But those types of distinctions can be lost on cultural conservatives, particularly Limbaugh, who expressed the most deep-seated contempt for Kerry and rap music.

"Rush Limbaugh is like those guys who used to smash Elvis Presley records in the 1950s and said rock 'n' roll has no importance. They're just throwback people," says David Bositis, a senior political analyst at the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies, in Washington, a policy institute that focuses on African-American issues. "And when you attack rap, you're not just attacking the performer but you're attacking the audience, the majority of which is white."

"The right wing fears the influence of hip-hop translating into political power, and they attack it every time there's a glimmer of a political connection," says Ben Chavis, who runs the nonprofit Hip-Hop Summit Action Network alongside hip-hop mogul Russell Simmons. "Rap baiting, race baiting, it's the same thing."

The network is in the midst of a nationwide voter registration drive. "Hip-hop transcends race in America," Chavis adds. "That's the greatest fear of the right wing: a generation who would dare to transcend racial division and embrace a vision of a new America that is more inclusive."

The hip-hop angle wouldn't matter if the Republicans weren't launching such a big campaign for the youth vote, hoping to register 3 million new Republican voters. With so many young voters having stayed home in 2000 (71 percent), the potential for outreach, at least in theory, is high. But this GOP effort highlights the party's uneasy relationship with pop culture, particularly youth culture. The tension is heightened by Republican fears that the association might offend its more conservative Christian base.

In 1976, Democratic candidate Jimmy Carter quoted Bob Dylan in his acceptance speech. Bill Clinton, a saxophonist, tapped into classic rock by using Fleetwood Mac's "Don't Stop Thinking About Tomorrow" as his theme song, and Al Gore hired music video director Spike Jonze to create a campaign biography for the 2000 convention. Earlier this year, when asked to select his favorite singer, former Democratic presidential front-runner Howard Dean turned some heads when he named Wyclef Jean, the socially conscious hip-hop singer.

By contrast, during the 2000 campaign Bush told Oprah his favorite song was the 1950s ditty, "Wake Up, Little Susie." During another campaign interview Bush was asked about his impression of Madonna, but he cut the conversation off: "I don't follow pop music." Bush's father's lone venture into pop culture extended to using Bobby McFerrin's "Don't Worry, Be Happy," as a campaign theme.

Hunter, the young Republican at Howard University, says the GOP has to adjust -- and fast: "Republicans need to wake up and realize they cannot ignore the hip-hop community, and that they're white, middle-class suburban voters, not black, poor and inner city. They need to get in step before it's too late and the hip-hop community has changed the political landscape."

"Are Republicans ever going to be cool? I don't think so," says Bositis, the D.C. policy analyst. "Republican have no connection to hip-hop. Some of them are openly hostile to it. Others are mute. But for most of them it just doesn't exist unless it's in the news."

Meanwhile, the RNC registration tour, featuring Reggie the Rig, motors on. Next week, Reggie will be parked in Florence, Ariz., for the four-day Country Thunder music festival -- starring Reba McEntire and Montgomery Gentry.

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