Well, this is all getting very confusing. Yesterday, the lineup for the Great American State Fair was announced, with acts like Milli Vanilli, Morris Day And The Time, C+C Music Factory, Young MC, Bret Michaels, Flo Rida, and more on the bill to celebrate 250 years of the USA. Shortly after, Morris Day And The Time dropped off, saying he wouldn't be performing despite the "rumor." Young MC promptly followed suit. Now, Milli Vanilli reportedly won't be appearing either, according to a member who is not Fab Morvan.
Singer Jodie Rocco told The Associated Press that she had not been asked to come, nor were her sister Linda Rocco or any of the other group members. Now, who are the Rocco sisters? It seems they performed backing vocals on albums like 1988's All Or Nothing and 1989's Girl You Know It's True, and were even featured on the Oprah: Where Are They Now? episodes about Milli Vanilli in 2014. "It was a common practice for producers, singers, musicians, record companies to have somebody else fronting a very good vocalist," Jodie said on the show. "It was a no-brainer."
Anyway, Fab Morvan, who is generally considered the sole remaining member of Milli Vanilli, has not yet made a comment. Meanwhile, C+C Music Factory rapper Freedom Williams defended his group's decision to do the event via a seven-minute toilet rant video.
UPDATE: It appears we are dealing with a “Real Milli Vanilli” vs Fab’s “Milli Vanilli” situation. According to a new press release from Rocco, the version of the group booked to perform at Trump's event is not the one featuring the original singers and musicians. Presumably this version of Milli Vanilli does involve Morvan, who has been on a press tour this year promoting his Grammy-nominated memoir. Rocco's press release clarifies:
The original/real vocalists from Milli Vanilli, Jodie Rocco, Linda Rocco, John Davis, and Charles Shaw will NOT be performing their hits live at The Great American State Fair. 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.
Morvan getting up on stage to inauthentically represent Milli Vanilli would certainly be a full-circle moment.
Meanwhile, as if intent on cleaning up a PR mess, Vanilla Ice has chimed in with a video message hyping up the Freedom 250 shows. He suggests it's an honor to be involved with the concerts, but also, "We don't take anything too serious, man." Here's his full message, as delivered in a video on Instagram:
This just in! There's a situation. It's going down! America is turning two-fitty. Come on, man, let's go! I'm super honored to do this concert with everybody. We're gonna bring back the '90s. Put your dancing shoes on. You'll be happy, trust me. 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, man. We're gonna bring the '90s. That's how it works! Go ninja, go ninja, go! So we're gonna turn everybody into a teenager for the night. Proud to be an American, and proud and honored for this event. So get in where you fit in, and we'll see you there. Holla holla.
You can watch him say those words below.
