Freedom Williams is an American hip hop and dance music performer, who gained fame as the lead vocalist on C+C Music Factory's biggest hits.
Williams' rapping can be prominently heard on many of C+C's songs from their debut album, including Billboard Hot 100 #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..." All three of those songs hit #1 on the Hot Dance Music/Club Play record chart. According to C+C Music Factory founder Robert Clivillés he and (co-founder) David Cole had asked him in 1994 to work on new C+C Music Factory material but he refused.
Williams' solo debut, Freedom was released on June 1, 1993, on Columbia Records. The single "Voice of Freedom" peaked at #74 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #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 #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 #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 has since continued to work, writing solo material and performing.[citation needed]
Williams was the majority owner of the Continental Basketball Association's Atlanta Krunk franchise.
In addition to music, Freedom has written and directed a short film called Freedom Williams' Life Goes On which was released in early 2011.He also was an actor in an episode of Red Shoe Diaries.
"Gonna Make You Sweat (Everybody Dance Now)" is a hit song by American dance group C+C Music Factory. It was released in late 1990 as the lead single from the album, Gonna Make You Sweat. The song charted internationally and achieved great success in the United States, Austria, Germany, the Netherlands and Switzerland where it reached number one on the charts.
The song held the top spot in the Billboard Magazine list of popular dance club tunes for five weeks in December 1990, and topped Billboard Hot 100 Singles list for two weeks in 1991 (February 9 and February 16.) It reached #3 in the UK in January, a full month before its American pop success. It even found success in the urban contemporary music world as it crossed over to the R&B charts where it reached number-one for a week.
"Things That Make You Go Hmmm..." is a song by American dance group C+C Music Factory. It was released in June 1991 as the third single from the album Gonna Make You Sweat. The single features Freedom Williams and he is also seen in the song's music video. The song was inspired by a running gag on The Arsenio Hall Show, where Arsenio, while allegedly on a long drive, pondered certain thoughts and referred to them as "things that make you go hmmm...."
The C+C song was a success in the US, reaching #4 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #31 on the Billboard Hot R&B Singles chart. It also reached #4 on the UK Singles Chart. The song contains samples from the songs "I'm Shook" by James Brown, "My Thang" by James Brown, and "Apache" by the Incredible Bongo Band.[1] The song was certified gold by the RIAA on August 13, 1991 for sales of over 500,000 copies.