vermin-
It's not rapping, it's reggae... and they are quite different. Also, the rhyme and rhythm of reggae lends itself to sounding that way VERY well, and not at all to sounding white. In fact, UB40 is a big reggae band, and they are 5 white and 2 jamaican... you'd NEVER know it though. It's not like faking something, it's just a style.
And yeah, they play the song all the time in Phoenix. Also he was on David Letterman the other night (Tuesday I think?).