I love Kweli's explanation of the phenomenon. I wish people gave answers like this more often, cuz most journalists never grasp that rappers are musicians who make choices for musical reasons. Also note: Talib Kweli doesn't vote. Scandal!
...It also doesn't hurt that his name just works better in a rhyming verse than, say, "Kucinich."
"More than anything his name is a nugget of lyrical gold," said Kweli. "It sounds like a gunshot going off ... Obama rhymes with a lot of things."
Kweli told CNN that Obama, 46, is a "refreshing face like [Muhammad] Ali in '63" and that among Kweli's friends, Obama would win a presidential poll overwhelmingly. Kweli, who said he hasn't voted in years and may not vote in 2008 because he believes the political system is broken, explained why Obama has piqued his interest.
"His youth, his being black, the way that he speaks, the way that he lays out his point of view," Kweli said. "It's someone who looks more like you. I don't mean black, but I mean the young thing. And his name is Barack Obama. This country is become more and more multicultural."
.... Both Common and Kweli bristled at one question that Obama's faced at recent presidential forums and debates: whether the candidate is "black enough."
"It's a horrible question," Kweli said. "It's very divisive. It divides us. Obviously that man is black. I think it's utterly ridiculous."
