Vanilla Ice Speaks on Upcoming Performance at Great American State Fair
Rapper Vanilla Ice expressed his enthusiasm for performing at the Great American State Fair in Washington, D.C., even as some artists have backed out of their scheduled acts.
When interviewed by TMZ, Vanilla Ice addressed the political atmosphere surrounding the event, especially after country singer Martina McBride and rock musician Bret Michaels withdrew, citing concerns about the event’s nonpartisan nature.
“Oh man, I’m not going to get dragged into that. I’m here to party with America, man. Music is made to bring people together and that’s what we’re here to do, man. We’re just gonna represent the 90s,” he stated.
The artist urged people to not take the Semiquincentennial celebration too seriously, perhaps reflecting a desire for a lighter atmosphere.
“I don’t take anything too serious, I don’t think anybody else should. I think that we should just dance,” he said. “Y’know it’s life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness and you gotta get out and pursue it with dance.”
He further mentioned that the event is fundamentally a celebration of the country and he would perform for any invitation, whether from former President Joe Biden or even Russian President Vladimir Putin.
“It’s all about just us making it this far … I don’t think that it should be about any political thing or anything like that — I don’t even vote, so I don’t even care,” he remarked. “And if Biden called up and he said, ‘My daughter’s getting married, we need Vanilla Ice,’ I’d go play! It’s not a big thing. You play for your fans. You know, we don’t get a chance to pick our fans, they pick us. And I’ll go play for Putin and I’ll play in Iran if you want. It don’t matter. There’s fans everywhere. Music is not political, man, it’s universal.”
The 58-year-old, whose real name is Robert Van Winkle, reaffirmed his excitement for the milestone celebration, which he described as an “epic party”, in a video he shared on Instagram.
“It’s all about enjoying the great times of 250 years, man, from George Washington to now and all the presidents and everybody in between. This is a magical event that’s going to happen and very rare,” he said. “We’re going to turn everybody into a teenager for the night. Proud to be an American and proud and honored for this event.”
Additionally, he expressed frustration over the media’s tendency to foster division, stating in his caption: “We are all one. This is not a political platform.”
Vanilla Ice is among several artists scheduled to perform at the Great American State Fair, which will take place from June 25th to July 10th on the National Mall. Following the release of the lineup by Freedom 250, some musicians, including McBride, publicly withdrew.
“I was presented with an opportunity to perform at a nonpartisan event but that turned out to be misleading,” McBride explained.
“Things started changing and what we were told is, in fact, not what is happening,” she added.
This drew criticism from some observers, noting McBride had performed at a White House event during the Obama administration in 2009.
Bret Michaels expressed similar apprehensions, stating that the celebration had become “much more divisive” than he initially agreed to, also mentioning “threats and safety concerns.”
