Florida Sen. Marco Rubio lit up the Internet Monday after his interview with GQ devolved into a discussion of rap. The rising Republican star not only spoke knowledgeably about Public Enemy's role in hip hop, but weighed in on whether Kanye West and Nicki Minaj are rappers or singers and name-dropped Tupac Shakur. Considering that his party's nominee this year, Mitt Romney, identified a bunch of old white guys as his musical favorites (Garth Brooks, Alabama, the Eagles), Rubio looks downright edgy.

He also looks very smart, according to hip hop historian Davey D, a journalist and professor at San Francisco State University.

"He covered all the bases," Davey D told Yeas & Nays of Rubio's favorite rap songs. "That Marco's a slick guy."...