Recommendations of the Editorial team
Just a week after the announcement, the Great American State Fair Concert Series has virtually collapsed. Six of the nine artists originally scheduled to perform on the National Mall have canceled – all with the same reason: they had been sold a non-partisan show to mark the 250th anniversary of the United States, only to find that the event would be far more political than promised, with obvious connections to President Donald Trump, who has since declared himself a actual brought headliners into play. Sure, of course.
Those who dropped out include Martina McBride, Bret Michaels, Morris Day and the Time, Young MC, the Commodores and Milli Vanilli. Remaining: Vanilla Ice, C+C Music Factory (with restrictions) and Flo Rida. And of these three, Flo Rida remains conspicuously silent.
While the musicians who dropped out have all released statements and those who remain defend their decision – none louder than C+C’s Freedom Williams, who went on a spectacular rant from his toilet – Flo Rida has said next to nothing. Or at least almost nothing.
Laugh instead of talking
His social media pages have been filled with angry comments in recent days, some of which he responded to with laughing emojis. Then on Monday he posted the kind of statement that can be read as the defiance of a man who notices the criticism and decides to ignore it – without directly addressing it.
“Despite all the noise in the world, every day we can choose to be positive and share the good news,” he wrote, adding, “So are you really living, or are you letting the world wear you down? As you can see, me and my #family are rejoicing in the blessings – #grateful for these moments.”
Compare this vague post to Freedom Williams, who declared he had “nothing to do with Trump” while simultaneously announcing his appearance and dismissing angry fans with this unforgettable quote: “I would vote for goddamn Genghis Khan, Hitler and goddamn Ivan the Terrible before I let you n—s do what I have to do.”
Dispute over the band name
(It should be noted that although Williams was C+C’s lead rapper, his current use of the band’s name is controversial. Robert Clivillés, the band’s actual co-founder, has sharply criticized Williams and unequivocally distanced himself from him and the Freedom 250 concert.)
In addition, ROLLING STONE has asked Flo Rida’s management several times for a statement – without response. His booking agent Jeff Epstein (yes, we know) also left a request unanswered. (Epstein represents several other artists associated with Freedom 250.)
This resounding silence from Flo Rida and his team made us wonder: Does Flo Rida even know he’s scheduled to perform in Washington, DC on July 2nd? Is Flo Rida actually performing in Washington, DC on July 2nd?
FloGPT has the answer
Faced with this question – the really serious is and by no means just a funny hook for an article – we went looking for answers and found them on Flo Rida’s website, of all places.
First, the tour dates on Flo Rida’s website do not list a concert on July 2nd, in Washington, DC or elsewhere. However, the live area is pretty sparse. The European tour he just completed is still listed, but other shows he’s scheduled to play in North America this summer are missing (those appear to be real – tickets are available on Ticketmaster if anyone’s interested).
Second: Flo Rida’s website has its own personalized AI chatbot called FloGPT. FloGPT suggests questions like “Flo, how do you come up with such catchy hooks?” or “Flo, what is your most important fitness tip?” – we ignored this harmless trivia and went straight to the only really relevant question: “Is Flo Rida performing at the Great American State Fair Concert Series organized by Freedom 250?”
The answer amazed us: “The Great American State Fair Concert Series, organized by Freedom 250, is known for a diverse lineup. However There is no confirmed information about Flo Rida performing at this event.” (Emphasis by the editor.)
Well then. Somehow. Is that a really solid answer? Absolutely not. Do we know more than we did at the beginning of this article? Barely. Nevertheless, we will continue to try to reach real people – because as much as we would like to trust FloGPT for this gag, we are not naive enough to actually trust an AI.