In his latest court filing against the SEC, Tesla CEO Elon Musk cited lyrics from one of the most iconic songs of “Rap God” Eminem, according to The Verge. The document includes a citation of the 2002 track Without Me, where the rapper sings that “The FCC won’t let me be or let me be me so let me see/ They tried to shut me down.”
The lines refer to the Federal Communications Commission’s decision to fine a Colorado radio station for playing Eminem’s 2000 song The Real Slim Shady. The order was later reversed.
In the Tuesday filing, 'FCC' was replaced with 'SEC' as Musk’s legal team wanted to show that overseeing his tweets is unconstitutional and a restraint on his free speech.
“The First Amendment requires that agencies proceed with caution when constitutional rights are at stake, not seek to pursue any and all novel theories that broaden their authority at the cost of individual freedom. Compare Eminem, ‘Without Me’ (2002),” the court filing says.
Musk drew the SEC's attention some years ago after his tweets about Tesla’s privatisation caused company shares to rise 11 percent, which “misled investors”. Legal proceedings led to an agreement with the SEC that obliged Musk to get preliminary approval from an "experienced securities lawyer" for any post regarding Tesla’s activities.