Whelp, that was quick. Beyoncé is reportedly preparing to send a cease-and-desist letter to Donald Trump’s campaign following the unauthorized use of her song “Freedom.”
ICYMI, on Tuesday, August 20, Trump campaign spokesperson Steven Cheung weirdly shared a 13-second video on social media showing Trump deplaning in Michigan. In the clip, Trump is seen walking the tarmac and giving a two-handed fist pump, with Beyoncé’s 2016 hit song “Freedom” from her “Lemonade” album playing in the background.
Like we said yesterday, weird.
As we expected, a source close to Beyoncé informed “Rolling Stone” that Trump’s campaign did not seek or receive permission to use the track.
Ya’ll probably know Vice President Kamala Harris recently adopted “Freedom” as her unofficial campaign anthem after stepping up as the Democratic party’s lead for the upcoming election. According to CNN, Beyoncé granted Harris permission. Trump doesn’t have that green light.
The Trump campaign’s use of the song has drawn criticism. One person tweeted, “Freedom is a song written about slavery and police brutality against POC. How disgusting and despicable for any of you to use it to support that convicted felon.”
Recently, the estate of the late singer-songwriter Isaac Hayes filed a multi-million dollar lawsuit against Trump over the alleged unauthorized use of the song “Hold On, I’m Coming” at Republican rallies and in campaign videos. Get this the estate’s lawyers claim Trump owes $150,000 for each unauthorized use of the song, which they allege has been used over 100 times. Insert chuckle, because that campaign is really making some weird decisions that might end up costing them a few bucks.
Trump is no stranger of swagger jacking without permission. He has a history of using popular music without the go ahead, dating back to his 2016 campaign, where he frequently played Adele’s “Rolling in the Deep” at his rallies. Shortly afterward, the 16-time Grammy winner informed Trump that he did not have her permission to use the song at his events.
When is this guy going to learn?
The post Beyoncé Reportedly Prepares Cease and Desist Towards Trump Campaign Over Use of ‘Freedom’ first appeared on The Source.
The post Beyoncé Reportedly Prepares Cease and Desist Towards Trump Campaign Over Use of ‘Freedom’ appeared first on The Source.