Ludacris Is Playing Guantanamo Bay This Fourth Of July
Guantanamo Bay doesn't sound like the most appealing setting for a rap concert, and yet well known artist Ludacris will be performing there this Fourth of July.
According to the Miami Herald the "What's Your Fantasy" rapper will play a free show for the troops, as a part of the annual "Freedom Festival" at Guantanamo's Windward Ferry Landing, which is miles away from the locked-down prison. Prior to Luda the Freedom Festival has had performances from Jimmy Buffett, Magic!, Jimmy Eat World and the Plain White T's. This will be the event's first time having a rapper.
"Every year we get a special guest around the Fourth of July but Gitmo hasn't seen a star with as big a name as Ludacris in several years," Navy Chief Monique Hilley told the paper. "The base is really looking forward to it." Fewer than 6,000 people live at Guantanamo Bay, including troops, Department of Defense contractors, Navy families and the last 89 war-on-terror detainees.
The forthcoming performance does come as a surprise considering Ludacris once released a diss track geared towards then-President George W. Bush, whose administration established the controversial prison. The song, "Politics As Usual," called out both Bush and former prisoner of war and Republican senator John McCain, while endorsing then-president hopeful Barack Obama.
"McCain don't belong in any chair unless he's paralyzed," Ludacris rapped. "Yeah, I said it cause Bush is mentally handicapped/Ball up all his speeches and just throw 'em like candy wraps/Cause when you talkin' I hear nothin' even relevant/And you the worst of all 43 presidents."
Surely the residents of Guantanamo Bay have forgotten about this part of Ludacris' career, and it's possible the rapper has changed his mind about the Bush family in recent years. Last year he met with Bush's brother Jeb, when the rapper's philanthropic efforts were honored at a ceremony in Georgia.
Then again, this could all be an elaborate plan for Ludacris to take the stage and perform "Politics As Usual" as his entire set, which would be pretty incredible. We'll see what happens come Fourth of July.
