Vivek Ramaswamy agreed to stop using Eminem’s music on the campaign trail after receiving a cease and desist letter. The Republican presidential candidate was disappointed with his rap idol, explaining how he thought Slim Shady changed in an interview with MSNBC’s Andrea Mitchell.
“I’ll respect his wishes,” Ramaswamy told MSNBC. “But I would just say, ‘Will the real Slim Shady please stand up? Eminem in his rise used to be a guy who actually stood up to the establishment and said the things that the establishment didn’t want him to say. I think that the fact that my political viewpoints may differ from his, I think that people change over the course of their lives. But I have hope for him that he will one day rediscover the renegade that made him great. And I’m rooting for that success in his life.”
Eminem contacted the music rights organization BMI to object to Ramaswamy’s use of the hit single “Lose Yourself.” A lawyer for BMI informed the Ramaswamy campaign that Slim Shady’s music was officially off-limits in a letter sent on August 23.
“BMI will consider any performance of the Eminem Works by the Vivek 2024 campaign from this date forward to be a material breach of the agreement,” BMI’s lawyer wrote.
Earlier this month, Ramaswamy rapped Eminem’s “Lose Yourself” at the Iowa State Fair. The presidential candidate’s past interviews revealed he was a longtime fan of Slim Shady.
