Vanilla Ice defends Trump’s Freedom 250 despite claims artists were misled: 'Music is not political'

WASHINGTON, DC: Vanilla Ice isn’t joining the bandwagon of artists dropping out of Freedom 250’s The Great American State Fair.

The “Ice Ice Baby” hip-hop star, whose real name is Robert Matthew Van Winkle, recently defended Donald Trump's Freedom 250 concert, confirming he is still taking to the stage during the festivities next month.

Earlier this week, Freedom 250 released a list of nostalgic acts slated to headline the 16-day music festival on Washington, DC’s National Mall.

However, as details of Trump's involvement emerged, a string of musicians quickly exited the event, saying they had not been aware of the festival's direct association with the president.

Vanilla Ice says 'music is not political'

As a growing list of artists continues to drop out of the event, Ice confirmed his decision to perform Great American State Fair concerts in an Instagram post on Thursday, saying he was “super honoured” to be one of the performers at the show.

“It’s all about enjoying the great times of 250 years. From George Washington to now. All the presidents and everybody in between, this is a magical event that’s gonna happen,” he explained.

Speaking to TMZ following his announcement, the 58-year-old rapper said music should serve as a unifying force rather than a source of division, stressing that the focus of the event should be on celebrating America.

Ice also expressed that he would have even performed for former President Joe Biden. “I don't even vote, so I don't even care. 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 noted.

The performer insisted that “music is not political, it's universal.” "It's all about not taking anything too seriously, and everybody's opinionated, and it seems like the world is a snow globe today. It's all shaken up, man," he continued.

Artists walk out of Freedom 250 festival over Trump connection

Almost immediately after the lineup was unveiled, artists began distancing themselves from the event, with some alleging that Trump's involvement had not been disclosed when they agreed to participate.

Morris Day announced on Wednesday on Instagram that 'it's a no for me,' while Young MC and William King of The Commodores also made clear that they would not be performing at Freedom 250, which will also feature a UFC fight on the White House's South Lawn.

Country music hitmaker Martina McBride informed in an Instagram post that she was “presented with an opportunity to perform at a nonpartisan event, but that turned out to be misleading.”

She noted that she had “asked lots of questions and was assured this was a nonpartisan event that was meant to celebrate ALL 50 states.”

“I thought this was a great way to celebrate the states and also bring people together in the way that only music can,” she continued. “I saw it as just a bigger version of so many state fairs that I have performed at over the years, celebrating community and what makes each state special.”

But McBride added, “Yesterday things started changing, and what we were told is, in fact, not what is happening.”