Vanilla Ice doubles down on Freedom 250 after artist exodus: 'Once you commit, you don't quit'
Vanilla Ice is doubling down on his decision to perform at Freedom 250’s Great American State Fair as several artists have withdrawn from the events amid backlash.
The Great American State Fair is a planned 16-day festival that will be held on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., running from June 25 to July 10 as part of the nation's 250th anniversary celebrations. The fair is being organized by Freedom 250, a nonprofit backed by President Donald Trump and working with the White House Task Force 250.
After the lineup was announced on May 29, several performers, including Martina McBride, Bret Michaels, Young MC, the Commodores, Morris Day and others announced they were dropping out.
During a Monday interview with Fox News Digital, Vanilla Ice, who was born Robert Van Winkle, confirmed that he was still "100%" on board, saying criticism of performers taking part has only strengthened his resolve to participate.
"I'm reinforced. I'm here. I am committed. Once you commit, you don't quit, man. And that's how I am," the 58-year-old rapper and singer said.
"I was so honored, man, my mom is proud of me, everybody," Vanilla Ice said of being asked to perform. "It's such a cool thing to go celebrate your country and enjoy the birthday."
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"And the way the people are dragging this into politics, it's not fair," he continued. "It is not fair to us as entertainers for sure. And I think that this shouldn't be looked at as political or anything."
"I'm happy that Trump's putting this on," Vanilla Ice added. "I'm honored that he invited me. I've played for him many times. They're great friends of mine."
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The "Ice, Ice Baby" singer noted that he lives in Palm Beach, Florida, the city where Trump's resort and primary residence is located. Though Trump resides at the White House while he serves out his second term, the president and his family often visit Mar-a-Lago on weekends and holidays.
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"They're really good people. They've shown me a great time," Vanilla Ice said. "I enjoy them."
Vanilla Ice told Fox News Digital that he would perform for virtually anyone, comparing his approach to former NBA star Dennis Rodman, who famously developed a relationship with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.
He went on to say that he would play for Democratic leaders like former President Joe Biden and California Gov. Gavin Newsom and their families because he believes people of all political backgrounds are fans of his music.
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The rapper explained that he doesn't engage with politics at all.
"I don't vote," Vanilla Ice said. "I don't waste my time with that. It's more about pina coladas and palm trees with me. I don't take any of these things serious, especially this whole mess. But some people do and I respect them all, man."
"I love everybody," he continued. "This world needs more damn love, you know? That's the truth behind it. We need to show more love, man, to all of our countrymen and both sides need to come together."
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When asked about his reaction to the backlash he received after recently saying he would even perform for Russian President Vladimir Putin, Vanilla Ice laughed off the criticism and stood by his remarks.
"I sure will," he said. "I have."
Vanilla Ice recalled that he performed in 1993 in front of former Russian President Boris Yeltsin during the annual White Nights Festival in Saint Petersburg, Russia, while on tour.
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"He was out there with the machine gun guards around the whole room and jamming and dancing with all of his grandkids," Vanilla Ice remembered of Yeltsin. "People, you cannot as a musician, you cannot pick your fans. They pick you and you play. Shut up and play, man. You know, this isn't something that you have some kind of stance or a political platform to be something that you're not. You're a freaking entertainer. Entertain."
Vanilla Ice told Fox News Digital that he was disappointed that celebrating the 250th anniversary of the country's founding had become politicized.
"It's kinda shocking to me that we can't celebrate the birthday of our country, man, turning 250," he said. "I was born and raised here, man. I'm proud to be an American. I wanna celebrate this, you know? And I'm honored to be doing this. This is a huge honor. And it's sad that people take everything so serious. You're overlooking that it's the birthday of our country. It's not about the politics."
Several of the artists who withdrew from the Freedom 250 events are frequent collaborators of Vanilla Ice on nostalgia tours. Young MC and C+C Music Factory have both appeared on the rotating lineup of the "I Love the 90s Tour," which Vanilla Ice has headlined for years. The 2026 iteration of "I Love the 90's Tour" is currently ongoing with a series of summer and fall dates.
C+C Music Factory were originally scheduled to perform at the Great American State Fair, but their current involvement remains unclear, with different members giving conflicting accounts about participating in the event.
Vanilla Ice told Fox News Digital that he didn't believe it was "fair" that the musicians faced scrutiny for participating in the events as well as for their decisions to withdraw.
"I respect them all too that pulled out even because they're still on tour with me," he said. "They have their own reasons, and they live in different places, and it's different. They have to feel that heat. So for them, it's not fair and they just kind of like, 'Hey man, I don't need all this heat. I'm just here to play and enjoy.'"
"But for me, I'm gonna celebrate my country and I don't think anybody should tell me I shouldn't, and I'm honored to be on this," he continued. "And I'm going to bring back the 90s, hopefully we still do it. I don't know if it's still going, but either way, I'm going, man."
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Following the artist exodus, Trump floated replacing the concert lineup with himself making a rally-style appearance. However, the Great American State Fair has not yet been canceled though Freedom 250 announced that Trump would headline the opening ceremony.
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Vanilla Ice told Fox News Digital that he had talked to some of the artists after they dropped out of the celebrations.
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"Young MC was the first one I spoke to, and we just looked at each other and go, 'Man, it's crazy, right?' And I go, 'I know, bro,'" he said. "I never would have thought so much would come down on us and so much attention like that. It's not really fair for them. It's not fair for me. And I respect all of them and they're good friends of mine for over 30 years."
Vanilla Ice lamented that people are turning the America 250 controversy into a partisan fight and urged unity ahead of the country's birthday.
"This is something that we should come together and be like laughing about and an understanding that we need to come together in this country," he said. "Man, it's no fun for either side to be all separate like this. You can blame, blame, blame. It don't matter. Put yourself in your own state of mind and shake a hand and make a friend and understand that smiles are contagious, man."
"This life is too short for all of us to have any animosity or any build-up or any hatred on anybody," Vanilla Ice added. "Learn what the word love is. We need a lot more of it, man. Go jam some Bob Marley and enjoy life. It's too short."