Conservatives Peeved Over White House Rapper Invite

Michelle Obama invited rapper Common to the White House for a poetry event tonight, reports the Chicago Tribune, and conservatives are none too happy about it. Why? Well, to start, Common, AKA Lonnie Rashid Lynn Jr., has a song that apparently tells people to "burn" George W. Bush. Tucker Carlson's Daily Caller first snarked about the issue, reprinting lyrics from "A Letter to the Law" that reference Uzis, Bush, and Saddam. Sarah Palin was quick to tweet a link to the piece with her own two cents thrown in: "Oh lovely, White House..."

Another conservative site, Pajamas Media, claims that the rapper supports convicted "cop killer" Mumia Abu Jamal, named his daughter after another convicted murderer and Black Panther, and was a member of the controversial Rev. Jeremiah Wright's church. Fox Nation referred to Common as a "vile rapper," but Media Matters notes that just about half a year ago, FoxNews.com featured a report on the "rap legend" whose music is "very positive." In the Atlantic, Conor Friedersdorf points out that the White House has a tradition of hosting so-called "depraved" musicians, and on the Huffington Post, Jason Linkins argues that Common is actually pretty far from a "gangsta rapper." (More Common stories.)