arack Obama’s Summer Playlist has just landed and, as usual, it’s a stonking selection of wonderful tunes.
Every year the ex-president releases his pick of summer bangers (this year everyone from J Hus to Nas, to Janet Jackson to Leonard Cohen makes the cut), and every year we like to ponder the same questions.
These include: when on earth is the ex-President finding the time to listen to these tracks? When he is working out? Or sitting in his golf buggy? Or driving to Martha’s Vineyard? Or dancing with Michelle in their library bar (surely they have one of those?)
And then we wonder, how on earth did he even discover some of the lesser-known songs? Does he have music people? We assume that Obama’s very cool daughters, Malia and Sasha also have something to do with shaping his excellent music taste.
“Like I do every year, here are some songs I’ve been listening to this summer — a mix of old and new. Look forward to hearing what I’ve missed,” said the president on Twitter this year.
With so many gems to choose from, it’s tough to whittle down Obama’s playlist to the highlights; but we’ve had a crack at it.
Ice Spice & Nicki Minaj – Princess Diana
Originally a solo effort by Ice Spice, the Nicki Minaj-featuring remix of Princess Diana landed the rising rapper her second top ten hit. Inspired by a number of memes which compared her to the late Princess of Wales after she was spotted handing out Thanksgiving turkeys alongside fellow Bronx rapper Lil Tjay, the drill-pop banger sees her embracing the title of the People’s Princess wholeheartedly, after some initial confusion. “At first, I was confused. I was like, ‘Um, Princess Diana? Out of everybody?’” Ice Spice reflected, speaking to Billboard. “But [then] I was like, ‘F**k it, she’s iconic.’”
J Hus feat. Drake – Who Told You
Charged with Stratford rapper J Hus’ trademark afroswing and also featuring Canadian star Drake, Who Told You is a top contender for this year’s song of the summer, capturing the joy of letting rip on a humid dancefloor. “Who told you bad man don’t dance?” smirks the infectious main hook. Its equally bouncy beat comes courtesy of the Nigerian-British producer P2J, best known for his afrobeat-tinged collaborations with the likes of Burna Boy, Wizkid, Davido, and Doja Cat.
ROSALÍA, Rauw Alejandro – Vampiros
Talk about a power couple: Spanish pop sensation Rosalía and Puerto Rican reggaetón artist Rauw Alejandro – who got engaged earlier this year – carved out a hot and heavy link-up when they joined forces on Vampiros. “She’s like Don, I’m Daddy,” they sing in Spanish. Part of a three-song EP, it’s a playful, beat-heavy glimpse into their relationship and bond; and as with Shakira’s brilliantly scandalous break-up banger BZRP Music Sessions, Vol. 53, it knowingly feasts on an appetite for gossip that doesn’t seem to be waning.
nobigdyl. – PARABOLIC!
Despite his tracks getting close to a million listens a month, Tennessee rapper nobigdyl. is still flying somewhat under the radar. The artist, who is part of the “indie tribe” collective (which also includes Mogli The Iceberg, Jon Keith and DJ MykaelV) described PARABOLIC! as “a song i wrote about my experience as a black christian boy raised in the rural south + recorded in my garage”. We love it for its heavy Southern trap beat that grabs you from the get-go.
Janet Jackson – Got ‘Til It’s Gone
Janet Jackson’s Got ‘Til It’s Gone, which features Q-Tip and Joni Mitchell (sampling from Mitchell’s Big Yellow Taxi) is an eternal favourite. The 1997 pop and hip-hop crossover moment is primarily a love song: Mitchell sings, “Don’t it always seem to go / That you don’t know what you’ve got ‘til it’s gone” while Jackson sings, “Have a feeling, now believing that you / Were the one I was meant to be with.” But Jackson chose to recreate an African dance hall in the song’s music video – the kind that would have been found in South Africa during the apartheid – which imbued her breezy track with so much extra meaning. The video, which was directed by Mark Romanek, won a Grammy.
2Pac feat. Dr. Dre and Roger Troutman – California Love
2Pac’s 1995 hit California Love is another absolute no-brainer; few songs have the power to whip up “Friday feeling” so quickly. The slow BPM, Roger Troutman’s talkbox melody, Dr. Dre’s contrasting rap – it’s all so harmonious. The comeback single was supposed to sound an alarm in the music industry that 2Pac was free from prison and meant business. In a genius turn, the rapper chose for his first release to be this feel-good cruiser rather than something more combative.
Burna Boy feat. 21 Savage – Sittin’ On Top Of The World
Burna Boy hasn’t yet managed to repeat the success of his 2022 summer banger Last Last with the recently-released Sittin’ On Top Of The World (the music video has a misly 5.9million views next to Last Last’s 214m), but of course there’s still time.
As with all of the Nigerian singer’s tracks, his latest release is bouncy and uplifting. But this time he’s sampled Brandy’s 1998 hit Top of the World, which means the track has more of an obvious R&B lilt. It’s a fresh take for the Love, Damini singer who collaborates with 21 Savage for the first time here.
J’Calm – Tempted
Nigerian artist J’Calm’s recently-released track Tempted has just 82,000 streams on Spotify, making his listing on Obama’s playlist a major boon. We couldn’t agree more with Obama’s choice here, though: the track, which first became popular on TikTok, and was officially released only a month ago, is a straightforward hit. It’s smooth and bouncy in equal measure, making for a seductive summer banger. A round of applause, too for the excellent mixing.