Barack Obama

Barack Obama’s 2022 Summer Playlist Includes Beyoncé, Harry Styles, Wet Leg, And Other Diverse Picks

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Now that Barack Obama is no longer occupied with being our country’s president, he has found himself with more time to focus on his true passion: Sharing lists of things he likes a few times a year. The former POTUS’ latest mix was his favorite songs of 2021 and now he’s back with his annual summer playlist.

Sharing it on social media today, he wrote, “Every year, I get excited to share my summer playlist because I learn about so many new artists from your replies — it’s an example of how music really can bring us all together. Here’s what I’ve been listening to this summer. What songs would you add?”

Obama’s playlists are usually an eclectic mix and that’s the case here, too. He has some picks from popular modern artists, like Beyoncé’s “Break My Soul,” Harry Styles’ “Music For A Sushi Restaurant,” Drake and Rihanna’s “Too Good,” and Kendrick Lamar’s “Die Hard.” He also has rock selections old and new, like Wet Leg’s “Angelica,” Bruce Springsteen’s “Dancing In The Dark,” and Jack White’s “I’m Shakin’.”

Other artists who made the cut include Tems, Sampa The Great, Rosalía, Lil Yachty, Prince, Maggie Rogers, Al Green, Dr. John, Miles Davis, Burna Boy, Doechii, Aminé, Aretha Franklin, Bad Bunny, Rakim, D’Angelo, Nina Simone, Caamp, Otis Redding, Wyclef Jean and Lauryn Hill, Fatboy Slim, Omar Apollo, Maren Morris, The Internet, Vince Staples and Mustard, and Kacey Musgraves.

Check out the full playlist above.

Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

Barack Obama, Lil Durk, And Travis Scott Are Raising Up Future Leaders To Stand Up For Communities Plagued By Gun Violence

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With the recent horrific events of the Texas school shooting and Buffalo supermarket massacre, the focus on raising up strong leaders to change America’s path is even more urgent.  Here’s how Barack Obama, Lil Durk and Travis Scott are planting the seed right now to give us hope for the future. Obama Partners With Airbnb […]

The post Barack Obama, Lil Durk, And Travis Scott Are Raising Up Future Leaders To Stand Up For Communities Plagued By Gun Violence appeared first on SOHH.com.

Barack Obama’s Diverse List Of Favorite 2021 Songs Features Lil Nas X, Courtney Barnett, And Lizzo

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Barack Obama is in the midst of unveiling his year-end lists of favorite stuff, and so far he’s shared his round-ups of movies, books, and today, songs. As is usually the case, the former POTUS’ playlist features some diverse picks.

Indie favorites are well-represented on the list, which includes Courtney Barnett’s “Write A List Of Things To Look Forward To,” The War On Drugs and Lucius’ “I Don’t Live Here Anymore,” and Mitski’s “The Only Heartbreaker.” Hip-hop is also included via songs like Lizzo and Cardi B’s “Rumors,” Isiah Rashad’s “Headshots (4r Da Locals),” and Lil Nas X’s “Montero (Call Me By Your Name).” Beyond that, there are picks from all across the musical spectrum, including tracks from Mdou Moctar, Jon Batiste, and Bad Bunny.

The list has a lot of Grammy firepower, including Obama himself, as his audiobook A Promised Land is up for Best Spoken World Album at the 2022 ceremony. Aside from him, artists on the list who are also Grammy-nominated in 2022 are Esperanza Spalding, Brandi Carlile, Spice, Sean Paul, Shaggy, Jon Batiste, Nas, Allison Russell, Lil Nas X, Bad Bunny, Yebba, Morray, and Cardi B.

If you like what you see, there’s an official Spotify playlist that features all of Obama’s picks, so check that out below.

Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

Barack Obama And Dave Chappelle Are Competing For The Same Grammy This Year

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The Recording Academy has officially unveiled their full list of nominations for the 2022 Grammy Awards. Notable musicians like Cardi B, Lil Nas X, and Justin Bieber are up for awards this year, but the ceremony also has categories for non-music albums, like the Best Spoken Word Album category. This year, the Grammy nominations for Best Spoken Word Album means that Dave Chappelle and Barack Obama are officially pitted against each other for the same award.

The 2022 Grammy nominations for Best Spoken World Album includes Dave Chappelle’s 8:46, Barack Obama’s A Promised Land, LeVar Burton’s Aftermath, Don Cheadle’s Carry On: Reflections For A New Generation From John Lewis, and J. Ivy’s Catching Dreams: Live At Fort Knox Chicago.

If Chappelle wins, it would be his fourth straight year picking up a Grammy after winning in the Comedy Album category in 2018, 2019, and 2020. If Obama won the category, it would be the former president’s third time. He previously won a Grammy in the Spoken Word category in 2005 for Dreams From My Father (Senator Barack Obama) and 2007 for The Audacity Of Hope: Thoughts On Reclaiming The American Dream.

Chappelle’s nomination comes from his 2020 Netflix special, which has a title that references the murder of George Floyd by police. But the comedian’s recent 2021 special The Closer has been the source of much controversy since its release. The stand-up features several transphobic punchlines and even led to one trans Netflix employee resigning from the company.

See the full list of 2022 Grammy nominations here.

Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

Barack Obama And Dave Chappelle Inducted Jay-Z Into The Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame

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Jay-Z was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame last night, becoming one of the few solo rappers who has received the honor so far. LL Cool J and Tina Turner were other notable additions to the hall this year, though early nominations indicate other rappers and R&B legends might be added soon, too.

