GOP presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy has agreed to stop using Eminem’s music after the rapper sent a cease-and-desist letter to the entrepreneur’s campaign.
“I’ll respect his wishes, but I would just say: ‘Will the real Slim Shady please stand up?’” Ramaswamy said of the rapper during an appearance on MSNBC’s “Andrea Mitchell Reports” on Tuesday.
Eminem’s music licenser Broadcast Music Inc. (BMI) and Ramaswamy’s campaign had entered a music licensing agreement for the rapper’s music on May 24. But the cease-and-desist letter, which was first reported by The Daily Mail, told the campaign that Eminem’s work is no longer part of the agreement, and that if Ramaswamy were to use the music again, it would be considered a “material breach of the agreement.”
Ramaswamy took the opportunity to tie the rapper’s decision to his anti-establishment message during his MSNBC appearance.
“Eminem and 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,” Ramaswamy said.
Ramaswamy performed Eminem’s “Lose Yourself” at the Iowa State Fair, a moment that went viral on social media.
Former President Trump has maintained a massive lead over the rest of the GOP primary field, but Ramaswamy has garnered some momentum in recent weeks. A survey from Emerson College Polling released shortly before the first GOP presidential debate last week found Ramaswamy tied with Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis for second place.
But after a debate performance that gained him even more attention, Ramaswamy has found himself in recent days under increased scrutiny amid a flurry of controversies. He was criticized by Democrats and Republicans alike for comparing Rep. Ayanna Pressley (D-Mass.), who is Black, to the “grand wizard of the KKK.” And he sparked a feud with fellow GOP candidate Nikki Haley after using her maiden name on his campaign website.
Since then, his approval ratings have dropped in a few polls, though Trump praised him when asked if he would consider tapping Ramaswamy to be his vice president.