Marshall Bruce Mathers, better known as Eminem, asked Vivek Ramaswamy not to rap his songs anymore. In a letter written to the 2024 Republican nominee, the rapper expressed his desire that his music not be used in the campaign.
The letter, which was picked up exclusively by the Daily Mail, is dated Aug. 23 and came just weeks after a video of Ramaswamy rapping Eminem's song "Lose Yourself" went viral. It occurred during a campaign rally at the Iowa State Fair. The music was being played over the loudspeaker while Ramaswamy began to say goodbye, and then the candidate started to rap for the audience.
The request was made through BMI, the firm that manages the artist's rights. According to the letter, which serves as a notification to Ramaswamy, the initiative was taken at the request of Eminem himself.
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 for which BMI reserves all rights and remedies with respect thereto.
Will The REAL Slim Shady Please Stand Up? He didn’t just say what I think he did, did he? @Eminem 😅 https://t.co/iOOuG6SU2D
— Vivek Ramaswamy (@VivekGRamaswamy) August 28, 2023
Ramaswamy himself posted a message on X (Twitter) in reference to the letter. In his message, the candidate referred to Eminem as "Slim Shady," in reference to another song by the rapper. According to a spokesperson for the Republican campaign, the team will comply with the rapper's request.
Songs banned from campaigns
It is not the first time that singers and artists have asked politicians not to use their songs in election campaigns. In the 2020 campaign, the Rolling Stones threatened to sue Donald Trump for using the song" You Can't Always Get What You Want" when the former president took the stage.
They were not the only ones. A long list of musicians banned Trump from using their music, from Adele, to Creedence Clearwater Revival, Luciano Pavarotti's family and the Village People.
