Vivek Ramaswamy Will Stop Performing ‘Lose Yourself’ After Eminem’s Cease-And-Desist—But Prods Rapper For ‘Establishment’ Stance - Forbes

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Topline

GOP presidential candidate Vivek Ramswamy said in an interview with MSNBC he’d accept the terms of a cease-and-desist letter he received for a campaign trail performance of Eminem’s hit song “Lose Yourself,” though the candidate didn’t conclude the interview without taking some parting shots at the rapper.

Key Facts

Ramaswamy said “I’ll respect [Eminem’s] wishes” when asked about a cease-and-desist letter sent by performing rights organization BMI asking the presidential candidate to stop performing Eminem songs on the campaign trail.

After agreeing to the demands, Ramaswamy critiqued Eminem and said he “used to be a guy who actually stood up the establishment.”

Ramaswamy said he hopes the 50-year-old rapper “will one day rediscover the renegade that made him great.”

Ramaswamy performed the song at the Iowa State Fair, where he reportedly told Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds that “Lose Yourself” was his preferred walkout song for a campaign event, according to CNN.

Tangent

Eminem isn’t completely unwilling to see his songs used in the political arena, as the rapper allowed “Lose Yourself” to be used by President Joe Biden’s campaign in the leadup to the 2020 presidential election.

Key Background

Ramaswamy is a multi-millionaire presidential hopeful who has run on a platform in line with that of former President Donald Trump, who was the subject of a scathing freestyle performed by Eminem for the 2017 BET Hip Hop Awards. Eminem took aim at the former president’s platform and supporters—a stance he partially walked back with a 2018 song called “The Ringer,” in which the rapper said he’d reword the freestyle and empathize with “the people this evil serpent sold the dream to that he’s deserted.”