Marco Rubio Talks Rap, Eminem, and His Best Friends

A self-proclaimed "hip-hop fan," Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., has never hidden his love of music, and in an interview with GQ Magazine, he talked bout his respect for the lyrics of Eminem and revealed his top three favorite rap songs - "Straight Outta Compton" by N.W.A., "Killuminati" by Tupac, and Eminem's "Lose Yourself."

"The only guy that speaks at any sort of depth is, in my mind, Eminem. He's a guy that does music that talks about the struggles of addiction and before that violence, with growing up in a broken family, not being a good enough father," Rubio told GQ. "So, you know that's what I enjoy about it. It's harder to listen to than ever before because I have a bunch of kids and you just can't put it on."

But when it comes to Miami-born rapper Pitbull, who Rubio has often mentioned in interviews as one of his favorite artists, the Florida senator doesn't think Pitbull's music has the same level of depth as Eminem's songs.

"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," Rubio said.

Rubio is considered a likely contender for the 2016 presidential race, but while he is far from making any official announcement about a 2016 bid, he has started to boost his profile in some of the early primary states. Over the weekend, Rubio attended a fundraiser and birthday party in honor of Iowa Gov. Terry Branstad. And in the past year, he's made trips to Nevada, New Hampshire, and South Carolina, a state which is home to a U.S. senator Rubio says is his best friend - tea party favorite Jim DeMint

"He's a great source of wisdom as a person who's had to make decisions that have made him unpopular in his own party," Rubio said when asked who is best friend is besides his wife. "Jeb Bush is another guy I admire for his ability to analyze issues and call them for what they are."

DeMint was one of Rubio's earliest endorsers back when he launched his long-shot bid against Gov. Charlie Crist for the Florida senate seat, and Bush has been a mentor of Rubio's since his time in the Florida state legislature.