Vanilla Ice is once again defending his decision to perform at the Great American State Fair‘s Freedom 250 concerts in celebration of America’s 250th anniversary.
During an appearance on “The Story with Martha MacCallum,” the 58-year-old rapper shared why he chose not back out of the performance, telling the host, “I don’t like anybody telling me I can’t be proud of my country.”
“I’m born here. I’m raised here. I’m proud of it. I represent it everywhere I go. I wear the American Flag everywhere I go. It’s just a shame that it’s going down like this. I really don’t think it’s fair on us as musicians to have the pressure put on us like this, but it’s a shame. It’s a shame that we can’t be proud.”
He added that he doesn’t understand why this has become such an issue among fans and performers, saying he is “honored to do this once in a lifetime event,” and that “this is still the greatest country in the world.”
“I’m proud of it and I love it and I’m really really proud of all of our soldiers,” he said. “Those guys put their life on the line, some of them even lost their lives, and you gotta respect that. This is our country, man. I can’t believe people are even making a big deal out of this.”
The rapper first shared his excitement over performing at the celebration, in an Instagram video posted last week, in which he said he was “honored” to be performing at the event, promising to “bring back the 90s.”
“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 said in the video. “It’s very rare. I’m honored, man. This is gonna be epic. And that’s it. We don’t take anything too seriously, and we’re gonna bring the ‘90s, that’s how it works.”
In the caption, he promised that the concert will “bring us all together” in addition to being “an epic party,” adding, “We are all one. This is not a political platform. This is celebrating America’s birthday.”
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The post was met with a lot of criticism, with many calling his decision “disappointing,” as they oppose the current administration led by President Donald Trump. Others came to his defense, writing, “Major respect for not dropping out like the others!!
After the original lineup for the Great American State Fair was announced on May 29, several performers attached to the concert, including Martina McBride, Bret Michaels, Young MC, the Commodores and Morris Day announced they were backing out.
Vanilla Ice doubled down on his decision not to drop out of the concert, both in his Instagram comments and in an interview with Fox News Digital on Monday, saying “It’s such a cool thing to go celebrate your country and enjoy the birthday.”
“I’m reinforced. I’m here. I am committed. Once you commit, you don’t quit, man. And that’s how I am,” the rapper and singer said. “I was so honored, man, my mom is proud of me, everybody.”
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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.”