Donald Trump’s campaign continues to add names to an already long list of musicians who refuse to work with him. Neil Young finally sued Trump this August after continuously denying the president’s request to play his music during rallies. Leonard Cohen’s estate made a similar move the same month when they threatened to sue the RNC for playing “Hallelujah,” even after the late singer-songwriter’s family refused to grant them permission. Now, Tupac’s family is bashing Trump after his campaign used the late rapper’s name to mock Senator Kamala Harris.
It all started when the Trump campaign joked about leaving a ticket to the vice presidential debate with Tupac’s name on it. The jab refers to an interview between Harris and CNN political commentator Angela Rye where the Senator was asked to name her favorite rapper alive and she responded with “Tupac.” While Trump’s campaign thought the move was for laughs, Tupac’s family didn’t take it lightly.
Speaking to TMZ about the situation, Tupac’s stepbrother, Mopreme Shakur, called the joke “clearly disrespectful.” Shakur said he wanted an apology from the president, but isn’t holding on to hope that he’ll get one. “We should know Trump’s lack of respect for the Black and brown community,” Shakur said.
Some of the artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.