Politics

White House calls rapper Common ‘socially conscious,’ opposes cop killing lyrics

Vince Coglianese Editorial Director
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The White House is standing behind its decision to welcome rapper Lonnie Rashid Lynn, Jr., AKA “Common,” to Washington, D.C. Wednesday night amidst controversy over the hip hop artist’s lyrics which include support for violence against cops and former President George W. Bush.

“Burn a Bush cos’ for peace he no push no button,” declared Common in a poem entitled “A Letter to the Law,” criticizing the former president for “killing over oil and grease” and “no weapons of destruction.”

“Tell the law, my Uzi weighs a ton,” he says in the same poem. “I walk like a warrior, from them I won’t run.”

“The president opposes those kinds of lyrics,” said Jay Carney, White House Press Secretary during Wednesday’s daily briefing.

Despite that opposition, Carney indicated that Common would still be welcome at “An Evening of Poetry at the White House” tonight.

“It’s ironic to pick out those particular lyrics about this particular artist when in fact he’s known as a socially conscious hip hop artist or rapper who, in fact, has done a lot of good things,” offered Carney. “You can oppose some of what he’s done and appreciate some of the other things he’s done.”

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