Vivek Ramaswamy Told to Cease and Desist

(UnitedVoice.com) – Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy used to rap when he was an undergraduate student at Harvard University. In an interview with The New York Times, he said he was a fan of rapper Eminem. But it appears the rapper is not a fan of the conservative.

In early August, Ramaswamy attended the Iowa State Fair, a tradition for presidential primary candidates. During the event, he mentioned that Eminem’s “Lose Yourself,” is his favorite walkout song. A sound-tech guy started playing the song that appeared on the soundtrack of “8 Mile,” the 2002 movie loosely based on the rapper’s life.

When the song began playing on the loudspeakers, Ramaswamy started rapping to the music. The moment went viral. Less than two weeks later, on August 23, the candidate’s campaign lawyer received a letter from music licenser BMI. The agency stated it had “received communications from Marshall B. Mathers, III [Eminem], objecting to the Vivek Ramaswamy campaign’s use of Eminem’s musical compositions” and asking for the license to be revoked. The letter served as official notification that he was not allowed to use the music from that date forward.

Eminem rarely licenses his music but did allow it to be used in a political ad in 2020 for Joe Biden and Kamala Harris’ campaign. The rapper allowed him to use “Lose Yourself” to try to turn voters out the day before people voted.

NEW AD: Joe Biden uses Eminem classic "Lose Yourself" to encourage voting. pic.twitter.com/GUuQbt55sS

— The Hill (@thehill) November 2, 2020

Ramaswamy’s campaign responded to the news by saying the rapping would be left to the “real Slim Shady.” The candidate appeared on Andrea Mitchell’s show on August 29, saying that he would respect Eminem’s wishes.

The 38-year-old tech entrepreneur explained that he always related to the way the rapper refused to bend to the establishment. That’s something Ramaswamy has been trying to show he won’t do either. He insinuated Eminem doesn’t thumb his nose at the establishment anymore, but said he hopes that he can eventually “rediscover the renegade that made him great.”