It’s that time of year again. As the end of 2021 creeps closer and closer, people all over the world have been spending time reflecting on the past 12 months – the things that they’ve learned, the shows and movies they watched, the people they met, and of course, the music they listened to.
For the past several years, former President Barack Obama has upheld a tradition of giving flowers out to his favourites, and this year’s musical list featured a wide variety of very talented recording artists, from Mitski’s “The Only Heartbreaker” to Spice, Shaggy and Sean Paul’s “Go Down Deh.”
Other names who made it onto Obama’s Spotify playlist include Lizzo and Cardi B’s collab track, “Rumors,” Yebba’s “Boomerang,” and “In My Blood” by Morray. Aventura and Bad Bunny’s “Volvi,” Isaiah Rashad’s “Headshots (4r Da Locals),” and Lil Nas X’s “MONTERO (Call Me By Your Name)” also made the round-up.
The War On Drugs, Lucius, Mdou Moctar, Adia Victoria, Durand Jones & The Indications, Aaron Frazer, Esperanza Spalding, Brandi Carlisle, Genesis Owusu, Little Simz, Cleo Sol, Farruko, Jon Batiste, Wye Oak, Nas, Ms. Lauryn Hill, and Allison Russell are just a few more names who have earned the bragging rights that come along with being favoured by Obama.
One day before announcing his favourite songs of 2021, the 60-year-old delivered his list of favourite movies from this year, featuring titles like West Side Story, Summer of Soul, The Power of the Dog, Judas and the Black Messiah, The Last Duel, and The Tragedy of Macbeth, among others.
Check out the full collection for yourself below.