Yesterday SOHH, a hip-hop site, reported on an interview that John Kerry gave to MTV, in which Kerry professed his appreciation for rap:

"I'm fascinated by Rap and Hip-Hop" said Democratic presidential candidate, John Kerry during an MTV Choose or Lose forum. Offering up a heavy dose of street credibility, Kerry defended gangsta rap, freedom of speech and the realities of street life.

"I'm fascinated by rap and by hip-hop. I think there's a lot of poetry in it. There's a lot of anger, a lot of social energy in it. And I think you'd better listen to it pretty carefully, 'cause it's important."

"I'm still listening because I know that it's a reflection of the street and it's a reflection of life, and I understand all that. I'm not for the government censoring or stepping in. But I don't think it's inappropriate occasionally to talk about what you think is a standard or what you think is a value that is worth trying to live up to."

SOHH's online forum addresses the question: "Is Kerry being truthful or just pandering to the youth vote?" The entries suggest that the world of hip-hop is about as polarized as the rest of the country. I wonder, though, what the rappers would say if they saw Kerry with his flower-power zipper pull.