For Jay’s induction, hip-hop magnates like Eminem, Pharrell, Beyonce and Rihanna, and many more were all part of a tribute video acknowledging the vast impact of his words and rhymes on culture at large, and Black culture in particular. Appearances just kept pouring in, with cameos from LeBron James, Kevin Hart, Blue Ivy, John Legend, Questlove, P. Diddy and so many others. With induction speeches from both former President Barack Obama and comedian Dave Chappelle, it’s hard to understate the breadth of Jay’s influence.

Here’s some clips from the tribute video:

Barack Obama’s induction speech included references to how much Jay’s music has helped him personally over the years, and praised the way he’s brought up so many other people along with him. “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,” Obama said. “Or sampling his lyrics on the Edmund Pettus Bridge on the 50th anniversary of the Selma march to Montgomery. 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.”

And Dave Chappelle let the Rock Hall know that even though they’re honoring Jay, he’s still “ours,” referring to the Black community:

For his acceptance speech, Jay talked about the impact of hip-hop and the “heroes” in it:

And actually took to Twitter himself to thank everyone who was involved:

Hopefully full-length copies of these speeches and tributes will be available soon, for now enjoy the social media clips above.

A Conservative Commentator Posits That Barack Obama Destroyed Rock And Roll Music

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It may seem like everybody loves Barack Obama, but the former president certainly has his share of detractors; When he left the White House in 2017, his approval rating was 57 percent. So, a bit over half the country gave Obama a thumbs-up, while the rest of the nation didn’t share that enthusiasm. Obama’s detractors often try to blame shortcomings of American and global life on things he did before, during, and even after his presidency, and there’s at least one political commentator who thinks the former POTUS is responsible for the decline of rock music.

During the September 14 episode of Daily Wire Backstage, a roundtable discussion program from conservative news outlet The Daily Wire, Jeremy Boreing declared, “Rock ‘n roll’s over. You’re still talking about rock ‘n roll as if Barack Obama didn’t happen. Honestly – it’s for another day – Barack Obama destroyed rock ‘n roll.”

Michael Knowles chimed in in agreement before Boreing continued, “There was rock ‘n roll, then there was Barack Obama, now there’s no rock ‘n roll. Because rock ‘n roll was about white male angst, white male teenage angst.”

Ben Shapiro then interjected to acknowledge rock’s history of appropriation, saying, “And stealing a lot of its tropes from better Black music.” Boreing continued, “Barack Obama came along and said young white men aren’t allowed to have angst. They’re not allowed to, basically, express their dissatisfaction because they’re so toxic. And so, truly, rock ‘n roll just stopped.”

It may be worth noting that Obama has long given props to rock music and shown himself to be a fan. In just the summer playlist he shared in July, for example, he included songs by George Harrison, The Rolling Stones, Chicago, Joni Mitchell, Bob Dylan, Wye Oak, and Brandi Carlile. Obama also co-hosts a podcast with Bruce Springsteen, and the pair is even publishing a book together.

Erykah Badu Apologizes For Being The ‘Terrible Guest’ At Barack Obama’s 60th Birthday Party

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Earlier this month, Barack Obama celebrated his 60th birthday with a star-studded celebration at Martha’s Vineyard. The party made headlines days before it began after the former president and his team were forced to cut back on the number of invitees due to COVID-19 concerns. Some, like the hosts on Fox & Friends, were quite happy that Obama had to scale back his party, while others let Curb Your Enthusiam jokes fly after Larry David was uninvited from the event.

The bash made headlines again after Erykah Badu posted, and quickly deleted, a video from the event to her social media page. The clip showed attendees without masks, which caused many to criticize the former President and First Lady for not practicing safer measures for the party — despite the presence of a medical professional who was enlisted to make sure all CDC, state, and local pandemic protocols were followed, according to People.

Due to all the commotion that came as a result of her video, Badu hopped on Twitter to apologize for her actions. “Mr. And Mrs. Obama , Please forgive me 4 being the ‘terrible guest’ at such a sacred event for your family,” she wrote. “I was so inconsiderate, Thank you for all your love. What an example of ‘how NOT ‘ to be …… erica.” When someone asked if the Obamas forced her to remove the video and apologize publicly, she replied, “Naw sis. It’s just right thing.”

Barack And Michelle Obama Share Fond Biz Markie Memories In A Touching Letter Sent To His Widow

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There has been an outpouring of support for universally beloved rapper Biz Markie since his recent death. Now, Barack and Michelle Obama have shared some words as well, via a letter sent to the rapper’s widow, Tara Hall.

The July 30-dated letter, a photo of which Hall shared with TMZ, is signed by both Obamas and reads:

“Dear Tara:

We wanted to extend our heartfelt condolences to you as you reflect on Biz Markie’s life. We didn’t know Biz Markie as long or as well as you and your loved ones did. But like others who admired him, he holds a special place in our hearts as one of rap’s most innovative stylists and as a great man.

Biz Markie brightened every room he was in, and we will always appreciate him for his early support in 2008, bringing people together to ‘Party with a Purpose’ and get out the vote. His legacy in hip hop will span generations just as it has for nearly four decades.

We hope you take comfort in all the fond memories you have with him. Please know that we are holding you, Averi, and your entire family in our thoughts and prayers.”

Hall told TMZ she was “stunned” after receiving the letter and plans to have it framed. She’s also starting the Biz Markie’s Just A Friend Charity Fund to support organizations the rapper was already helping, including food banks in Maryland, Bread For The City in Washington DC), and Soles4Souls.