http://twitter.com/#!/marcorubio/status/270671994104721408

Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) created some buzz with his recent trip to Iowa, igniting speculation that he is prepping for a White House run in 2016. In the midst of the normal media circus surrounding such speculation, the Florida senator also raised eyebrows when he named his favorite rappers — including N.W.A., Tupac, and Eminem — in a  recent interview for GQ magazine.

Sen. Rubio also commented on Miami native hip hop artist Pitbull in what many Twitterers perceived as a snub:

His songs are all party songs. There’s no message for him, compared to like an Eminem. But look, there’s always been a role for that in American music. There’s always been a party person, but he’s a young guy. You know, maybe as he gets older, he’ll reflect in his music more as time goes on. I mean, he’s not Tupac. He’s not gonna be writing poetry.

Some Tweeters and journalists incorrectly translated that quote into, “I don’t like Pitbull.”

Republican Senator Marco Rubio puts Pitbull on blast: “He’s not Tupac.” dailycaller.com/2012/11/19/mar…

— sarah (@3x1minus1) November 19, 2012

Rubio breaks it down: Pitbull is no Eminem // Damn, we hate it when we agree with Sen. Rubio. bit.ly/T7rOgt #SoyRebelde

— Latino Rebels (@latinorebels) November 19, 2012

Who knew? Marco Rubio loves rap, prefers @eminem, @2pac, N.W.A over @pitbullbit.ly/WqnwpZ

— CNN Politics (@CNNPolitics) November 19, 2012

Marco Rubio prefers old school rap, does not like Pitbull [VIDEO] – bit.ly/U9sd36

— The Daily Caller (@DailyCaller) November 19, 2012

Before the story got completely out of control, Sen. Rubio clarified his position.

@pitbull makes party music not message music.Always been place for that in #HipHop.As he gets older he will have more 2 say about life.

— Marco Rubio (@marcorubio) November 19, 2012

Of course, because he is a potential presidential candidate, he could not escape accusations of backtracking and pandering.

Rubio, catering to Iowans YET AGAIN RT @marcorubio: @pitbull makes party music not message music.Always been place for that in #HipHop.

— Sam Stein (@samsteinhp) November 20, 2012

Rubio walks back critique of rapper Pitbull on Twitter bit.ly/Xunsa0

— The Hill (@thehilltweets) November 20, 2012

It turns out that Rubio has referred to Pitbull as one of his favorite artists.

Now that we settled that, let’s talk about how old the earth is…

Read more: http://twitchy.com/2012/11/19/sen-marco-rubio-talks-rap-music-clarifies-position-on-pitbull/