Kendrick Lamar, Travis Scott, Gunna and plenty of other notable artists have reached Barack Obama‘s ears this year.
The former President shared his “Favorite Music of 2024” list on Friday (December 20) — the same day he put out his year-end lists of his favorite books and films.
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Among the songs that Obama loved were Kendrick Lamar’s “Squabble Up”; Travis Scott’s collaboration with Asake, “Active”; and Central Cee and Lil Baby‘s “Band4Band.” Gunna appeared on the list for his track with Tyla and Skillibeng, “Jump.”
Obama also named Tommy Richman‘s “Million Dollar Baby,” Shaboozey‘s “A Bar Song (Tipsy),” and Beyoncé‘s “Texas Hold ‘Em.” Check the full list below.
Here are my favorite songs from this year! Check them out if you’re looking to shake up your playlist – and let me know if there’s a song or artist I should make sure to listen to. pic.twitter.com/MK51Z77uEb
— Barack Obama (@BarackObama) December 21, 2024
In addition to his annual lists, Obama has talked about Hip Hop in public before. One notable recent instance was his appearance on a podcast this past fall, where he addressed the Kendrick Lamar/Drake beef.
As part of his campaigning for presidential hopeful Kamala Harris, the former president appeared on celebrity barber VicBlends’ DeepCut podcast in October to talk about the highly-publicized feud.
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When asked if Kendrick has cemented his spot at the top of the rap game following his successful beef with Drake (and brief clash with J. Cole), Obama said: “Kendrick is a friend of mine. I’ve known him for a long time. He actually performed at the White House. I’m pretty confident in saying not many presidents were familiar with Hip Hop.
“I do think that Kendrick has a unique status right now, not just because of this summer. He’s not just gifted; he’s serious about the message he tries to… he digs deep into himself.”
The former president also revealed what he and Kendrick talk about: “When we get together, he wants to talk about fatherhood. Those are the questions he’s talking about. He’s got a couple of young kids and he’s taking that very seriously.”
Obama then went on to praise Cole, who controversially bowed out of the battle after dissing Kendrick on “7 Minute Drill.”
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“I just talked to J. Cole last week. J. is very high on the list,” he said. “Now, I will say there’s a guy named JAY-Z who’s closer to my generation. This is a lot like the MJ versus LeBron conversation […] I’ve had [J. Cole] at the White House, he’s outstanding.”
