Current Events > Vivek Ramaswamy once had an Eminem-inspired, rap artist alter ego.

(+) Yeah! (+)

Before he was an upstart candidate for president and a philosophical leader of what he dubs the anti-woke movement, before he was a New York Times bestselling author and wealthy biotech entrepreneur, Vivek Ramaswamy was a rapper.

During his time as an undergrad at Harvard, Ramaswamy had a side-hustle as a libertarian-minded rap artist who went by the stage name Da Vek. The gig was an early sign of the extroverted, self-assured personality that has propelled him far further in the primary than virtually anyone expected.

It makes him only the second known presidential candidate in a Republican party to have ever willingly embraced Eminem (after Marco Rubio).

I saw myself, honestly, making it big through American capitalism, and thats why the Eminem story spoke to me, Ramaswamy, now 37 years old, said in an interview. A friend, who watched him rap at some point in his twenties, provided footage of it.

Ramaswamys interest in rap dates back to the early aughts. Growing up in the greater Cincinnati area the son of Indian immigrants; his father was an engineer and patent attorney for General Electric, his mother a geriatric psychiatrist he said he attended public schools where fights were not unusual. While on the trail, he has mentioned one incident when in middle school he was thrown down a flight of stairs.

Eminems breakout hit Lose Yourself came out in 2002, the year before Ramaswamy went to Harvard. It left an impression. In Eminem, he found an insurgent-like figure, the kind of persona Ramaswamy aspired to and still seems to draw at least some inspiration from. (During an interview this past week, he rapped a few lines from the hit song.)

Hes growing up in the trailers, with a single mom, and he wants to make it. Hes going to use the moment to do it. He feels like hes going to use the moment to do it, he seizes it and then he makes it happen, and I thought it was a pretty cool story, Ramaswamy recalled. I didnt grow up in a trailer, but I also didnt grow up in the same circumstances that most of my peers at Harvard did, either. I aspired to achieve what many of their parents did. It kind of spoke to me, I would say.

Being inspired by rap is one thing. Dabbling in it is quite another.

Ramaswamys first actual gig would come the spring of his freshman year and the eyes of Harvard were on him. In 2004, he got word that Harvard was doing an open call for student performers to be warm-up acts for Busta Rhymes, who that spring was to perform at the schools Lavietes Pavilion. Ramaswamy took a shot. It was the first time he tried it. And it worked.

According the the schools paper, 3,000 students attended the event, which was advertised as the hugest concert in Harvard history.

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I'm sure Em would tell him to fuck off.

"I didnt grow up in a trailer, but I also didnt grow up in the same circumstances that most of my peers at Harvard did, either."

That guy actually had mad swag.

I wish this guy wasn't such an unhinged right winger, because he seems like he would be a fun guy to hang around otherwise.