Before 2017 came to an end, the 44th president of the United States, Barack Obama decided to share a list of his top books and songs for the year. It is actually a tradition, if many can recall, the former President did annually before the end of each Gregorian year during his presidency.
Obama is clearly keeping his word when he told the American populace at his farewell speech, “I will be right there with you, as a citizen, for all my remaining days…” By keeping up with his reading list/playlist tradition, it comforts those who are in favor of his leadership and makes Obama one of the most companionable presidents in history.
The former president’s reading list is consumed with reads that surround social matters such as feminism, refugee crisis’, and situational tales of the unsung. He even managed to add a bonus gem for basketball heads, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar‘s Coach Wooden and Me: Our 50-Year Friendship On and Off the Court.
It is Obama’s playlist that truly reflects his well rounded global musical taste. The list bounces along a wide range of genres from pop, Camila Cabello’s Young Thug featured track, “Havana,” to classic funk and soul with “Matter of Time” by Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings, what is labeled as “world music” with “La Dame et Ses Valises” by Les Amazones d’Afrique feat. Nneka, and most notably, hip-hop!
It is safe to say if you have made Obama’s yearly playlist, you’ve made it. The president enlists an interesting collective of hip-hop tracks which include: Jay Z “Family Feud” feat. Beyoncé, Chance The Rapper “First World Problems” feat Daniel Caesar, Kendrick Lamar “Humble,” DJ Khaled “Wild Thoughts” feat. Rihanna and Bryson Tiller, and “Butterfly Effect” by Travis Scott. Obama was also dabbling in that Ctrl, as he lists “Broken Clocks” by SZA as a fave, and adds on Frank Ocean‘s “Chanel” for the playlist’s R&B flavor. We always knew Obama was hip!
