Freedom Williams
Birth nameFrederick Brandon Williams[1]
Born (1966-02-13) February 13, 1966
Brooklyn, New York, United States
GenresHip-hop, dance
Occupation(s)
Years active1983–present
LabelsColumbia Records (1993–1997)
RMD Entertainment/Mega Bop (2004–present)
WebsiteMySpace account

Frederick Brandon Williams (born February 13, 1966), better known by his stage name Freedom Williams, is an American rapper, singer and songwriter, who gained fame as the lead rapper on C+C Music Factory's biggest hits.

Career

Born in Brooklyn in 1966, Williams went to school to become an audio engineer and worked as a janitor at New York's Quad Recording Studios.[2] At the time, Robert Clivillés and David Cole frequently used this studio. Clivillés and Cole heard and liked Williams' baritone timbre and rhythmic flow and they recruited Williams to rap on their 1990 debut album Gonna Make You Sweat as part of Clivillés and Cole’s music group C+C Music Factory.[2] Williams' rapping can be prominently heard on many of the songs on the album, including Billboard Hot 100 No. 1 "Gonna Make You Sweat (Everybody Dance Now)", as well as other major hits "Here We Go (Let's Rock & Roll)" and "Things That Make You Go Hmmm..." (both released as singles in 1991). All three of those songs hit No. 1 on the Hot Dance Music/Club Play chart. According to C+C Music Factory founder Clivillés, he and Cole had asked him in 1994 to work on new C+C Music Factory material, but Williams refused.[3]

Williams' solo debut, Freedom was released on June 1, 1993 on Columbia Records. The single "Voice of Freedom" peaked at No. 74 on the Billboard Hot 100 and No. 4 on the Hot Dance Music/Club Play chart in 1993, and its follow-up "Groove Your Mind" also charted on the Club Play chart, peaking at No. 33. In 2004, he enjoyed chart success again in the UK with his single "Sweat the Remixes" on RMD Entertainment. The song got national airplay and peaked at No. 8 on the UK Dance Charts that year. Williams contributed all the rap vocals for Eurodance act Masterboy's digital-only best-of-release "US Album" from 2006.

Williams was the majority owner of the Continental Basketball Association's Atlanta Krunk franchise.[4]

In the late 1990s, Williams started to worldwide perform shows under the C+C Music Factory, or a variation of that name.[2] In 2005 C+C Music Factory founding member Clivillés labeled this "the biggest insult in the world".[3] In 2003, Freedom Williams acquired the federal trademark to use the name "C and C Music Factory" for live performances.[5] Williams toured under that name until renewing his trademark to "C & C Music Factory" in 2014.[6][3][7] As of 2014, Williams has owned the trademark rights to the name for all related efforts, not just live performances.[8]

Albums

  • Freedom (1993, Columbia Records)
  • Sweat (Everybody Dance Now) (2004, RMD Entertainment/Mega Bop)

Singles

List of singles, with selected chart positions
Title Year Peak chart positions Album
AUS
[9]		 NZ
[10]		 UK
[11]
"Voice of Freedom" 1993 412462 Freedom
"Groove Your Mind" ———
  • "Another Night"
  • "Into the Future", a collaboration with Mark E Walker (who has a hit with Stevie B)

See also

References

  1. ↑ "C'MON AND DANCE". ASCAP. American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers. Retrieved May 2, 2023.
  2. 1 2 3 The Depressing Story of America’s Favorite Pump-Up Jam, VICE (October 4, 2016)
  3. 1 2 3 "Robert Clivilles Interview (Part 2)". About.com. Archived from the original on October 1, 2009.
  4. ↑ Sportsillustrated.cnn.com
  5. ↑ US Trademark Office, Serial Number 78341052, Registration Number 2951551
  6. ↑ US Trademark Office, Serial Number 86438725, Registration Number 4775972
  7. ↑ "Dallas Dance Music - Dallas nightlife, music, tickets, and more > The Chill Room > Party Reviews". Archived from the original on December 4, 2008. Retrieved November 28, 2008.
  8. ↑ US Trademark Office: Serial Number 86438725, Registration Number 4775972
  9. ↑ "Discography Freedom Williams". australian-charts.com. Retrieved October 28, 2022.
  10. ↑ "Discography Freedom Williams". charts.nz. Retrieved October 28, 2022.
  11. ↑ "Freedom Williams | full Official Chart History". Official Charts Company. Retrieved October 28, 2022.
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