President Obama Speaks, Common Performs At White House Poetry Night [Videos]

In the midst of conservatives whining about President Obama inviting Common to perform poetry at the White House, the rapper got the chance to showcase his skills yesterday (May 11).

The Chicago native showed that he is anything but the "vile" rapper Fox News tried to portray him to be.

President Obama talked about what makes a good poem just prior to Common taking the stage.

"The power of poetry is that everybody experiences it differently," Obama said. "There are no rules for what makes a great poem. Understanding it is not just about metaphor or meter. Instead a great poem is one that resonates with us... that challenges us and that teaches us something about ourselves," the President continued before joking that he would not be reading his own poetry on the night.


Finally, we have a commander in chief who doesn't look at all rappers as thugs.

Common represented himself and hip hop very well.