Donald Trump and Ron DeSantis have been the runaway favorites for the GOP nomination in the 2024 election, but there’s one candidate that has been climbing up the polls and gaining support from Republicans.
Here’s a look at biotech entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy, who might also be known to some for his rap career.
Biotech Entrepreneur: Ramaswamy has moved up in the latest polls from Republican voters, currently ranking in third place with 8% of the vote.
One of the factors that could be hurting Ramaswamy from not getting more of support in the polls is a lack of familiarity. Twenty-three percent of respondents say they have never heard of Ramaswamy.
That could be helped with a Twitter Spaces set with Elon Musk and David Sacks Friday, July 28.
For those unfamiliar with Ramaswamy, he is a biotech entrepreneur that made his name and wealth thanks to several past deals.
Ramaswamy was behind the IPO of Myovant Sciences in 2016, which was one of the biggest biotech IPOs of the year. Ramaswamy was the founder of the company, according to Forbes.
Ramaswamy founded Roivant Sciences ROIV, a biotech company that completed a SPAC merger in 2021 to go public. The presidential candidate previously served as the CEO of the company before stepping down before the SPAC deal was announced.
He also helped take Axovant public, another biotech company that was working on a new treatment for Alzheimers and was a subsidiary of Roivant.
Along with being a biotech investor, Ramaswamy has been a hedge funder and is the co-founder and Chairman of Strive Asset Management.
Related Link: Trump's Favor For Vivek Ramaswamy, Will It Stand As He Threatens DeSantis, Second Place Position
Rap Career?: The public is starting to learn that Ramaswamy was once a rapper, with an alter ego inspired by Eminem, thanks to a Politico piece.
While attending Harvard University, Ramaswamy was a rap artist on the side, with a stage name of “Da Vek.” He would often rap about libertarian policies and was a lover of Eminem.
“I saw myself, honestly, making it big through American capitalism, and that’s why the Eminem story spoke to me,” Ramaswamy said in an interview, Politico reported.
One hip-hop hit loved by Ramaswamy was “Lose Yourself,” which Eminem released in 2002. Politico shared a video from a person who witnessed Ramaswamy cover the song and said that the presidential candidate rapped a couple of lines from the track during a recent interview.
“He’s growing up in the trailers, with a single mom, and he wants to make it. He’s going to use the moment to do it. He feels like he’s going to use the moment to do it, he seizes it and then makes it happen, and I thought it was a pretty cool story.”
Ramaswamy clarified that he did not come from a trailer upbringing. However, he recalls that his childhood didn't share the "same circumstances" as those of his Harvard classmates.
“I aspired to achieve what many of their parents did. It kind of spoke to me, I would say.”
During his freshman year at Harvard, Ramaswamy participated in an open call to become a warm-up act for Busta Rhymes at a concert. His performance garnered him a supportive audience and helped him gain some fans.
The presidential hopeful continued to perform at Harvard open-mic nights, where he would rap about libertarian policies and also perform “Lose Yourself.”
The Harvard newspaper “The Harvard Crimson” featured a profile piece on Ramaswamy and his alter ego “Da Vek” in 2006.
“It’s the most shocking transformation someone will ever undergo. Though ‘Da Vek’ raps libertarian prose with the utmost of ease, don’t expect to see him in section,” the paper said. “The rapper only emerges when Ramaswamy is outfitted entirely in black, complete with a black Kangol hat.”
While he’s not doing open-mic nights on the regular, Politico shared that Ramasswamy even performed “Lose Yourself” at a Strive holiday party in 2022.
Ramaswamy isn’t as big of a fan of Eminem these days, due to the rapper’s anti-Trump stance, but he still appreciates his music. Ramaswamy has considered using “Lose Yourself” and “Till I Collapse” as walk-out songs.
The presidential candidate has also considered bringing “Da Vek” back to appeal to younger voters, but no one knows if he’s serious.
For people who remember the presidential election of 1992, presidential candidate Bill Clinton may have surged and gained support after an appearance on “The Arsenio Hall Show,” where he played his saxophone.
The appearance was seen as a way for Clinton to boost himself in front of more people. Clinton played saxophone renditions of “God Bless The Child” and “Heartbreak Hotel.” The appearance is often cited as one of the factors that helped Clinton win the election.
While Ramaswamy hasn’t gone into full rap battle mode or released a dis track yet for his 2024 campaign, he did freestyle several bars during an appearance on Fox News recently.
“My name’s Vivek, It rhymes with cake, It is about thee, The United States is about lib-er-tee, So ‘Fox & Friends’ join us on the trail, We’ll have some fun, I’ll see you at the trail,” Ramaswamy rapped.
Read Next: Trump, DeSantis, Ramaswamy Unite In Defense Of Jason Aldean And His Controversial Song
Photo: Gage Skidmore on flickr
© 2024 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved.
Trade confidently with insights and alerts from analyst ratings, free reports and breaking news that affects the stocks you care about.
