Eminem's Camp Says El-Sayed Never Asked Before Using 'Not Afraid' in Nov. 3 Ad

Eminem's team says nobody asked. Michigan Democrat Abdul El-Sayed released a 1-minute, 18-second Election Day ad on Nov. 3, 2026, set to Eminem's 2010 No. 1 "Not Afraid." A representative for Eminem told The Detroit News the campaign never contacted them about using the song.

That detail matters because the first wave of coverage framed the clip as Eminem lending his song to the Senate race. Complex also reported that Em's rep denied any outreach from the campaign. So treat this as a campaign using an Eminem song. It is not an endorsement from Eminem.

What we know

• El-Sayed, the Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate in Michigan, debuted the ad on Election Day, Nov. 3, with "Not Afraid" as the soundtrack, per The Detroit News.
• The video runs 1 minute and 18 seconds of campaign footage over the song, according to both The Detroit News and Complex.
• The edit matches the lyrics closely. Footage of Donald Trump plays over a line about people who look down on Em, then the clip cuts to El-Sayed on a balcony right as the verse mentions a balcony.
• El-Sayed posted the video with the message "It's up to us to show the country what's possible," The Detroit News reported.
• Eminem's representative said the campaign made no contact about the song (The Detroit News, Complex).
• El-Sayed is running against Republican Mike Rogers. His campaign's final push also used Kendrick Lamar's "Euphoria," Complex reported.

Context

The timing is awkward for Em. A few weeks ago he appeared on "Heal My Faith," a song from Kid Rock's Christian album Halfway 2 Jesus, released Oct. 17. Kid Rock is a loud Trump supporter and one of El-Sayed's harshest critics. Complex, citing Variety, reported that Kid Rock went on Real Time with Bill Maher and compared El-Sayed to the 9/11 hijackers. On Instagram, Eminem described the collab as "Not about choosing sides, just choosing to make music with my old friend," per Complex.

Em's own politics have never been hard to read. He has gone at Trump for years and endorsed Kamala Harris at a Detroit rally in 2024, Complex noted. But he has stayed quiet this election season, apart from the Kid Rock track, according to The Detroit News.

He has okayed a political ad before. "Lose Yourself" soundtracked a Joe Biden spot that debuted the day before the 2020 presidential election. His side also takes unapproved use seriously. The Detroit News recalled that in 2014 Eminem's publishers sued a New Zealand political party over a campaign track that sounded like "Lose Yourself" and were eventually awarded $415,000.

The song is no deep cut. "Not Afraid," the lead single from Recovery, hit No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 and has more than 2.1 billion YouTube plays and 1.3 billion Spotify streams, per The Detroit News.

Rap and politics keep running into each other this cycle. See our recent story on Trump calling Nicki Minaj as press secretary "a good idea".

What's unconfirmed

• Whether the campaign got a license some other way. The rep's statement covers contact with Eminem's camp. Neither outlet reported whether the campaign cleared the song through a label, publisher or licensing service.
• What Eminem does next. Neither Eminem nor his team has announced any takedown request or legal action as of Nov. 3, 2026. Nothing here suggests he endorsed El-Sayed.
• Kid Rock's 9/11 comparison comes from Complex citing Variety. We have not reviewed the Maher clip ourselves.

Should artists get a veto over campaigns using their songs? Yes or no.