President Obama called in to SiriusXM’s “Sway in the Morning” radio show Friday morning to discuss his favorite current rappers, his picks for who will win the Super Bowl and the NBA Finals in 2017 and why he believes First Lady Michelle Obama will never run for public office herself.
“I think the young guys, Kendrick and Chance, are doing amazing work,” Obama said when asked who he believes are the “top rappers in the game today,” referring to Kendrick Lamar and Chance the Rapper.
“I love Drake, and the girls love Drake, and, you know, he’s commercially just doing great, and unbelievably talented. And, you know, Jay Z’s still the king. I mean, he’s got a track record,” Obama added. “Same with Kanye [West]. So there’s a lot of talent out there, but when I look at who’s breaking new ground, Kendrick and Chance, those guys are doing just amazing work.”
“And they’re wonderful young men,” the president continued. “Chance, I’ve known for years ’cause his dad was my state director when I was a senator in Illinois, so I first met Chance when he was 8 years old, and so we’ve been family for a while. And Kendrick, he’s blowing it up. He’s doing great.”
Some of the rappers Obama mentioned wound up on the president’s workout playlist earlier this month, while Jay Z, Lamar and Chance the Rapper have all been guests at the White House. Obama previously called Lamar’s “How Much a Dollar Cost” his favorite rap song of 2015.
In the interview (which can be heard in full above), Obama makes his picks for the 2017 Super Bowl and the NBA Finals: the New England Patriots and the Golden State Warriors, respectively.
Obama also informed the radio hosts that his wife Michelle would never run for public office because “she does not have the patience or the inclination to actually be a candidate herself.”
“She will never run for office,” Obama predicted, adding: “That’s one thing you can take to the bank.”
Follow Daniel Nussbaum on Twitter: @dznussbaum
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