Eminem has formally objected to the use of his music by Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy during his campaign trail.
The objection to the use of his songs comes after a video of the multimillionaire former biotech executive singing “Lose Yourself” went viral earlier this month.
Eminem has asked that his songs, collectively known as the “Eminem Works”, be removed from the music licence agreement entered into by Mr Ramaswamy’s campaign and music rights giant BMI.
The disclosure was made in a letter dated 23 August, first published by The Daily Mail on Monday, and sent to Mr Ramaswamy’s campaign counsel by a BMI executive.
“BMI has received a communication from Marshall B. Mathers, III, professionally known as Eminem, objecting to the Vivek Ramaswamy campaign’s use of Eminem’s musical composition (the “Eminem Works”) and requesting that BMI remove all Eminem Works from the Agreement,” BMI executive Pamela Williams said in the letter.
Mr Ramaswamy’s campaign told CNN it will comply with Eminem’s request to stop using his music.
“Will The REAL Slim Shady Please Stand Up? He didn’t just say what I think he did, did he?” said 38-year-old Mr Ramaswamy on X, formerly Twitter, using a sweat smile emoji and tagging the rapper.
Politicians are frequently sent cease and desist letters by music stars and labels.
In 2020, British rock legends The Rolling Stones threatened Donald Trump for using their songs during his campaign rallies.
Similarly, Queen raised a complaint after Mr Trump played “We Are The Champions” in the run up to the 2016 presidential elections.
The band also sought to block Mr Trump from playing “We Will Rock You” after the rock ballad was featured in its entirety in a Trump campaign ad in 2019.
In 2008, the Foo Fighters slammed John McCain’s campaign for using their song as part of his presential campaign.
Mr Ramaswamy, the youngest presidential candidate with no political experience, has been rising in some opinion polls and branded his rivals as “bought and paid for”.
The tech entrepreneur was at the centre of many of some of the most dramatic moments in last week’s first Republican primary debate.
“I think I am the only candidate who has the capability of delivering a Reagan, 1980-style victory with a multi-ethnic, working-class coalition, particularly of people who are not just older, but people who are younger who we bring into our party,” he told reporters last week after a campaign event in Iowa.
Mr Ramaswamy, a fierce Trump defender, faced plenty of incoming fire from his more experienced rivals, who appeared to view him as more of a threat than Ron DeSantis, the Florida governor trailing Mr Trump at a distant second for a long time in Republican primary polls.
Mr Trump, the overwhelming front runner in the primary contest, skipped the first debate last week.
He chose to give an interview to former Fox News host Tucker Carlson instead, which was released on X at the same time as the Republican debate.
Additional reporting by agencies
