Freedom 250 announced its musical lineup for the Great American State Fair on Wednesday. One day later, two artists announced they will not attend.
The Great American State Fair will take place at the National Mall in Washington, DC from June 25 – July 10, but it will unfold without performances by Young MC and Morris Day. Both artists took to social media to state they would not be participating, despite the inclusion of their names in Freedom 250’s performance schedule.
“I HAVE INFORMED MY AGENTS THAT I WILL NOT BE PERFORMING AT THE FREEDOM 250 EVENT,” Young MC wrote in a statement shared on Instagram and X.
“The artists were never told about any political involvement with the event,” the famous continued. “And despite the claims by the organizers that the event is non-partisan, 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.”
Young MC also recorded a personal video message to clarify his position.
He said his agent called him about the event, and his response was, “Trump freedom show?” I’m like what are you talking about?”
He recalled the conversation.
“My agent called me about three months ago and said, ‘you, you wanna do a show on the 25th in Washington,’ I said ‘yeah,’ I do shows in Washington all the time. He didn’t say nothing about Trump. He didn’t mention Trump!”
“So I told my agent, no I ain’t gonna be able to do that,” the rapper continued.
Morris Day, best known as the lead singer of The Time, issued a statement to his official Instagram page informing fans that “Contrary to rumor, Morris Day & The Time will not be performing at the ‘Great American State Fair.’”
Day followed up with a personal caption that said, “It’s A No For Me.” (RELATED: Great American State Fair Musical Lineup Announced)
JUST ANNOUNCED: The lineup for The Great American State Fair is here — and it’s bringing the hits. 🇺🇸🎶
Martina McBride, Young MC, C+C Music Factory, Vanilla Ice, Milli Vanilli, The Commodores, Morris Day & The Time, Flo Rida, Bret Michaels …and many more.
16 days. 56 states… pic.twitter.com/DJdypWJl3P
— Freedom 250 (@Freedom250) May 27, 2026
Freedom 250’s press release issued to social media May 27 listed performances by Vanilla Ice, Martina McBride, C+C Music Factory, Young MC, Morris Day, Poison’s Bret Michaels, Flo Rida and Fab Morvan, the surviving member of Milli Vanilli.
The Daily Caller requested comment from Freedom 250 to determine if Young MC and Morris Day had booked and canceled, or if their names were listed prior to confirming their appearances.
Freedom 250 spokeswoman Rachel Reisner issued a statement, saying, “Freedom 250 is a nonpartisan 501(c)(3) dedicated to uniting Americans around the nation’s 250th anniversary.”
Reisner continued, “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.”