Barack Obama released his “Favorite Music Of 2023” and noticeably absent are any songs by Jamaican artists. Since 2019 Obama has included several Jamaican acts on his summer and end of year lists including last July when he added “Funky Kingston,” the title track from the Toots & The Maytals album to his Summer Playlist.
The 44th President of the United States did include songs by Beyoncé, Kendrick Lamar, Burna Boy, Tems and others and captioned his latest taste maker post by saying, “Here are some of my favorite songs from this year,” with the usual blue and white image with 28 songs.
The Afropop songs on the list include: “WATER” by South African artist Tyla, Spotify’s most streamed Afrobeats song fo 2023 “UNAVAILABLE” by Davido ft. Musa Keys, “ME & U” by Tems, “AMAPIANO” by Asake & Olamide and “SITTIN’ ON TOP OF THE WORLD” – Burna Boy ft. 21 Savage.
His latin music favorites include 2023’s biggest song on YouTube “TQG” by Karol G & Shakira which heads the list, “LA BEBE (REMIX)” – Yng Lucas & Peso Pluma
The other tracks making the list are: “I REMEMBER EVERYTHING” – Zach Bryan ft. Kacey Musgraves, “SPRINTER” – Dave & Central Cee, “SINCE I HAVE A LOVER” – 6LACK, “COBRA” – Megan Thee Stallion, “JOINER” – Blondshell, “MIDNIGHT GOSPEL” – Alé Araya ft. Joseph Chilliams, “AMERICA HAS A PROBLEM” – Beyoncé ft. Kendrick Lamar, “THE RETURNER” – Allison Russell, “MY LOVE MINE ALL MINE” – Mitski.
“VAMPIRE EMPIRE” – Big Thief, “YOUNGER & DUMBER” – Indigo De Souza, “TOXIC TRAIT” – Stormy ft. Fredo, “WHERE YOU ARE” – John Summit & Hayla, “ON MY MAMA” – Victoria Monét, “CAST IRON SKILLET” – Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit, “WYa” – Brent Faiyaz, “LOSE CONTROL” – Teddy Swims, “CRAZY LOVE” – Rita Wilson & Keith Urban, “DRINK THE RIVER” – Gabe Lee, “ROAD TO FREEDOM” – Lenny Kravitz and “IT NEVER WENT AWAY” by Jon Batiste.
2019 was the first time Obama included a Jamaican on his list when Koffee’s “Toast” from her Rapture Ep was among his favorite music of the year. “Anybody” by Burna Boy also made the list that year.
Koffee has made his bi-anual lists more times than any Jamaican artist with Pull Up making Obama’s 2022 summer playlist. Tems’s Vibe Out and Burna Boy’s Last Last was also on that list.
The “Leave the World Behind” producer also shares his annual selection of favorite films and books. Among the noteworthy movies on his list are “Oppenheimer,” “American Fiction,” “Past Lives,” and “Anatomy of a Fall.” Notably, three films produced by his company, Higher Ground, made the cut: “Rustin,” “Leave the World Behind,” and “American Symphony.”
After viewing “The Color Purple,” the former president promptly updated his list on Twitter, formerly known as X, expressing his admiration: “Update: Just watched The Color Purple and loved it. Adding it to my list of favorite movies this year.”
On the literary front, Obama immersed himself in bestsellers such as James McBride’s “The Heaven & Earth Grocery Story,” David Grann’s “The Wager,” and Jonathan Eig’s “King.”
