Rapper Eminem’s lawyers have sent a letter to Indian-origin Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy asking his campaign to stop using his songs.
The letter, dated August 23, comes a week after the biotech entrepreneur gave an impromptu performance of ‘Lose Yourself’ by Eminem, whose real name is Marshall Mathers III, at the Iowa State Fair. It was sent by Eminem’s record company, BMI.
As per the letter, Eminem reached out to BMI saying he objected to Ramaswamy’s use of his “musical compositions”. “BMI will consider any performance of the Eminem works by the Vivek 2024 campaign from this date forward to be a material breach” of its licence, the letter read, as per a BBC report.
Reaction from the Ramaswamy camp
A spokesperson for Ramaswamy said that the campaign will comply with the request Eminem has put forward.
Campaign spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin in a statement to the US media said that the Republican candidate “just got on the stage and cut loose. To the American people’s chagrin, we will have to leave the rapping to the real Slim Shady”.
To make light of this situation, Ramaswamy posted on X (formally called Twitter), “Will The REAL Slim Shady Please Stand Up? He didn’t just say what I think he did, did he?” He tagged Eminem in the post.
As reported by The Guardian, Ramaswamy’s love for rap and for Eminem has been reported widely. As a Harvard undergraduate, he rapped under the name ‘Da Vek’. In an interaction with the Crimson, the Harvard campus newspaper, Ramaswamy said ‘Lose Yourself’ was his personal theme.