Slim Shady, also known as Eminem, is expressing his discontent with Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy for performing his songs in public. Most recently, Ramaswamy rapped Eminem’s award-winning song “Lose Yourself” during an appearance at the Iowa State Fair.
In response, BMI, the music-licensing company, sent a letter on behalf of Eminem to Ramaswamy’s team. The letter states that Eminem is “objecting” to the use of his works in this context and requests BMI to remove all his works from the agreement that permits their usage by “political entities or organizations.”
According to the letter, any performance of Eminem’s works by the Vivek 2024 campaign after the date of the letter will be considered a breach of the agreement. (We were able to obtain a copy of the communication.)
BMI officials confirmed the details mentioned in the letter but declined to provide further comment.
Ramaswamy’s campaign spokesperson responded to the situation humorously, stating, “Vivek just got on the stage and cut loose. To the American people’s chagrin, we will have to leave the rapping to the real Slim Shady.”
Ramaswamy joined in on the light-hearted exchange regarding the BMI letter and tweeted lyrics from Eminem’s hit single “The Real Slim Shady,” saying, “He didn’t just say what I think he did, did he?”
The Clash Between Politicians and Musicians
It is not uncommon for politicians, including presidential candidates, to find themselves at odds with musicians over the use of their songs. President Donald Trump witnessed this firsthand during his 2020 reelection campaign, as artists such as the Rolling Stones and John Fogerty raised objections to their music being used.
John Fogerty, in particular, took offense to Trump using his song “Fortunate Son,” an anti-war anthem that he wrote for Creedence Clearwater Revival. Fogerty expressed his displeasure on the now-defunct social media platform Twitter, stating that the song was written to denounce the exclusion of certain individuals from serving in the military based on political and financial privilege. He also highlighted the issue of wealthy individuals evading their fair share of taxes and noted that Trump’s actions exemplify both problems.
This issue extends beyond Republican politicians. R&B tenor Sam Moore, one half of the duo Sam and Dave, requested that Barack Obama cease using their song “Hold On, I’m Coming” during his 2008 presidential campaign. Audience members modified the lyrics to support Obama, which Moore found unacceptable. In a public statement, Moore clarified that he had not endorsed Obama and believed that his vote was a private matter.
In summary, clashes between politicians and musicians over the use of songs are not uncommon. Artists often find themselves without recourse when it comes to preventing politicians from playing their music at events, as licensing agreements usually grant such permissions without consulting the artists involved.