Barack Obama

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.

Jay-Z, Drake, Rihanna, SZA, Bruno Mars, And More Appear On Barack Obama’s 2021 Summer Playlist

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Ever since his days as president, Barack Obama has been very open about his musical taste. Year after year, he’s shared playlists of favorite songs, both old and new. On Saturday he continued that trend. He dropped his 2021 summer playlist on Instagram, and it’s comprised of 38 songs featuring some of the biggest names of today and yesterday.

“With so many folks getting together with family and friends, there’s a lot to celebrate this summer,” Barack wrote. “I put together a playlist of some of the songs I’ve been listening to lately — it’s a mix of old and new, household names and emerging artists, and a whole lot in between.”

Some of the artists include Rihanna (“Desparado”), SZA (“Good Days“), Bruno Mars and Anderson .Paak (“Leave The Door Open“), Drake (“Wants And Needs”), Migos (“Straightenin“), and J. Cole (“Neighbors”). Older additions include The Rolling Stones (“Tumbling Dice”), Stevie Wonder (“If You Really Love Me”), Bob Marley and The Wailers (“Exodus”), Erykah Badu (“Didn’t Cha Know”), Bob Dylan (“I’ll Be Your Baby Tonight”), and many more.

You can see the full list of songs on the playlist in the post above.

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

Netflix’s Animated And Obamas-Produced ‘We The People’ Shows Off A Technicolor Trailer Full Of Musical A-Listers

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Netflix just dropped the first official trailer for We the People, an animated music video series created by Chris Nee and produced through a joint collaboration between Kenya Barris and Barack and Michelle Obama. Featuring a powerhouse set list of musical stars like H.E.R. and Janelle Monáe, the 10 episodes series will feature a collection of music videos that will hopefully inspire viewers to rethink their civic engagement. A “Civics Remix,” as the trailer calls it.

Here’s the official synopsis:

Combining music and animation to educate a new generation of young Americans about the power of the people, We the People is a series of 10 animated music videos that covers a range of basic U.S. civics lessons in not-so-basic ways. Set to original songs performed by artists such as H.E.R., Janelle Monáe, Brandi Carlile, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Adam Lambert, Cordae, Bebe Rexha, KYLE, Andra Day, and poet Amanda Gorman, with a groundbreaking mix of animated styles — each episode of We the People is an exuberant call to action for everyone to rethink civics as a living, breathing thing and to reframe their understanding of what government and citizenship mean in a modern world.

We the People starts streaming July 4 on Netflix

(Via Netflix)

Barack Obama Names The JAY-Z Verse He Knows By Heart

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Former President Barack Obama is a big fan of rap legend JAY-Z and he’s not afraid to prove it. The renowned politician proudly revealed his favorite verse and track by Hov, along with reciting the line for viewers. Barack Obama Names His Favorite JAY-Z Verse Obama shared that his favorite verse came from the track, […]

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Barack Obama Explains Why A Song From Jay-Z’s ‘The Black Album’ Means So Much To Him

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Barack Obama hasn’t been the president of the United States for over four years now, but he still has plenty of admirers who are eager to hear from him. That especially true of his music preferences, as he often shares well-received playlists. Fans were surely delighted a few weeks ago, then, when the former POTUS made a post on Instagram asking for questions from his followers. In his response to one of those questions, he explained why a particular Jay-Z song from The Black Album means to much to him.

Complex cited Obama’s well-known love of hip-hop and asked, “Do you have one verse you can recite by heart? Obama responded with a video, which Complex shared. In the clip, Obama begins, “First of all, Complex: you do not want to hear me rap. When I have tried to rap, my daughters have rolled their eyes, covered their ears. They think it’s painful. They even think my dancing is better than my rapping.”

He went on to speak about The Black Album‘s closing track, “My 1st Song”:

“Now, having said that, 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 is a song that I love because it talks about the struggle of just trying to make it. 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, so somehow, that inspired me.

There’s a line in there, ‘Treat my first as my last and my last as my first and my thirst is the same as when I came.’ And I actually kept on listening to that song during the presidency because it was a reminder that — even when you do make it — having a little bit of that sense of still being hungry, still having to work hard, still having to prove something, that’s what keeps propelling you forward.

But, I’m still not gonna rap it.”

Watch a snippet of Obama’s answer below.

Barack Obama’s Shower Playlist Features Kendrick Lamar, Beyonce, The Roots, And More

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Barack Obama has never been one to keep his music interests a secret. The former president has shared numerous playlists over the years, and on Wednesday he delivered another one. After a recent episode of his and Bruce Springsteen’s Renegades: Born In The USA podcast, Barack dropped his shower playlist — all 44 tracks of it — after speaking about one of his favorite habits. “I sing in the shower, I sing outside of the shower. I am unembarrassed about singing,” he said during the episode. “My daughters and my wife sometimes roll their eyes.”

The playlist finds notable contributions from Kendrick Lamar and Beyonce (“Freedom”), The Roots (“You Got Me”), Stevie Wonder (“Living For The City”), Billie Holiday (“Strange Fruit”), and more. Bruce Springsteen himself makes nine appearances on it, including “My Hometown,” “American Skin (41 Shots),” and two versions of “Born In The U.S.A.”

The playlist arrives after Barack and Bruce launched their podcast at the end of last month. So far, the duo has shared three full-length episodes, where they’ve discussed their respective lives, the U.S., and, of course, their love for music.

Two months ago, Barack showed off his wide-ranging music taste with his favorite songs of 2020 playlist. Megan The Stallion, Travis Scott, Dua Lipa, Lil Baby, and J. Cole were among the many names that appeared on it.

You can access Barack’s playlist on Spotify here.

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

Barack Obama’s Shower Playlist Features Kendrick Lamar, Beyonce, The Roots, And More

by
Getty Image

Barack Obama has never been one to keep his music interests a secret. The former president has shared numerous playlists over the years, and on Wednesday he delivered another one. After a recent episode of his and Bruce Springsteen’s Renegades: Born In The USA podcast, Barack dropped his shower playlist — all 44 tracks of it — after speaking about one of his favorite habits. “I sing in the shower, I sing outside of the shower. I am unembarrassed about singing,” he said during the episode. “My daughters and my wife sometimes roll their eyes.”

The playlist finds notable contributions from Kendrick Lamar and Beyonce (“Freedom”), The Roots (“You Got Me”), Stevie Wonder (“Living For The City”), Billie Holiday (“Strange Fruit”), and more. Bruce Springsteen himself makes nine appearances on it, including “My Hometown,” “American Skin (41 Shots),” and two versions of “Born In The U.S.A.”

The playlist arrives after Barack and Bruce launched their podcast at the end of last month. So far, the duo has shared three full-length episodes, where they’ve discussed their respective lives, the U.S., and, of course, their love for music.

Two months ago, Barack showed off his wide-ranging music taste with his favorite songs of 2020 playlist. Megan The Stallion, Travis Scott, Dua Lipa, Lil Baby, and J. Cole were among the many names that appeared on it.

You can access Barack’s playlist on Spotify here.

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

Barack Obama Teams W/ Music Icon For New Spotify Podcast

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The artist known as “The Boss” and the man who was once America’s boss have teamed up. Rock music icon Bruce Springsteen and former President of the United States Barack Obama are bringing their “Renegades: Born in the USA” podcast to Spotify. Barack Obama + Bruce Springsteen Share Stories On New Podcast Still proving to […]

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