politics
Vanilla Ice, Flo Rida to Perform at Freedom 250's Great American State Fair on National Mall After Several Acts Withdraw
Rapper Vanilla Ice confirmed he will perform at the June 25 to July 10 concert series despite multiple artists withdrawing. Several performers cited concerns over the event's political ties.
Jun 1, 11:40 PM·1m read4 sources
+1
nytimes.comAudio version
Tap play to generate a narrated version.
Rapper Vanilla Ice plans to perform at the Great American State Fair on the National Mall from June 25 to July 10. The artist, whose real name is Robert Van Winkle, told CBS News he would perform for anyone, including Russian President Vladimir Putin and Iran. Vanilla Ice said the concerts have no connection to politics.
“It’s not anything to do with politics,” he told CBS News. ” He has previously performed at President Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort in South Florida. Freedom 250 organized the event, which includes concerts, exhibits, tributes and other programs.
The organization was launched last year by President Donald Trump and is headed by Keith Krach, a businessman-philanthropist and Trump State Department appointee from his first term. Freedom 250 is billed as a nonpartisan organization. On Wednesday, Freedom 250 announced that Bret Michaels, the Commodores and Martina McBride would perform, with some slated for an “I Love the ’90s” show on June 26.
By late Thursday, Bret Michaels, the Commodores, Martina McBride, Morris Day and Young MC had withdrawn. Milli Vanilli also announced it will not participate. ” As of Friday morning, performers still expected to appear include Flo Rida and Vanilla Ice.
