In an interview with People Magazine published this week, the president said his favorite song of 2015 was Kendrick Lamar‘s “How Much A Dollar Cost.” Yes, you read that right. Yeah, so how motha effin cool is that?!
That presidential endorsement caps off a great week for Lamar, who was nominated for 11 Grammys, including Album of the Year for 2015’s To Pimp A Butterfly which includes the prez’s favorite track.
Black Voices point out that it’s no secret that Obama’s a long time hip-hop head, so while his choice isn’t necessarily surprising, “it’s certainly bold, since hip-hop music — especially rap — is frequently subversive and critical of government, and hasn’t been celebrated by many presidents. Several rap songs have even scathingly criticized presidents like Ronald Reagan and George W. Bush.”
But what is kind of surprising and confusing to us is the fact that of all people, given his hardcore conservative leanings, Republican presidential contender Marco Rubio is also a hardcore hip-hop fan. We’re still scratching our head trying to figure that one out.
OK, so while POTUS went for an unlikely choice that shows he’s a serious rap fan, FLOTUS (Michelle Obama) picked the ubiquitous Bruno Mars tune “Uptown Funk” as her favorite song of 2015.
Obama’s favorite book was the bestseller Fates and Furies by Lauren Groff while Michelle’s pick was The Light of the World by Elizabeth Alexander. Michelle’s TV pick: the sitcom black-ish while the President liked the Cinemax period drama The Knick. As for the years’ movies, Michelle’s fave was the animated movie Inside Out and President Obama’s choice was The Martian, starring Matt Damon.
The Obamas also shared their favorite moments of 2015. The President said it was both hanging out with Bear Grylls in Alaska for his TV show Running Wild, and the spontaneous gathering outside the White House when same sex marriage was made legal in all 50 states and Mrs. Obama said anytime she spends with young people is precious to her.
Kinda surprised neither one mentioned the private Prince performance at the White House, but maybe they just didn’t want to reveal any details about the exclusive event that managed to stay off of social media for the most part. And we would have LOVED to hear Sasha and Malia’s favorites.
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