DJ Kool said he didn’t give Donald Trump permission to use his 1996 song “Let Me Clear My Throat” in a political ad against Joe Biden.
In the ad, which Trump tweeted on Monday, the head of Barack Obama is superimposed onto someone’s body in a barbershop. It then ends with Kool’s song being played.
“I HAD ABSOLUTELY NOTHING TO DO WITH THAT TRUMP TWEET THIS MORNING AS FAR AS THEM USING MY MUSIC IS CONCERNED AND I GOT MY MGMT TEAM ON TOP OF IT RIGHT NOW,” Kool wrote Monday in a now deleted Instagram post. “TO ALL MY FOLLOWERS THAT HIT ME IN SUPPORT OF THIS ISSUE I LOVE YOU ALL THANK YOU SO MUCH AND GOD BLESS YOU (PLEASE REPOST THIS.)”
Kool is far from the first musician to blast Trump for using his music without permission. Rihanna did it in 2018 after Trump played her song “Don’t Stop the Music” at a rally in Chattanooga, Tennessee. She then issued a cease and desist letter.
“Me nor my people would ever be at or around one of those tragic rallies,” Rihanna tweeted after being alerted about her song being used.
In that same year, Pharrell Williams sent Trump a cease and desist letter as well, after Trump played his hit “Happy” at a political event. The song was played just hours before a gunman shot and killed 11 people inside a Pittsburgh synagogue.
“On the day of the mass murder of 11 human beings at the hands of a deranged nationalist, you played his song ‘Happy’ to a crowd at a political event in Indiana,” wrote Williams’ attorney Howard King in the letter. “There was nothing ‘happy’ about the tragedy inflicted upon our country on Saturday and no permission was granted for your use of this song for this purpose.”
Prince‘s estate also slammed Trump after he played the late singer’s classic “Purple Rain” at a rally in October 2019.
Kool’s song “Let Me Clear My Throat” was released as a single on his album of the same name. It was certified gold in May 1997 and has been a staple at sporting events. The song also was featured on HBO’s “Ballers.”
