Rihanna slams Trump for playing her hit Don't Stop The Music at 'tragic rally'

Rihanna is the latest musician to slam US president Donald Trump for playing her songs at Republican rallies.

The singer replied to a tweet from Washington Post journalist, Philip Rucker, who described Rihanna's Don't Stop The Music blaring out at a Republican political event in Chattanooga.

Rihanna relied: "Not for much longer...me nor my people would ever be at or around one of those tragic rallies, so thanks for the heads up philip!"

There's a long history of musicians taking umbridge at politicians using their songs without permission, but the current US president has incensed several high profile artists.

Pharrell Williams: not happy at president Trump using his songs at political events. Credit: AP

Pharrell Williams threatened legal action against the president after Mr Trump used Happy at a rally just hours after the shooting at a Pittsburgh synagogue.

“On the day of the mass murder of 11 human beings at the hands of a deranged ‘nationalist’, you played his song Happy to a crowd at a political event in Indiana,” a cease-and-decease letter from Mr Williams' lawyers said. “There was nothing ‘happy’ about the tragedy inflicted upon our country on Saturday and no permission was granted for your use of this song for this purpose.”

Stop the music: Singers v Politicians

  • If rock 'n roll giants the Rolling Stones can not get Mr Trump to stop playing their song You Can’t Always Get What You Want at the end of his rallies, as they reportedly have, then others have little chance. But that doesn't mean they are not going to try...

  • Neil Young asked the Trump campaign to refrain from playing his 1989 hit Rockin’ in the Free World.

  • After Adele’s hits Rolling in the Deep and Skyfall were played at Mr Trump's political rallies, her spokesperson said: “Adele has not given permission for her music to be used for any political campaigning."

  • Aerosmith singer Steven Tyler's legal reps issued Mr Trump with a cease-and-desist letter after the (then) presidential candidate played Dream On at an event.

  • Michael Stripe from REM was less polite after Trump used the band's It’s the End of the World as We Know It (and I Feel Fine) at a campaign rally.

Abba did not want to take a chance on John McCain during his presidential campaign. Credit: AP

  • In 2008 Abba issued a legal warning to presidential candidate, John McCain, asking him to stop playing Take a Chance on Me at his rallies.

  • In 2009 American indie band MGMT sued after their song Kids was used in two online videos for French president Nicolas Sarkozy's political party. They rejected the original €1 compensation and eventually received around €29,000.

  • Eighties hair rockers, Bon Jovi complained about republican candidate Sarah Palin's use of Who Says You Can't Go Home at her rallies in 2008.

  • Tom Petty asked George Bush to stop playing I Won't Back Down during the 2000 presidential campaign. The Republican nominee did, eventually, back down.

  • For her (infamous) keynote speech at the 2017 Conservative Party conference, Theresa May walked on stage to the Rihanna and Calvin Harris collaboration, This Is What You Came For. The DJ-producer later tweeted this was "not approved" by him.