Vivek Ramaswamy, a Republican running for president who recently gained notoriety for singing Eminem’s “Lose Yourself” live on stage at the Iowa State Fair, said he would “respect” the rapper’s request for him to stop doing so while on the campaign trail.
I’m going to try to abide by his requests, but I just have to ask: Would the actual Slim Shady mind getting up? During an interview on “Andrea Mitchell Reports” on Tuesday, Ramaswamy mentioned the rapper.
Eminem’s anti-establishment message appealed to Ramaswamy, who went on to say and wish him luck.
He claimed that throughout the early stages of his career, Eminem was a man who truly challenged the status quo and spoke things that they didn’t want him to say. “I have hope for him in that he will one day discover the renegade who made him great and I’m rooting for that success in his life,” the author said. “I think my views on politics may differ from his, and I think people evolve throughout the course of their lives.”
An inquiry for comments was not immediately answered by BMI, a company that manages music rights.
The Vivek Ramaswamy campaign was informed last week by BMI that it had “received a communication from Marshall B. Mathers, III, properly known as Eminem, protesting to the Vivek Ramaswamy campaign’s use of Eminem’s musical compositions,” according to a cease-and-desist letter obtained via NBC News and first reported by The Daily Mail.
The letter stated, “BMI will deem any performance of the Eminem Songs by the Vivek 2024 campaign after this date forward to be a substantial breach of the Agreement, for which BMI retains all rights and remedies with respect thereto.
Ramaswamy’s spokeswoman indicated on Monday that the Republican presidential candidate will withdraw his offer to play Eminem songs at upcoming campaign rallies.
To the dismay of the American people, campaign spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin texted late on Monday night, “We will have to depart the rapping to the real slim shady.”
Ramaswamy, 38, also replied to the Monday X request: “Will The REAL Slim Shady Kindly Stand Up? He didn’t merely say what I assumed, did he?
The article makes reference to “The Real Slim Shady,” one of Eminem’s most well-known tracks, which came out in 2000.
Ramaswamy can be seen rapping Eminem’s “Lose Yourself” on stage at the Iowa State Fair in a widely shared video. Another video during Ramaswamy’s senior year at Harvard University in 2006, in which he performed the 2002 hit rapping under the alias “Da Vek,” also gained popularity.