Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy has turned heads for a lot of reasons, but one of the oddest so far has been his devotion to rapper Eminem.
The 38-year-old turned heads at the Iowa State Fair when he gleefully interrupted his own campaigning to rap along with Slim Shady as “Lose Yourself” began playing over the speakers and has said that song was his preferred walkout song for campaign events. Eminem, however, has had enough.
Performance rights organization BMI reportedly sent a cease and desist letter to the campaign at the urging of the musician, prohibiting him from using Eminem’s music. The campaign said it would comply with the request.
Ramaswamy’s love of rap has been a part of his personality since the early days of the campaign. In July, as his political star began to rise, he went on Fox News’ “Fox & Friends” and gleefully jumped at the chance to drop some rhymes.
“My name’s Vivek, it rhymes with cake,” he rapped. “It ain’t about thee, it isn’t about me, it is about the, the United States is about liberty, so ‘Fox & Friends’ join us on the trail, we’ll have some fun, I’ll see you out the trail.”
🚨🚨 Vivek “Da Vek” Ramaswamy just rapped on Fox News. Pic.twitter.com/gTYn3n3KvL
— The Recount (@therecount) July 27, 2023
A self-described “libertarian freestyler in college,” Ramaswamy joked about Eminem’s request that he stop using his music on social media.
“Will The REAL Slim Shady Please Stand Up? He didn’t just say what I think he did, did he? @Eminem,” he tweeted.
The beef between a musician and rising political star is far from the first. In 1984, Bruce Springsteen objected to President Ronald Reagan’s use of “Born in the U.S.A.” At campaign stops. And Neil Young expressed displeasure when Donald Trump played “Rockin’ in the Free World” at the kickoff event for his presidential bid.
“I do not trust politicians... I trust people,” Young wrote on Facebook. “So I make my music for people, not for candidates.”
Ramaswamy is the youngest Republican candidate in the 2024 race. While he’s still far behind Donald Trump, he has surged ahead of Ron DeSantis in some recent polls. That’s notable, since he captured less than 1% of voters when he began running in February.
A political newcomer, he has embraced conspiracy theories and talked of shutting down the FBI, IRS and Department of Education if elected.