President Obama addressed a Democratic National Committee youth rally in Washington last night to remind young supporters to get out to the polls this November.

“I’m back here today just in case you’ve forgotten what it feels like to change the country,” Obama said to the sold-out crowd of 3,000 at DAR Constitution Hall.

“It was always going to be hard,” Obama said as the crowd interrupted him with cheers and hollers. “Now is not the time to quit.”

The DNC had enlisted hip hop artist B.o.B to perform, and the crowd also heard from Obama’s 2008 campaign manager, David Plouffe, on the importance of the youth vote to the November midterm elections, which pundits believe will be brutal for the Democrats.

Thursday’s event was organized for the DNC’s Gen44 group, which tries to cultivate young leaders. It was expected to raise $750,000.

Beforehand, Obama spoke at a small fundraising dinner at the home of John Phillips and Linda Douglass, where guests paid $30,400 each to raise $1 million for the Democratic Party.

Leave it to Fox News to take President Obama’s inclusion of Jay-Z, Nas and Lil Wayne on his iPod and turn it into this headline on its website:

PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES LOVES GANGSTA RAP

As previously reported, Jann Wenner’s interview with the president in the latest Rolling Stone ended with a question about the music he’s been listening to lately.

Obama answered:

My iPod now has about 2,000 songs, and it is a source of great pleasure to me. I am probably still more heavily weighted toward the music of my childhood than I am the new stuff. There’s still a lot of Stevie Wonder, a lot of Bob Dylan, a lot of Rolling Stones, a lot of R&B, a lot of Miles Davis and John Coltrane. Those are the old standards.

A lot of classical music. I’m not a big opera buff in terms of going to opera, but there are days where Maria Callas is exactly what I need.

Thanks to Reggie [Love, the president's personal aide], my rap palate has greatly improved. Jay-Z used to be sort of what predominated, but now I’ve got a little Nas and a little Lil Wayne and some other stuff, but I would not claim to be an expert. Malia and Sasha are now getting old enough to where they start hipping me to things. Music is still a great source of joy and occasional solace in the midst of what can be some difficult days.

And from that – Fox News reported it this way on its website…

Fox has since pulled the above item down, but not before it was captured “for posterity” by pourmecoffee in a screen shot.

Violins are the heart of a classical orchestra; fiddlers can liven up a country music show. But is there room in hip-hop for a violin? Yes, says Lee England Jr., a classically- trained violinist who's also a hip-hop artist. A former Chicago Public School music teacher, Lee says he wants to change the way music fans think about the violin.

Lee recently signed to Brand Jordan (yes OUR Michael Jordan), one of only two non-athletes associated with the brand. He will be performing the National Anthem at NBA basketball arenas across the country; he's playing for the Chicago Bulls on November 1 and at the Boston-Orlando game on Christmas Day. Lee had won over the crowd at the Taste of Chicago and shared the stage with world renowned artists such as: Stevie Wonder, Babyface, Frankie Beverly and Maze, Keri Hilson, Dwele, Eric Roberson, K'Jon, T- Pain and Slique.

The 25 year old violin virtuoso, made his national television debut when he performed live with MIMS on the Jimmy Kimmel Show . He has appeared on MTV's Making His Band with Diddy; he is the only violinist on the show. Lee has served as an opening act for Chrisette Michelle, Ryan Leslie, Lyfe Jennings, MC LYTE, Ludacris, Jermaine Dupri, Rick Ross, Twista, Noel Gourdin, Floetry's Marsha Ambrosius, Brownstone, Bobby Valentino, Anthony Hamilton, Theresa Griffin, Akon, etc. In addition to a journey to Africa to perform this year, he has also been featured as a solo artist at the 2010 Trumpet Awards, Hope for Haiti Chicago, and Brand Jordan's private event in Dallas for NBA All-Star 2010.

