Republican primary candidate Vivek Ramaswamy sings during a political event in Des Moines, Iowa August 12, 2023. JEFF ROBERSON/AP
For those who envision themselves as the new Donald Trump, it’s almost an acknowledgment. Like the former US president, whom several artists have asked not to use their songs during his meetings, Vivek Ramaswamy received “an official request” from rapper Eminem urging him not to use his music during his 2024 US presidential campaign to play and not rap his tracks presidential election.
A video of the 38-year-old entrepreneur enjoying a surprise rise in the Republican primary as he rapped the song “Lose Yourself” at an Iowa political event went viral a few years ago.
Eminen’s request, addressed in a letter to the American Organization for the Protection of Musical Rights (BMI), was published by the Chron on Monday 28 August.
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Surprising third place in the polls
Vivek Ramaswamy was born in August 1985 in the working-class state of Ohio to Indian immigrants of Hindu religion. This total political novice, who likes to imagine himself in “Trump 2.0,” now, to everyone’s surprise, ranks third in the polls for the Republican primary taking place in early 2024.
While attending Harvard, this bright-smiled man turned to rap and is known by the nickname “Da Vek,” an alter ego adept at libertarian lyrics. “If you find the orator Vivek Ramaswamy intense, you haven’t met Da Vek,” The Crimson, the university’s student newspaper, humorously observed in 2006.
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After a stint at Yale, he founded the biotechnology company Roivant, thanks to which he amassed a personal fortune of more than $600 million, according to Forbes magazine. In February he left the board to focus on his election campaign, which he largely funded. “It’s not just a political campaign,” argues Vivek Ramaswamy. “It’s a cultural movement that wants to realize a new American dream. »
True to Trump
On the field, the father of two young children makes fighting “wokism” an obsession. While the majority of candidates running in the Republican primary are careful not to criticize Donald Trump too directly for fear of upsetting his base, Vivek Ramaswamy goes even further. The candidate, who was present in court during an indictment against the former president in Miami, urged all his peers to pledge to pardon Donald Trump if elected.
A loyalty Donald Trump recognizes: “He’s fine,” said the Republican billionaire recently, more used to handing out nicknames than good points to his political opponents.
During the last two presidential elections, several well-known artists, including Pharrell Williams, Rihanna, Aerosmith and Adele, as well as Prince’s heirs, complained that their titles were played by Donald Trump at campaign meetings. The famous British rock band The Rolling Stones even threatened the Republican with legal action if he continued to use their hit You Can’t Always Get What You Want.
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