tupac

While I was watching regrettable late-night TV recently, an interview caught my attention: Ultra-conservative Florida Senator Marco Rubio discussing his admiration of the music of Tupac Shakur and NWA.

This isn’t breaking news; Rubio has been openly discussing his love of hip-hop since a December 2012 GQ interview.  To be clear, Rubio says he only knows about Wu Tang from The Dave Chapelle Show, which I am pretty sure is the main reason why Chappelle stopped doing that show in the middle of its third season.

It’s entirely possible that Rubio is just pandering to a younger crowd by proclaiming his love of rap. It’s no secret that the GOP has high hopes that Rubio will be their Barack Obama in 2016.  Obama loves Jay-Z, so maybe Rubio’s banking on dropping Tupac’s name to win youth votes. 

But if Rubio is sincere, it’s ironic that a rising GOP star to profess his love for a music genre that his party put on trial at a Congressional hearing just six years ago. Rubio’s explanation? “I don’t listen to music for the politics of it.”