Vivek Ramaswamy Backs Down After Receiving Legal Threat from Eminem: 'I'll Respect His Wishes'
In an interview on MSNBC, the far-right presidential candidate commented on Eminem's threat to take him to court for rapping the song "Lose Yourself"
Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy is responding after Eminem threatened to take him to court for using his song "Lose Yourself."
When asked about a recent cease-and-desist letter sent from Eminem's performing rights organization BMI, Ramaswamy told MSNBC's Andrea Mitchell, "I'll respect his wishes."
The 38-year-old added, "...but I'll just say, will the real Slim Shady please stand up?" — a reference to the rapper's 2000 song "The Real Slim Shady."
"Eminem, in his rise, used to be a guy who stood up to the establishment and said the things that the establishment didn't want him to say," Ramaswamy said in the Tuesday interview. "I think the fact that my political viewpoints may differ from his — I think people will 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."
The comments echoed what Ramaswamy posted on his X page, in which he appeared to taunt the 50-year-old Grammy winner.
"Will The REAL Slim Shady Please Stand Up? He didn’t just say what I think he did, did he?" he wrote alongside a grinning face with sweat emoji on Monday, tagging Eminem.
Related: Eminem Threatens Legal Action Against Vivek Ramaswamy for Using His Music During Campaign Events
The controversy stems from Ramaswamy's appearance at the Iowa State Fair in Des Moines on Aug. 12, when he rapped the lyrics to "Lose Yourself" while campaigning on stage.
After footage of the performance was shared on social media, BMI sent a cease-and-desist letter to Ramaswamy's campaign attorney, Stephen Roberts, according to a copy of the letter obtained by PEOPLE.
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The letter — which was reported first by the Daily Mail — stated that BMI had "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 added.
Not one to shy from controversy nor publicity, Ramaswamy has garnered headlines for being outspoken against companies using their platforms for social causes and has criticized things like critical race theory, self-victimization and efforts to stop climate change.
In line with those talking points, the far-right candidate has criticized diversity programs in America, claiming that they only emphasize people's differences.
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