Marco Rubio's not your typical Republican presidential candidate; he's a cool Republican presidential candidate. A noted hip-hop fan, Rubio has weighed in on the great rap rivalries and biggest musicians of our time.

Here's an encyclopedia of his opinions:

East Coast vs. West Coast

"I was more of a West Coast fan, I guess, during that time. That distinction's gone away now." -- during an appearance on "Meet the Press."

Eminem

"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. 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." -- during interview with GQ.

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Jay-Z

"I think Jay-Z needs to get informed. One of his heroes is Che Guevara. Che Guevara was a racist." -- during interview with ABC News.

Lil Wayne calling himself the new Tupac

"Tupac lived in a different time. These guys have some message in what they're saying, but I think they're largely entertainers. I think Tupac was more someone who was trying to inform us about what was going on, and he did it through entertainment. They're all good, though. " -- when asked by TMZ.

Nicki Minaj

"Hip-hop's 30 years old now, and it's crossed over and sort of become indistinguishable from pop music in general. You know, many people say Nicki Minaj is a rapper, but she's also a singer." -- during an interview with GQ.

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"I like Nicki Minaj, I think she's very talented." -- during an interview with MSNBC.

Pitbull

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"Pitbull's become a friend and someone that we're very proud of." -- during an interview with MSNBC.

Tupac vs. Biggie

"I think Tupac's lyrics were more insightful, in my opinion, with all apologies to the Biggie fans." -- during an interview with BuzzFeed News

His three favorite hip-hop songs:

1. N.W.A. "Straight Outta Compton"

2. Tupac "Killuminati"

3. Eminem "Lose Yourself"

-- during an interview with GQ.

Other songs he likes:

Rubio also created a Spotify playlist in 2013 with songs from Tupac, Kanye West, Pitbull, Flo Rida, and plenty of other non-hip-hop artists.

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