When the actual Slim Shady arose, he declared, “We’ve got an issue here,” in response to a Republican presidential candidate using Eminem’s music during campaign functions. A letter from a BMI representative, dated August 23, notified the lawyer of Ramaswamy’s campaign that Eminem opposes the usage of his music by the campaign, as reported by the Daily Mail.
The label “received communications from Marshall B. Mathers, III, professionally known as Eminem, objecting to the Vivek Ramaswamy campaign’s use of Eminem’s musical compositions (the “Eminem Works”) and requesting that BMI remove all Eminem Works from the Agreement,” BMI explained in the letter.
“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.”
Ramaswamy performed Eminem’s “Lose Yourself” at the Iowa State Fair before an early morning crowd gathered to hear him speak alongside Gov. Kim Reynolds (R-IA).
The governor of Iowa inquired about the preferred walkout song of the 38-year-old biotech entrepreneur, to which Ramaswamy responded that it was Eminem’s “Lose Yourself.” As the music started playing over the stage’s speakers, Ramaswamy took hold of the microphone, giving rise to a viral campaign trail moment, as outlined in the Mail’s report.
“Vivek just got on the stage and cut loose,” explained a spokesperson for Ramaswamy’s campaign. “To the American people’s chagrin, we will have to leave the rapping to the real slim shady.”
During his time as an undergraduate at Harvard, the GOP candidate had delivered libertarian-themed rap performances under the alias “Da Vek” and is said to have been a devoted admirer of Marshall Mathers, also known as Eminem.
‘I did not grow up in the circumstances he did,” Ramaswamy said during a New York Times interview, “but the idea of being an underdog, people having low expectations of you, that part speaks to me.”
