Vivek Ramaswamy says he will no longer perform 'Lose Yourself' following Eminem's cease-and-desist letter
GOP hopeful Vivek Ramaswamy told MSNBC's Andrea Mitchell he will no longer perform Eminem's music on the campaign trail following a cease-and-desist letter he received from the rapper.
Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy will no longer be rapping Eminem's songs after the GRAMMY-winning superstar sent him a cease-and-desist letter.
During an appearance Tuesday on MSNBC, Ramaswamy was asked whether he'll "move on" from performing the famed rapper's music.
"I think that I’ll respect his wishes, but I would just say: Will the real Slim Shady please stand up?" Ramaswamy responded with a quip referring to another hit Eminem song.
"Eminem in 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. I think the fact that my political viewpoints may differ from his — I think people change over the course of their lives, but I have hope for him that he will one day rediscover the renegade that made him great, and I'm rooting for that success in his life," he added.
GOP hopeful Vivek Ramaswamy tells MSNBC's Andrea Mitchell he will respect the wishes of Eminem after the rapper sent his campaign a cease and desist letter ordering the candidate to stop performing his music (Screenshot/MSNBC)
Music publisher BMI sent a letter to the Ramaswamy campaign's lawyer saying, "BMI has received a communication from Marshall B. Mathers, III, professionally known as Eminem, objecting to the Vivek Ramaswamy campaign’s use of Eminem’s 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 the Agreement for which BMI reserves all rights and remedies with respect thereto," the letter, which the Daily Mail first reported, continued.
Eminem notably endorsed President Biden during the 2020 presidential election.
CONSERVATIVES BLAST EMINEM FOR CEASE-AND-DESIST LETTER TO RAMASWAMY CAMPAIGN: ‘WHAT A GIGANTIC BABY’
Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy struck the wrong cord after he performed Eminem's hit song "Lose Yourself" on the campaign trail. (Getty Images)
In recent weeks, Ramaswamy had embraced his roots of "Da Vek," his college-era alter ego who would perform rap to his classmates at Harvard and Yale.
The millennial GOP hopeful broke into freestyle rapping during an appearance in July on "Fox & Friends," and he went viral earlier in August at the Iowa State Fair for performing Eminem's "Lose Yourself."
But Eminem wasn't the only one who was not fond of Ramaswamy's rapping skills. "Club Random" host Bill Maher urged the candidate directly, "Don't do that again."
"Oh, why not?" Ramaswamy asked.
"Because it didn't turn out well for Kendall Roy on 'Succession,'" Maher responded, referring to a character from the hit HBO show.
Liberal comedian Bill Maher pleaded to GOP hopeful Vivek Ramaswamy to stop rapping during an interview on his "Club Random" podcast. (Screenshot/Club Random)
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"Guys who are not rappers rapping is just — I'm telling you just as a friend," Maher continued.
"My view, Bill, is I do what I feel like doing at that moment," Ramaswamy doubled down, adding, "That's the spirit of our Renaissance man."
"Yes, that's the problem," Maher shot back. "The idea of president ‘I do what I want at whatever moment' is not, like, an appealing thing. I see why your team is trying to take you away — just the rapping. Tennis is great."
"You know what? Tennis is more fun," the candidate added.
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