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Young MC, the rapper known for “Bust a Move” and his 1990s stardom, has claimed in a recent interview he had “no clue” The Great American State Fair in Washington D.C., where he had been booked before backing out, was a politically driven event put together by President Donald Trump’s organization.
In an interview published Thursday, May 28th, the hip-hop star told Vibe the fair, part of Trump’s Freedom 250 celebrations, was misrepresented to him from the start and was a “bait-and-switch.”
“I had no clue it was considered a ‘Trump-backed’ event, so that was new to me,” Young MC said. “My whole thing was, ‘Tell me what the event is, what it’s about, who you are, and then give me the choice of whether I want to do the event or not.’ I was never given that choice. I was told one thing and then it was a bait-and-switch. All the comments I’ve seen from the artists that have dropped out thought it was supposed to be a regular show in D.C.”
Young MC was given the option by his agent to fill a slot on The Great American State Fair concert left open after the May 22nd death of rapper Rob Base, a close friend of Young MC, and the “Bust a Move” rapper accepted, according to the interview.
Backlash came after the lineup was announced Wednesday, May 27th. Fans and critics shamed Young MC online. He was called a “MAGA douchebag.” Other artists received similar criticisms and started distancing themselves from the event.
Morris Day, who had been announced with The Time, put out a statement declaring, “Contrary to rumor,” he and his band weren’t performing the event, and singers of Milli Vanilli said they weren’t involved with the fair despite the group being promoted as one of the acts on the event.
Young MC released a statement on social media that said, “I have informed my agent I will not be performing at the Freedom 250 event. 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.”
However, politics is an area that Young MC has waded into in the past. He backed Bill Clinton in the 1990s and was a Barack Obama ally, Vibe reported. But he’s become alienated from American politics.
“I perform in front of crowds that have whatever political beliefs they have, and that’s not an issue for me,” the rapper told Vibe. “I’m going to continue to do that, so it is what it is. But when an event is presented to an artist they’re booked on as nonpolitical and nonpartisan, and then turns around and becomes hyper-partisan like it’s a rally, that’s when I have a problem.”
In the interview Young MC said, his music is way for people “to get away from politics and news.
“So any divisiveness you feel in a political space, I want to get rid of that if you listen to my music,” he said. “I’m not asking people who they vote for when they come to my show or listen to a song, and I’m not trying to lead people in one direction or the other.”
Young MC further explained why he keeps his distance from politics.
“I’m a political independent — not only for my beliefs — but it’s just the way I am,” he said in the interview. “I’m so apolitical in my music that if I’m going to get any controversy, I want it to be over something that I’m actually standing for — not a bait-and-switch where I turn around, and people are like, ‘Oh, you’re doing a MAGA show.’ And I’m like, ‘Where did that come from?’”
Plus, playing the event doesn’t help his bottom line, Young MC told Vibe.
“It really doesn’t make financial sense,” he said. “As soon as you get affiliated with a group on one side or the other, you’re costing yourself money from getting potential gigs on the other side, and that’s how they look at it. Regardless of what my personal views are, they want me to have the opportunity to play in front of as many people as possible. For me, I take that approach and keep politics out of my music.”
Despite calling his booking a bait-and-switch and saying he wasn’t informed the event was backed by Trump, Young MC supported his booking agent. He didn’t think the agent misled him and wasn’t trying to sabotage him, he said.
The artists distancing themselves from The Great American State Fair hadn’t coordinated their actions, Young MC told Vibe.
“Have you ever seen something where all the artists involved are saying the exact same thing?” he said. “It’s not like we got together and said, ‘Let’s craft this story.’ No, everybody’s saying the same thing. We did not know. To us, it was a regular show in D.C. I’m at the point where that’s really the bigger point rather than like, ‘Oh, you bowed to the pressure.’ It really isn’t that. I don’t see how anything positive could come out of that show, so I reacted accordingly.”
The lineup for the Freedom 250 event leans heavily on 1990s acts and includes Vanilla Ice, Bret Michaels, Flo Rida, C+C Music Factory, The Commodores, and Martina McBride.
Taking place June 25th through July 10th on the National Mall in celebration of America’s 250th anniversary, The Great American State Fair also promises other American-first programming including “MAHA Mondays.” Find more details and sign up for free admission at the official website.
English (US) · 