Vivek Ramaswamy Responds To Eminem's Legal Warning, Recalls Rapper's 'Renegade' Days

Vivek Ramaswamy proves he is just as Shady as the Real Slim Shady!

The multimillionaire got on Eminem's bad side after performing the Hip-hop mogul's music during a campaign trail.

Following the viral moment, the 8-time AMA winner sent a cease and desist letter to the presidential candidate's team warning them to stop using his works. Here is how the Roivant Sciences founder reacted to the icon's message.

The 38-year-old Republican recently addressed the legal warning he received from the "Venom" rapper in a candid interview with MSNBC. Although the aspiring lawmaker noted he would stop performing the record producer's songs, he believed the matter stemmed from a bigger problem.

According to the Cincinnati native, the Shady Records co-founder used to be someone who fought against the "establishment" and spread the truth with his music. However, the father of two claimed the cultural icon had lost his touch because he had issues with Ramaswamy's unauthorized performance of his song.

Referencing Eminem's 2000 hit track "The Real Slim Shady," the politician seemingly taunted the renowned rapper, saying: "I'll respect his wishes…But I'll just say, will the real Slim Shady please stand up?"

The presidential candidate then explained, "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,"  before shading the 50-year-old for no longer having these qualities.

"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."

Before slamming the 15-time Grammy winner in the interview, the "Capitalist Punishment" author had responded to the cease and desist letter on X. A fan shared a news report about Eminem's legal warning, taking Ramaswamy's side with the comment, "Eminem has turned into such a dork that he makes Vivek look cool."

The Harvard University graduate reappeared to support the social media user by tagging Eminem in the retweet, writing,"Will The REAL Slim Shady Please Stand Up? He didn’t just say what I think he did, did he?" 

The cease and desist letter drama between the "Mockingbird" hitmaker and business mogul began after Ramaswamy's appearance at the Iowa State Fair. The Cincinnati native decided to drop some bars while speaking to a crowd alongside Iowa's Republican Gov. Kim Reynolds.

Ramaswamy performed Eminem's 2022 hit song "Lose Yourself" after citing the track as his favorite walkout song. Unfortunately, the rapper did not appreciate the politician's use of his music and slapped the father of two with a legal warning.

Eleven days after the presidential candidate flaunted his rapping skills, his campaign lawyer received the cease and desist letter. The written communication dated August 23 was sent by a representative for the music licenser, BMI, at the musician's request.

The correspondent noted they had been tasked with ensuring their client's works were no longer used for Ramaswamy's presidential campaign. Part of the message read: "BMI has received communications from Marshall B. Mathers III, professionally known as Eminem, objecting to the Vivek Ramaswamy campaign's use of Eminem's musical compositions (the 'Eminem Works')."

The BMI employee noted the "Not Afraid" artist had asked for "all Eminem Works" to be removed "from the Agreement." Additionally, the letter stated the written communication was a notice of the immediate exclusion of the 50-year-old's music from the Republican's presidential campaign.

The statement concluded with the warning: "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."

Following the released cease and desist letter, a spokesperson for Ramaswamy's campaign seemingly implied the 38-year-old was not upset about the legal document. The representative stated: "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."