Grammy award-winning rapper Eminem has requested that Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy stop using his music on the campaign trail, reports confirmed Tuesday.
The demand came after a video emerged of Ramaswamy rapping Eminem’s iconic song “Lose Yourself” during an appearance at the Iowa State Fair last week. Eminem’s music is licensed through Broadcast Music, Inc. (BMI), who sent a cease and desist letter to the Ramaswamy campaign on August 23rd, 2023.
The letter stated that Eminem had objected to the unauthorized use of his music and that BMI was revoking the campaign’s license. It warned that any further use would constitute copyright infringement.
In response, a spokesperson for the Ramaswamy campaign said it would comply with Eminem’s request, adding that the candidate “just got on the stage and cut loose” and did not mean to cause offense.
Eminem has not made any public statement about the matter. However, he has previously objected to politicians like Donald Trump using his songs at campaign rallies without permission.
While Eminem’s exact reasons for prohibiting the use of his music by Ramaswamy are unclear, it may be an effort to avoid any implied political association or simply to protect his creative copyright. Either way, it highlights the right of musical artists to control how their work is used.
This latest episode shows Eminem once again drawing a line when it comes to politicians leveraging his cultural cachet without authorization. For Ramaswamy, it also serves as a lesson in seeking approval before harnessing the power of popular music on the campaign trail.
