Do not perform for the orange one!”
“You signed up for Trump’s Minstrel Show?” read another questioning comment.
In addition to Flo Rida, organizers for The Great American State Fair had initially disclosed a list of talent set to take the stage.
The intial flyer included Morris Day & The Time, Young MC, Milli Vanilli, The Commodores, C+C Music Factory, Martina McBride, Bret Michaels, and Vanilla Ice.
As of this writing, only four performers have not canceled their appearance for the festival. The Time bandleader Morris Day withdrew on May 27, telling his Instagram followers, “It’s A No For Me.”
“Bust a Move” rapper Young MC also dropped out on May 27 with a Facebook post. He claimed he wasn’t told the Freedom 250 event had any political involvement, assuming it was nonpartisan.
On May 28, Jodie Rocco expressed being “shocked” to see Milli Vanilli on the lineup in a statement to The Associated Press.
That same day, R&B band The Commodores took to Instagram to say, “We choose not to publicly affiliate with any single political party.”
Country singer Martina McBride followed suit with a message on X, calling the Trump-linked event being presented to her as politically neutral “misleading.”
By May 29, Poison frontman Bret Michaels was out of The Great American State Fair, too. The rocker informed his Instagram followers that he made the “difficult decision to step away from the performance,” citing his preference to stay out of politics.
Apparently, concertgoers will get to hear C+C Music Factory songs such as “Gonna Make You Sweat (Everybody Dance Now)” in DC.
On May 27, Freedom Williams uploaded an expletive-filled rant while on the toilet, saying he “don’t give a f–k about Trump,” but reiterated he will not cave to the demands of people on social media.
However, C+C Music Factory co-creator Robert Clivillés accused the “guest featured artist” of misrepresenting and misusing the group’s name.
The music producer wrote on Facebook, “Freedom Williams should not be using it to tour, nor represent what this group stands for in any way!”
Milli Vanilli’s involvement with the upcoming Freedom 250 extravaganza is also complicated.
One-half of the original disgraced duo is still on board.
Fab Morvan explained to Consequence that he is “honored” to be part of the fair.
The Frenchman and late Rob Pilatus were outed in 1990 for lip syncing on the group’s records, leading to international backlash. Morvan now sings live.
Unsurprisingly, representatives of Vanilla Ice told NBC News that the “Ice Ice Baby” rhymer is “contracted and will perform” at The Great American Fair on June 26.
The 1990s-era celebrity was seen on stage at a New Year’s Eve gala held at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort in December.
