While several artists have distanced themselves from Donald Trump’s Freedom 250 celebrations, Vanilla Ice is doing the exact opposite.
The rapper behind the 1990 smash hit Ice Ice Baby has publicly defended his decision to perform at the upcoming Great American State Fair, despite a growing list of musicians withdrawing from the event.
The festival, scheduled to take place on Washington D.C.’s National Mall between June 25th and July 10th, forms part of America’s celebrations marking the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence. However, controversy quickly followed the announcement after performers including Martina McBride, Bret Michaels, Young MC, Morris Day and The Commodores reportedly pulled out (per Independent.co)
Vanilla Ice, whose real name is Robert Van Winkle, says he’s not interested in the political debate surrounding the event.
“I’m here to party with America, man. Music is made to bring people together, and that’s what we are here to do. And we’re just gonna represent the Nineties,” he told TMZ.
All about the music
The performer went on to stress that his appearance is about entertaining fans rather than endorsing any political movement.
“I don’t even vote, so I don’t even care. And if Biden called up and said, ‘My daughter is getting married, we need Vanilla Ice,’ I’d go play. It’s not a big thing,” he said.
“You play for your fans. We don’t get a chance to pick our fans; they pick us.”
Vanilla Ice took the argument even further, claiming he’d perform virtually anywhere if fans wanted to hear the music.
“I’ll go play for Putin, and I’ll go play in Iran if you want. It don’t matter. There’s fans everywhere. Music is not political, man. It’s universal, it just brings people together.”
The comments come as some artists have cited concerns over the event’s political associations. Rapper Young MC recently stated he was never informed about what he viewed as political involvement tied to the festival, while Morris Day simply declared: “It’s a no for me.”
Despite the backlash, Vanilla Ice remains convinced the focus should be on celebration rather than division.
“It’s gonna be an epic party,” he wrote on social media.
“This is to bring us all together. I’m tired of all the news channels dividing this country. We are all one. This is not a political platform. This is celebrating America’s birthday.”
Whether fans agree or not, Vanilla Ice appears committed to keeping the party going.
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