Following a cringe-worthy rap performance at the Iowa State Fair, Eminem asked political hopeful Vivek Ramaswamy to stop rapping his lyrics with a cease and desist. The politician has responded.
Ramaswamy says he’ll respect the rapper’s wishes after his campaign received the C&D from BMI, suggesting any further use of Eminem’s works would be a breach of contract. But he couldn’t help but take a parting shot at the rapper while speaking to a host on MSNBC.
“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,” Ramaswamy said about the rapper. “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.”
Eminem’s net worth is estimated to be $250 million, so I think the Detroit native is doing just fine. After all, the last time someone came at the ‘Rap God’ he was publicly shamed into switching musical genres. May not bethe best idea to pick a fight with the guy who loves putting pen to paper about people who piss him off.
Meanwhile, another presidential hopeful has previously blown off cease and desists received from the estate of Tom Petty. The family of the late rocker sent a cease and desist notice to the Trump campaign in 2020 after his music was played during a rally in Tulsa, Oklahoma—alongside several other musician’s tracks. Petty’s “I Won’t Back Down” was played at the rally, which drew the ire of the family on social media.
“Trump was in no way authorized to use this song to further a campaign that leaves too many Americans and common sense behind,” the Petty family said in a statement.