Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama, a freshman senator from Illinois, is quickly gaining pop-culture status among young voters.

“Barack and Roll” T-shirts are popping up in malls across America, Vibe magazine has nick named him “B-Rock,” and popular rap artists like Common are dropping his name in their rap recordings. In fact the R&B jam “I've got a crush on Obama” has quickly become one of the most popular videos on Youtube.

Obama seems to be the candidate of choice among the MTV demographic, but one has to wonder what kind of influence this attention will have on his campaign.

Obama has been very critical of rap music in the past. Early in his campaign he criticized the musical genre for irresponsible lyrics and degrading language. But despite past efforts to distance himself from hip-hop culture, Obama now seems to be embracing it. A popular rap song “Open Letter 2 Obama” is now available for download at his campaign Web site, and Obama continues to maintain sleek profiles on both MySpace and Facebook - popular Web sites among young voters.

This is certainly not a new strategy. I remember watching Bill Clinton play the saxophone on “Arsenio Hall.” In more recent years, politicians like Bob Dole and Rudy Giuliani have spoofed themselves on “Saturday Night Live.”

But having a few laughs on late night television is very different from allowing your name to be linked to one of the most controversial forms of music on the market.

It's a slippery slope. If Obama pops up in the lyrics of a popular song, it's beneficial to his campaign. However; pop music is a copy-cat industry. If a rap artist scores a top 10 hit with a song about Obama, I guarantee that other rap artists will be quick to follow suit. And Obama will have no control over the lyrical content. Regrettably, not all voters will be savvy enough to separate the artist from the subject and Obama could find himself in the midst of unwanted controversy.

If the hip-hop and rap communities are smart with their work, the movement could help to mobilize young voters, specifically young African American voters. But in cultivating one demographic, it is important not to ostracize another. It will be interesting to see how Barack Obama is able to develop his image leading up to the 2008 election.

Hopefully people will base their decisions on the quality of his campaign, rather than the hook of a one-hit-wonder song.

Estabrook's column appears Mondays and she can be reached at estabrookcarole@yahoo.com