Lee's musical journey began at the age of six. The music teachers at his elementary school put on their traditional introduction to string instruments and he was instantaneously mesmerized by the violin; an instrument not commonly prevalent among African  American youths. Lee discovered that the road ahead would not be an easy one. Desiring to quit almost immediately, Lee says he consulted his father, who told him he could only do so if he practiced fifteen minutes a day for the academic term. With his goal in mind, Lee did just that and says his longing to quit transformed into a lasting commitment.

Lee attended Southern Illinois University where he says he set about finding himself musically. He earned 3 degrees in Music Business, Performance, and Education) and also discovered a talent for singing. Lee also says he spent hours looking over the shoulders of church musicians. Although classically trained, he describes his style as a musical gumbo consisting of rhythm and blues, Gospel and jazz.

England's latest album is called "The Soul Violinist." To find out more about Lee, visit www.leeenglandjr.com and www.youtube.com/leeenglandjr.

Jamal Parris, one of the four young men who has accused Atlanta pastor Bishop Eddie Long of coercing them into sexual acts has broken his silence. In an interview with Fox 5 Atlanta, Parris defended himself and his fellow plaintiffs from those who say they are lying. He said, "You look at our eyes. You hear the pain in our voice. We have no reason to [on] this man." He then went on to explain how he met Long at 14 when he joined his New Birth Missionary Baptist Church. He said Long said to call him "daddy" and to trust him with spiritual guidance.

He said, "I loved him. I'm always going to have love for the things that he taught me. But how he left us hurt worse than anything I ever felt in my life. You finally have a father that you've always wanted for and always dreamed of. He would just walk away from you if you don't give him what he wants. So you end up turning into something you never thought you would be, which is now a slave to a man that you love."

As he claimed in his lawsuit, Jamal said that the bishop began a slow sexual seduction, which became more intimate and intense after the young boys became of legal age. He said, "So, while the media and the rest of the people around the city, around the country look at us like how could grown men let another man touch him, what you have to understand is this man has manipulated us since childhood. This was our father and we loved him."

Parris also said that he attempted to handle the matter privately with the bishop, but when that didn't work, lawsuits were filed. He said, "We would have to be the craziest kids in the world to want to come out and admit to another man touching on us publicly. To really believe this is about money would be absolutely ludicrous."

He added that he can't escape the nightmare Long caused him as a young man. He said, "I cannot get the sound of his voice out of my head. I cannot forget the smell of his cologne. And I cannot forget the way that he made me cry many nights when I drove in his car on the way home, not able to take enough showers to wipe the smell of him off of my body."

At the end of the interview, Jamal turned to the camera and said he wanted to speak directly to Bishop Long directly. He said, "But that man can not look me in my eye and tell me we did not live this pain. Why you can sit in front of the church and tell them that you categorically deny it. You can't say that to our face. And you know this. You are not a man, you are a monster."

Seven months ago, the Rev. James Meeks of Salem Baptist Church in Chicago issued a challenge to the unmarried couples in the congregation: If 25 of you tie the knot, I’ll foot the bill for the wedding expenses.

The result was a mass wedding Saturday in which 17 couples said “I do” inside the 10,000-seat House of Hope on the city’s Far South Side.

The event, aimed at promoting marriage in the African-American community, was part of a series of initiatives celebrating the church’s 25th anniversary. Salem members have also written 25,000 letters to U.S. troops overseas and donated $25,000 to Haiti relief efforts.

Each couple received a reception for 25 friends and family, wedding photography, premarital counseling and a one night stay at Swissotel — all free of charge. Church members also donated wedding dresses, jewelry and flowers.

Fantasia Barrino will hit the road for a U.S. tour in November. The “American Idol” champ will kick off the 30-city Back to Me tour in Richmond, Virginia on Nov. 4. She's scheduled to be in Chicago, IL December 30th at the Auditorium Theatre.

Announcing the news, she says, “I’m so excited about this tour and having the chance to connect with my fans, the people that love me and have been supporting me through everything. This tour is going to be a real special, intimate experience for them and for me.”