This week, Vanilla Ice stood by the Freedom 250 concert celebrating America’s milestone birthday after several performers withdrew from the band, saying their music was not political.
The rapper confirmed Friday that he will continue to perform at President Trump’s Freedom 250 Presents: Great American State Fair in Washington, D.C., while Martina McBride, Bret Michaels and other artists were abruptly dropped from the lineup.
“I came here to party with America. Music is made to bring people together and that’s why we’re here. And we’re going to represent the ’90s,” the “Ice Ice Baby” hitmaker told TMZ.
The 58-year-old, whose real name is Robert Van Winkle, insisted the event was about celebrating the nation’s 250th anniversary, not politics.
“I don’t vote, so I don’t care. If Biden called me and said, ‘My daughter’s getting married and I need some vanilla ice cream,’ I’d go out and play. It’s no big deal.”
“You play for the fans. We don’t have a chance to choose the fans, they choose us. And I will play for Putin, and if you want I will also play in Iran, it doesn’t matter. The fans are everywhere.”
“Music is not political, it is universal,” he added.
Vanilla Ice also dismissed criticism surrounding the event and the artists who decided not to participate.
“Come on, enjoy the dance. Don’t take yourself too seriously. We’re just entertainers, dude,” he said. “I don’t think anyone should take this seriously, including them.
“I think people should just go dance. It’s just music. What’s the big deal? We’re just entertainers.”
The rapper has previously performed at President Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort and appeared on stage at a New Year’s Eve party at a club in Palm Beach, Florida, late last year.
Vanilla Ice echoed those sentiments in an Instagram video Thursday, saying they were “honored” to be a part of the celebration.
“America is celebrating its 250th anniversary. Let’s go,” he said. “We’re bringing back the 90s. Put on your dancing shoes.
“The important thing is to enjoy 250 years of greatness, from George Washington to now, to every president, and everyone in between.”
He captioned the post: “Happy 250th Anniversary to America. It’s going to be an epic party. This is about bringing us all together.”
“This is not a political platform. This is a celebration of America’s birthday. Nothing too serious, just enjoying the fun, dancing and great memories.”
His comments come after several artists announced their withdrawal from the Freedom 250 concert following this week’s lineup announcement.
Country singer Martina McBride walked out of the event a day after the announcement, saying the publicity surrounding the concert was “misleading.” Bret Michaels, Young MC, Morris Day & The Time, and The Commodores also withdrew.
Also on the schedule are Vanilla Ice, Flo Rida, C+C Music Factory and Milli Vanilli’s Fab Morvan.
Freedom 250 was founded by President Trump last year and describes itself as a “national bipartisan organization leading the celebration of the nation’s 250th anniversary.”
The Freedom 250 concert is part of the Great American State Fair, a free festival held from June 25 to July 10 on the National Mall in Washington, DC.
