This summer, several artists pulled out of the Freedom 250 festival, sponsored by Donald Trump. But Vanilla Ice remains committed to his principles and plans to continue performing at the Washington, D.C., event.
Vanilla Ice says "music is not political" and he said he would perform for Russian President Vladimir Putin if given the chance.
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Bret Michaels has become the fifth artist to pull out of the Freedom 250 event in Washington, citing "threats and safety concerns" as the Trump-backed shows "have become divisive.".
«"I don't even vote, so I don't care," the rapper wrote in an interview with TMZ on Friday. Vanilla Ice said that if former President Joe Biden called and asked him to perform, "I'd go and play. It doesn't really matter. You play for your fans. You know, we don't get to choose our fans. They choose us. And I'll play for Putin, and I'll play in Iran, if you want. It doesn't matter.".
Vanilla Ice is currently one of two acts confirmed to perform at the Freedom 250 festival, along with Fab Morvan of the 80s duo Milli Vanilli. .
Five of the nine originally announced acts for the Freedom 250 festival have officially announced their withdrawals: Bret Michaels, Young MC, Morris Day, Martina McBride, and The Commodores. Meanwhile, Freedom Williams of C&C Music Factory stated that he was considering withdrawing but was inclined to perform. Of the nine previously announced artists, only Flo Rida has not yet expressed his opinion on the Freedom 250 festival.
Vanilla Ice (real name: Robert Van Winkle) is a one-hit wonder whose single "Ice Ice Baby" topped the charts nearly 36 years ago. He is currently scheduled to perform at the Great American State Fair on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., on June 26.
Of his performance at Freedom 250, Vanilla Ice said, "I'm here to have fun with America, man. Music is meant to bring people together, and that's what we're here for. We're just going to represent the '90s. I don't take anything too seriously. I don't think anyone else should either. I think we just gotta dance. You know, it's life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. And you gotta go out there and pursue it through dance.".
«"You know, the main thing is not to take everything too seriously, man," the rapper said in an interview. "Everyone's voicing their opinion, and it feels like the world is a snow globe these days. Everything's turned upside down.".
Vanilla Ice continued, "I'm from the '80s and '90s. We didn't take all that shit so seriously... We had fanny packs, we ripped out the back seats, and we put in subwoofers. Come on, man. This is a celebration of America's 250th birthday, the birthday of our country, the country we were born into. Come on. Enjoy the dance.".
«"It's just music," he added. "What's the big deal, man? We're just artists.".
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