On Monday, a promotional video of U.S. Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene walking into Congress following the election of House Speaker Kevin McCarthy rapidly began circulating on TikTok for its choice of soundtrack. Greene used Dr. Dre’s track “Still D.R.E.” without permission from Dre. The acclaimed rapper and producer’s legal team served Greene in a letter that many Dre fans across TikTok and Twitter are praising for its specificity.
@ameliamontooth genuinely embarrassing for her if she had any capacity to feel shame!! #marjorietaylorgreene #drdre #democrats #republicans
One line from the letter, sent from the King, Holmes, Paterno & Soriano law firm, read, “we’re writing because we think an actual lawmaker should be making laws not breaking laws, especially those embodied in the constitution by the founding fathers.”
Outside of the potential infringement of licensing laws, Dre also expressed disagreement with right-wing politics. These policies were referred to as “hateful and divisive” in the cease and desist letter. The incident temporarily locked Marjorie Taylor Greene out of her Twitter account yesterday.
This all comes after a long history of Marjorie Taylor Greene posting controversial statements and videos on her Twitter account, particularly related to the conspiracy group Qanon and the spread of misinformation about COVID-19. Greene was previously banned for her statements.
Fans of Dre and media personalities alike have voiced their support for the rapper for standing up to the GOP Congresswoman. The party has a long history of using artists’ music without the proper licensing permission. Over the course of the Trump presidency, Tom Petty’s estate, Neil Young, Rihanna and several others have voiced concerns about the same issue.
I love Dr Dre’s letter to Marjorie Taylor Greene. What a fantastic takedown! He left no crumbs. It’s such a deeply satisfying read! ???????? https://t.co/DBWgosxg0a
— Dr Shola Mos-Shogbamimu (@SholaMos1) January 9, 2023
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Greene’s office has not issued a comment on the letter. In an interview with TMZ she said, “While I appreciate the creative chord progression, I would never play your words of violence against women and police officers, and your glorification of the thug life and drugs.”
Dr. Dre told TMZ that he “does not license his music to any politicians.”
Critics of Greene and fans of Dre alike have reposted her initial video with new humorous soundtracks, pointing out the hypocrisy of the situation.
Added more fitting music to Marjorie Taylor Greene's video: pic.twitter.com/B4I9ZP6gOs
— Frank Lesser (@sadmonsters) January 10, 2023
Greene already sparked controversy last week for calling former President Donald Trump for advice during the televised voting process for Speaker of the House. The decision to involve Trump left Republicans divided, and cemented Greene as a polarizing figure in the Republican party.
Many were quick to point out Greene’s history of violent comments made towards former Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi. Voting took place just after the two year anniversary of the Capitol insurrection.
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The video was removed from her official Twitter account. Greene has reportedly not contacted Dre directly. The cease and desist issued to Greene outlined that she has until 5 p.m. on Wednesday evening to issue a formal confirmation of the video’s removal from all of her platforms.
