Music

Who Put Barack Obama on to Babyface Ray and Money Man?

The former POTUS has shared his summer 2023 playlist, which includes Drake, SZA Ice Spice, Babyface Ray, and Money Man.

Costas Baltas/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images

Barack Obama has proven countless times that he has exquisite taste in music.

He took to Twitter on Thursday to share what songs have been in his rotation during the warmer months. “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,” the former president wrote.

Alongside classic artists like Ella Fitzgerald, the Rolling Stones, Stevie Wonder, and Aretha Franklin, the 61-year-old paired more recent tracks from Drake and J Hus ("Who Told You"), SZA ("Snooze"), Ice Spice and Nicki Minaj ("Princess Diana"), Janelle Monáe (“Only Have Eyes 42”), boygenius (“Not Strong Enough”), Jorja Smith (“Try Me”), and even Babyface Ray and Money Man ("Drums"), demonstrating once again that Obama has a pretty eclectic palate.

Barack Obama's annual playlists have become something of a pop culture event. In June, he commented on his yearly collections of songs, telling Hasan Minhaj that they do reflect his musical inclinations.

When Minhaj asked if Obama “really” listens to his playlists, the two-term POTUS responded, “I do.”

“Listen, I am so glad that I had this opportunity,” he continued. “People, they believe the books and the movies. But the playlists, they somehow think—and this is mostly coming from young people like you—somehow y’all think you invented rock ’n’ roll, you invented hip-hop. And so the fact that my lists are, you know, pretty incredible, people seem to think, ‘Well, he must have had some 20-year-old intern who was figuring out this latest cut.’ No, man. It’s on my iPad right now.”

Related Stories

barack obama giving speech
life

Obama Says He’s the One Behind His Annual Playlists, Not an Intern: ‘Don’t Play With Me’

Obama breaks down his "very scrupulous" approach to making his much-discussed playlists.

Trace William Cowen1046 days ago
Barack Obama
life

Barack Obama Shares His Favorite Songs of 2022, Including Tracks From Beyoncé, Kendrick Lamar, and Bad Bunny

Obama continued his annual tradition of sharing his favorite songs of 2022 as the former president took to Instagram to share 25 tracks he's enjoyed this year

Brad Callas1227 days ago
Barack Obama speaks at the Obama Foundation Community Event
music

Kendrick Lamar, Beyoncé, Harry Styles, and More Appear on Barack Obama's 2022 Summer Playlist

Former President Barack Obama took to social media to share his annual summer playlist, which features songs from Kendrick Lamar, Harry Styles, and more.

Brad Callas1378 days ago

“Don’t play with me,” added. “I am very scrupulous about making sure that this is stuff that I actually like. I will confess that there are times on the playlists, on the music lists, where I will get suggestions. … But unless I’m actually listening to it, watching it, reading it—I won’t put it on there.”

Stay ahead on Exclusives

Download the Complex App