During his presidency,Barack Obamaaccomplished some remarkable feats. He also made animpact in the realm of art and culture. Throughout his eight years in office,Obama was very vocal about his taste infilm, television, and music. In fact, each summer, since 2015, Obama would shared hissummer playlist, featuring the artists he was listening to during the season. The playlists often consist of a variety of genres, includingrock, pop, electronic and hip-hop.
Obama is anoutspoken hip-hop and rap fan, and has often vocalized about his favorite rappers. But only one of those can be the GOAT.
In an interview withSway Callowayon a “Sway in the Morning” episode that broadcast in October 2016,Obama shared some of his favorite rappers. “I think the young guys,Kendrick[Lamar]andChance[the Rapper]are doing amazing work,” said Obama. At the time, Chance was riding the highs of his third mixtape,Coloring Book, which he dropped in May of that year. Lamar had only released two major label albums — 2012’sGood Kid, M.a.a.d. Cityand 2015’sTo Pimp a Butterfly. Elsewhere in the conversation, Obama revealed his personal pick for the best rapper. “And, you know,Jay Z’s still the king. I mean, you know, he’s got a track record.”
Obama’s Playlists Prove He’s Got Great Taste in Music
There’s certainly no way to predict which artists or songs will be featured onObama’s hotly anticipated summer playlists. But some artists have definitely appeared more than others.
Jay first appeared on Obama’s 2016 playlist, as the former president selected Jay’s“So Ambitious,”a collaboration withPharrell Williamsthat appeared on Jay’s 2009 albumThe Blueprint 3. Though Obama didn’t share his summer playlist in 2018, he did include“Apes**t”fromBeyoncéand Jay-Z’s joint albumEverything is Love, — which they released as The Carters that June — on his year-end list of favorite music, books, film, and television. The year before, he included Jay and Bey’s“Family Feud”collaboration from Jay’s4:44album on the 2017 iteration of that list.
One Year Ago, Kendrick Lamar Took Shots at Drake and J. Cole and Changed Hip-Hop Forever
The game ain’t been the same since.
On the 2019 summer playlist, Obama shared“Mood 4 Eva”fromTheGift,a compilation album produced by Beyoncé to accompany Disney’s live-action version ofThe Lion King. The song features Jay, as well asChildish GambinoandOumou Sangaré. On that same year’s playlist is“Shining,”another Beyoncé and Jay-Z collab, which originally appeared onDJ Khaled’s 2017 albumGrateful.
On the 2021 summer playlist, Obama included“Allure”from Jay’s 2003 albumThe Black Album.
Jay-Z Remains One of Obama’s All-Time Favorites
Obama has long cited Jay as an inspiration for his personal politics. In an April 2021 episode of theRenegades: Born in the USApodcast, Obama revealed that he often listened to Jay’s music to remain motivated during his campaign. “I’ve mentioned a couple of songs that even when I was running for president came up a lot on my iPod. One of them was‘My 1st Song’by Jay-Z, which isa song that I love because it talks about the struggle of just trying to make it,” Obama said. “And sometimes you have to resort to false bravado and hustle and tamping down your insecurities, and when I was running for president, obviously, at that point I didn’t know whether I was gonna make it.”
Later that year, Obama inducted Jay into theRock & Roll Hall of Fame. In aspeech, Obama once again sang Jay’s praises, crediting him helping him stay focused throughout his political career. “I’ve turned to Jay-Z’s words at different points in my life, whether I was brushing dirt off my shoulder on the campaign trail, or sampling his lyrics on the Edmund Pettus Bridge on the 50th anniversary of the Selma march to Montgomery,” Obama said. “Today,Jay-Z is one of the most renowned artists in history and an embodiment of the American dream, a dream he has helped make real for other young people like him.”
Additionally,Jay has also expressed admiration for Obama. In the past, Jay had publicly endorsed Obama during his presidential campaign, and even performed at rallies to encourage others to vote. With their well-documented history, it’s clear that Jay and Obama think very highly of each other. Can we expect a spoken-word interlude from Obama on Jay’s next album? We wouldn’t rule it out.
