Free speech also applies to musicians, including Nugent

The only thing the late Dick Clark wanted to know about music was this: "Does it have a nice beat and can you dance to it?"

These days, popular recording artists seem to have a lot more on their minds, including politics.

That's why it was interesting to see the recent announcement that rapper Common will be a headliner July 7 at one of the Summerfest stages this year.

Common - a Chicago native who's real name is Lonnie Rashid Lynn Jr. - is known by his fans as a "conscious" rapper and author who touches on a variety of social issues in his rap lyrics.

Not being a huge rap fan, I know Common mainly for his recent acting career. But many of his fans still view him mainly as a Grammy winning rap artist.

The news about Common coming to Milwaukee's popular musical festival reminded me of last May when some conservative politicians and media types were in an uproar after the rapper was invited by Michelle Obama to perform at a White House poetry event.

After Republicans began to scrutinize Common's lyrics - never a smart move for non-hip hop fans - they responded with the usual over-the-top rhetoric suggesting he was an inappropriate choice, a vile and controversial performer and perhaps even a threat to national security.

The Common lyric that brought most scrutiny denigrated former President Bush.

"Burn a Bush 'cause for peace he no push no button."

(OK, I think it probably makes sense if he does it.)

See the original post:
Free speech also applies to musicians, including Nugent