Eminem’s Producers Sue Michigan Car Dealership Over Unauthorized Use of ‘Lose Yourself’
Eminem’s longtime producers, Mark and Jeff Bass, along with their manager Joel Martin, have filed a lawsuit against a Michigan car dealership for allegedly using the rapper’s hit song Lose Yourself in a commercial without permission.
The lawsuit, filed in federal court on January 27, names LaFontaine Ford St. Clair, a dealership under the LaFontaine Automotive Group, as the defendant. The plaintiffs—who operate Eight Mile Style, LLC, the company that publishes many of Eminem’s songs—claim that LaFontaine used Lose Yourself in a fall 2024 commercial promoting a limited-edition Detroit Lions-themed Ford F-150 truck.
According to the lawsuit, the commercial, which was posted on social media, included a caption referencing lyrics from Lose Yourself:
“You only get one shot to own a Special Edition Detroit Lions F-150. With only 800 produced, you only get one shot to own a Special Edition Detroit Lions 2024 PowerBoost Hybrid F-150.”
The lawsuit states that the commercial remained visible on Facebook until Monday evening before it was removed. Eight Mile Style is seeking at least $150,000 in damages and is demanding that LaFontaine post a notice on its website acknowledging the unauthorized use of the song.
Eminem Responds to Unrelated Music Leaks
While Eminem is not directly involved in this lawsuit, he recently reacted to a separate issue—an extensive leak of unreleased music. Earlier this month, dozens of tracks spanning the past 20 years surfaced online, featuring collaborations with 50 Cent, Dr. Dre, Slaughterhouse, Nate Dogg, and Anderson .Paak.
Eminem’s representative, Dennis Dennehy, condemned the leaks, stating:
“These leaked songs were studio efforts never meant for public consumption… demos, experiments and ideas that are dated and not relevant so many years later.”
Frequent Eminem collaborator and Aftermath producer Fredwreck also issued a stern warning to the person responsible, writing in a now-deleted post:
“FYI to the criminal who’s leaking Eminem’s music. We will find you. Street law will be applied.”
The lawsuit against LaFontaine Ford St. Clair highlights ongoing challenges in protecting artists’ work from unauthorized use, whether in commercial advertising or through music leaks.