Lawyers for US rapper Eminem have sent a letter to aspiring Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy asking that the politician stop performing Eminem songs during his presidential campaign.
Ramaswamy is a 38-year-old multimillionaire tech entrepreneur, who in February of this year, declared his candidacy for the Republican Party nomination in the 2024 US presidential election.
At several campaign events, he has performed and rapped some of Eminem's Oscar-winning song, Lose Yourself.
BMI, a performing rights organisation, informed Ramaswamy's campaign that they do not have permission to perform this music in a letter dated 23 August.
The letter read: "BMI has received a communication from Marshall B. Mathers, III, professionally known as Eminem, objecting to the Vivek Ramaswamy campaign's use of Eminem's musical composition (the "Eminem Works") and requesting that BMI remove all Eminem Works from the Agreement."
Ramaswamy's campaign told CNN it will comply with the request to stop using Eminem's music.
Ramaswamy, a businessman with no political experience, has been rising in some opinion polls and has branded his rivals as "bought and paid for".
The 38-year-old was at the centre of many of last week's first Republican primary debate's most dramatic moments.
A fierce defender of former US President Donald Trump, Ramaswamy has faced plenty of incoming fire from his more experienced rivals, who appeared to view him as more of a threat than Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, who has been trailing Trump as a distant second for a long time in the Republican primary polls.
Trump is the overwhelming front runner in the Republican primary contest.
Source: Reuters
