Barack Obama Includes Ice Spice, Luke Combs, Spicy Janelle Monáe Track on 2023 Summer Playlist
Barack Obama may not be the president anymore, but he’ll always be the commander-in-chief of summer music recommendations.
The former POTUS shared his annual summer playlist Thursday (July 20), with everyone from Ice Spice to Leonard Cohen making the 2023 roundup. “Like I do every year, here are some songs I’ve been listening to this summer — a mix of old and new,” Obama tweeted. “Look forward to hearing what I’ve missed.”
Among the songs featured: SZA’s “Snooze,” J Hus and Drake’s “Who Told You,” Rosalía and Rauw Alejandro’s “Vampiros,” Ice Spice and Nicki Minaj’s “Princess Diana” and Janelle Monáe’s spicy ode to threesomes, “Only Have Eyes 42.” Obama also included a taste of country with Luke Combs’ chart-topping take on Tracy Chapman’s “Fast Car,” along with a splash of indie rock via Phoebe Bridgers, Lucy Dacus and Julien Baker’s Boygenius single “Not Strong Enough.”
Classics from Marvin Gaye, Stevie Wonder, Bob Dylan, Otis Redding and Ella Fitzgerald also made the cut.
The A Promised Land author is no novice when it comes to curating seasonal song recommendations, spending the past few years treating followers to at least two playlists — one in the summer and one at the end of each year — every year. At the end of 2022, Kendrick Lamar, Beyoncé, Rema, Lizzo, Ari Lennox, Omar Appollo and more were honored with Obama’s stamp of approval.
Last summer, Obama was bumping to Harry Styles, Lil Yachty, Maggie Rogers, Burna Boy, Wet Leg, Jack White and Maren Morris, amongst others.
See Obama’s full 2023 summer playlist below:
Hannah Dailey
Billboard
