Barack Obama Drops Billie Eilish, Kendrick Lamar in 2024

Obama may have chosen to stay out of the Drake-Kendrick beef by not choosing “Not Like Us” as his favorite Lamar song this year, but he did select “Squabble Up.” The former president has been a longtime fan of Lamar, and the two even met during his presidency. “I do think Kendrick has a unique status right now, not just because of this summer, but he’s not just gifted, he’s [also] serious about the message,” Obama said last month in a DeepCut interview.

On the hip-hop front, Central Cee and Lil Baby’s “Band4Band” made it to the playlist, along with Jordan Adentunji’s “Kehlani” and Tommy Richman’s “Million Dollar Baby.” Karol G took the baton for Latin music on Obama’s playlist thanks to “Si Antes Te Hubiera Conocido,” and arguably the biggest reggaeton track of 2024, FloyyMenor and Cris MJ’s “Gata Only” also made the cut.

Obama’s taste for jazz made it on the list thanks to Ezra Collective and Yazmin Lacey’s “God Gave Me Feet for Dancing,” and he shouted out soft R&B rising singer Rae Khalil by including “Is It Worth It” from this year’s Crybaby.

Earlier on Friday, Obama dropped his top 10 films of the year including Dune: Part Two, A Complete Unknown (which comes out on Christmas), Anora, and All We Imagine as Light, Conclave,