Rapper Kendrick Lamar will perform at the White House on the Fourth of July while President Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama host military heroes and their families, the White House announced Friday.
“Staff and their families from throughout the administration will also attend this event for the fireworks viewing and performance by Janelle Monae and Kendrick Lamar,” the press secretary’s office said in a statement.
Lamar is one of President Obama’s favorite rappers. The president previously named Lamar’s song “How Much A Dollar Cost” his favorite song of 2015.
The president sent a “shoutout” to Lamar for his racially and politically charged performance at the 58th annual Grammy Awards in February, where the rapper, flanked by backup dancers dressed in prison uniforms and chains, performed the song “The Blacker The Berry,” off of Lamar’s Grammy-winning album To Pimp a Butterfly.
The 28-year-old was also given a White House tour last January by none other than the president himself.
White House senior adviser Valerie Jarrett reportedly said that President Obama asked Lamar: “Can you believe that we’re both sitting in this Oval Office?”
The “King Kunta” rapper is also a celebrity spokesman for the Obama administration’s My Brother’s Keeper program, a public-private initiative that promotes mentoring among disadvantaged youths.
Last year, the president and First Lady celebrated the Fourth of July by hosting military personnel and their families with fireworks and music performances by country music singer Brad Paisley on the South Lawn.
Follow Jerome Hudson on Twitter: @jeromeehudson
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