Can Marco Rubio’s Hip-Hop Cred Pay Dividends?

There aren’t many U.S. senators who would take time to entertain a TMZ reporter’s on-the-fly questions about hip-hop music — much less provide thoughtful answers — while walking through Reagan National Airport.

Only one, no doubt, would call into the celebrity news channel’s daily Web show the next day to follow up on the topic — which is exactly what Florida’s Marco Rubio did back in February.

“I’m the only member of the hip-hop caucus in the Senate,” he joked at the time. “That’s kind of where I live. That’s what I do and who I am. I think we all listen to something, right? And that’s what I listened to growing up.”