A video tweeted by U.S. congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene’s account that used Dr. Dre’s 1999 hit “Still D.R.E.” ft. Snoop Dogg was removed from the platform on Monday afternoon.
"This media has been disabled in response to a report by the copyright owner,” reads a message on the post.
The removal came only hours after Dre blasted Greene for using his track in a video celebrating the Kevin McCarthy becoming Speaker of the House. She captioned it: “It’s time to begin.. and they can’t stop what’s coming.”
In a statement to TMZ, Dre said: “I don’t license my music to politicians, especially someone as divisive and hateful as this one.”
The hip hop icon, whose full name is Andre Young, got plenty of support in replies to Greene’s tweet.
“Hopefully what’s coming is a lawsuit from Dr. Dre,” read one. One person quipped: “Dr. Dre doesn’t even have a grave to roll in.”
Greene was also sent a cease-and-desist letter from Howard E. King, a lawyer representing Dre.
“One might expect that, as a member of Congress, you would have a passing familiarity with the laws of our country,” it read. “It’s possible, though, that laws governing intellectual property are a little too arcane and insufficiently populist for you to really have spent much time on. 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.
“The United States Copyright Act says a lot of things, but one of the things it says is that you can’t use someone else’s song for your political campaign promotions unless you get permission from the owner of the copyright in the song, a step you failed you take.”
Greene countered with a statement to TMZ in which 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.”
Greene is a Republican evangelical who espouses far-right conspiracy theories and regularly posts misinformation on social media.