C+C Music Factory Co-Founder Sues Frontman Over Control Of Name

The fight for the future of C+C Music Factory is officially on.C+C, the hip-house hitmakers who dominated the early '90s jock jam scene with monolithic bangers like "Gonna Make You Sweat (Everybody Dance Now)" and "Things That Make You Go Hmmm…," took their name from their two founding producers, David Cole and Robert Clivillés. But Freedom Williams, the rapper who appears on many of the group's biggest hits, trademarked the C+C Music Factory name in 2005 and has been steadily touring under the name since the '90s. Civillés has long criticized Williams' stewardship of the name, and now he's legally challenging it.The conflict flared up this spring when C+C were announced as part of Donald Trump's ill-fated Great American State Fair festivities, part of the Freedom 250 campaign marking the 250th anniversary of the United States. While many artists instantly dropped off the lineup and distanced themselves from Trump, Williams defended his involvement in a viral seven-minute video rant recorded while he was sitting on the toilet, posted to the C+C Music Factory Instagram account he controls.Clivillés responded by launching his own competing Instagram account for C+C and taking shots a...