This summer, as the United States of America celebrates the 250th anniversary of Independence Day, the Trump administration will mark the occasion with Freedom 250, an inflationary display of grandeur featuring a UFC event on the White House lawn, an IndyCar grand prix around D.C. and a Ferris wheel. On Wednesday, the Freedom 250 team announced the “Great American State Fair,” a 16-day concert series on the National Mall. After immediate backlash, many artists initially billed to perform have dropped out.

The Freedom 250 organizers’ original lineup boasted performances from the very ‘90s lineup of Martina McBride, Young MC, C+C Music Factory, Vanilla Ice, Milli Vanilli, The Commodores, Morris Day & The Time, Flo Rida and Bret Michaels. Funk journeyman and Prince collaborator Day was the first to drop off the bill with a post to Instagram just hours later that reads “Contrary to rumor, Morris Day & The Time will not be performing at the ‘Great American State Fair,’” captioned “It’s A No For Me 😎.” Young MC followed suit shortly after with a post pointing to a confusion that seems to be at the heart of the mass exodus:

“I HAVE INFORMED MY AGENTS THAT 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 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.”

On Thursday evening, chart-topping funk and soul outfit The Commodores and country singer-songwriter McBride bailed, too; the band clarified, “Our music has always been our voice and we choose not to publicly affiliate with any single political party. We support the betterment of all Americans.” For her part, McBride dug into the misleading framing of the Freedom 250 initiative – which has already faced criticism for the evident corruption and bribery in its public and private funding – and deliberately cleared her name of any association with the Trump administration.

“I will not be performing at the Great American State Fair on June 25th. I was presented with an opportunity to perform at a nonpartisan event but that turned out to be misleading. I asked lots of questions and was assured this was a nonpartisan event that was meant to celebrate ALL 50 states. In my mind I thought this was a great way to celebrate the states and also bring people together in the way that only music can… What we were told is, in fact, not what is happening. I’ve spent my entire career singing songs about real people with real issues. I’ve been blessed with the opportunity to be a voice for those who have felt like they didn’t have one. It greatly upsets me that any fan who has been moved by my music may now feel like I’m abandoning the meaning behind those songs. I assure you, that is not the case.”

Michaels chimed in and dropped out later last night with a lengthy Instagram post, signed “a lead singer with long texting issues,” in which he cited both misinformation about the event’s purpose and threats he received for his participation. “Unfortunately, what was presented to us as a celebration of our country has evolved into something much more divisive than what I agreed to be a part of,” the former Poison singer wrote. “Concerns have also been raised regarding the safety of my fans, band, crew, family and myself, including threats that are completely unfounded and unforgivable… This isn’t about politics. It’s about staying true to what I’ve always believed in.”

On the far side of the split is Vanilla Ice, who took to Instagram to confirm his participation and promise to “bring back the ‘90s” with an upbeat video filmed while walking around outside. The rapper born Robert Matthew Van Winkle, who offered a similar justification for his 2020 New Year’s Eve concert at Mar-a-Lago, said, “It’s all about enjoying the great times of 250 years, man, from George Washington to now, and all the presidents, everybody in between. This is a magical event that’s gonna happen, and very rare. So I’m honored, man. This is gonna be epic, and that’s it. We don’t take anything too serious. We’re gonna bring the ’90s. That’s how it works. Go ninja, go ninja, go!”

Milli Vanilli and C+C Music Company gave more ambiguous responses. Jodie Rocco, singer and commenter for “the real Mili Vanilli,” shared a press release to clarify that she and the other singers behind the Grammy-winning (and losing) lip-sync duo had not been asked to perform in the Freedom 250 concerts, and that “Others using the name ‘Milli Vanilli’ that appear on the advertisement should be considered a tribute band with no association vocally or musically to our sound or songs.” She’s referring to Fab Morvan, the surviving member of the duo who served as the public face for Milli Vanilli and now the sole owner of the name; Morvan (French, for whatever it’s worth) confirmed his participation, writing that he’s “here to entertain and unite people, not divide them. Let’s celebrate life & music and take a trip down memory lane. I feel honored to be a part of this as it will celebrate the 250 Year Anniversary of America with so many other accomplished artists.”

C+C Music Factory rapper Freedom Williams is also the owner of a trademark in dispute with former collaborators. Williams said his piece in a seven-minute rant from the toilet, packed with expletives and decidedly mixed messages. It seems he also agreed to perform without being informed of the Freedom 250 commission’s connections to Trump, and had initially intended to withdraw, but was moved to go ahead with the performance to spite the public outcry against it. “I don’t fuck with Trump,” he said. “I don’t give a fuck about Trump. I don’t give a fuck about Trump’s family.”:

“But the day I let you motherfuckers tell me what to do is the day I die. I want to make that shit motherfucking crystal clear. I do not live for none of you *****s. Listen, I will vote for fucking Genghis Khan, Hitler, and motherfucking Ivan the Terrible before I let you *****s tell me what to motherfucking do.”

Flo Rida is the only artist yet to comment, which is the lowest answer of them all.