Barack Obama loves dropping year-end lists. He details which films, books, and songs impressed him most on an annual basis. Kendrick Lamar dominated the hip hop sphere in 2024, so he was bound to appear on the President’s year-end list in some shape or form. It was initially unclear which direction Barack Obama would take. He could have gone for the celebratory diss “Not Like Us,” or perhaps the meme-ified “tv off,” but the President decided to chart another path. He chose Kendrick Lamar’s L.A. anthem “Squabble Up” as one of his favorite songs of 2024.
“Squabble Up” delivered on months of anticipation after it was teased during the intro to the “Not Like Us” video. The Debbie Deb-sampling song peaked at number one on the Billboard Hot 100. It makes sense that Barack Obama would choose “Squabble Up” out of Lamar’s chart-topping singles in 2024. “Like That” and “Not Like Us” were far grittier and combative, which directly clash with Obama’s chill and affable persona. The President did weigh in on the Drake vs. Kendrick Lamar battle a few months ago.
Barack Obama Has Been A K. Dot Fan For Years
He praised Lamar’s lyrical ability and his overall message. “I do think that Kendrick has a unique status right now,” he told DeepCut. “Not just because of this summer… He’s not just gifted, he’s serious about the message… he digs deep into himself. He digs deep.” He didn’t clarify who he believed won the feud, but he actually picked sides as far back as 2016. The President told YouTuber Swoozie that he likes both Drake and Lamar music, but would ultimately choose K. Dot to win in a direct competition. “Gotta go with Kendrick,” Obama asserted. “I’m just saying, I think Drake is an outstanding entertainer, but Kendrick, his lyrics, his last album was outstanding.”
The admiration seemingly goes both ways. Kendrick Lamar met Barack Obama in 2016, and was highly complimentive of the President. He told Billboard he was overwhelmed when Obama told him how much he enjoyed To Pimp a Butterfly. “When [the President] said to my face what his favorite record was,” he recalled. “I understood that, no matter how high-ranking you get in this world, you’re human.” Another feather in Kendrick Lamar’s cap. No, Drake did not appear on Barack Obama’s year-end list.
About The Author
Elias Andrews is a music and entertainment writer for HotNewHipHop. He joined HNHH in 2024 as the lead night shift contributor, which means he covers new music releases on a weekly basis.
In the year since joining, Elias has covered some of the biggest and most turbulent stories in the world of music. He covered the Drake and Kendrick Lamar battle, and the release of the disses “Family Matters” and “Meet the Grahams,” in particular, in real time. He has also detailed the ongoing list of allegations and criminal charges made against Diddy.
Elias’ favorite artists are Andre 3000, MF Doom, pre-808s Kanye West and Tyler, The Creator. He loves L.A. hip-hop but not L.A. sports teams. The first album he ever bought was Big Willie Style by Will Smith, which he maintains is still a pretty good listen.
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