Ice Spice, 2pac, Nas & More Make Barack Obama’s Summer 2023 Playlist

Ice Spice, 2pac, Nas & More Make Barack Obama's Summer 2023 Playlist

Barack Obama’s yearly summers playlist has a number of other Hip Hop legends in addition to Ice Spice, 2Pac, and Nas.

The former president’s playlist for 2023 includes performances by a wide range of musicians, including Drake, J. Hus, SZA, Burna Boy, 21 Savage, Q-Tip, Janet Jackson, Money Man, Babyface Ray, and Janelle Monáe.

The selection included “Princess Diana” by Ice Spice and Nicki Minaj, “California Love” by ‘Pac, and Nas’ 1994 classic “The World Is Yours.”

Also heavily influenced by hip-hop, Obama’s 2022 playlist included songs like Lil Yachty’s “Split/Whole Time,” Rakim’s “When I B On the Mic,” Wyclef Jean’s “Guantanamera” with Lauryn Hill, and Kendrick Lamar’s “Die Hard.”

Vince Staples, whose song “Magic” alongside Mustard peaked at No. 43 on Obama’s playlist last year, commented on his selection on social media. The rapper from Long Beach appeared on Twitter with a reference to the ad-lib he utilized in the song an hour after Obama published the finished version.

“Y’all gon’ be mad if I convince Obama to get on the set,” Vince made a joke in response to the inclusion.

The additions of Ice Spice and Nas to the playlist enhance what has already been a very successful New Music Friday for them. Spice released the expanded version of her debut EP, Like…?, which included the song “Deli,” for which she had just finished filming the music video earlier this week.

For Magic 2, the follow-up to the surpise 2021 release that landed on Christmas Eve, Nas and Hit-Boy collaborated once more. Notably, during the spoken word outro “Pistols On Your Album Cover,” Nas pays tribute to 2Pac and recalls a special recollection of the California legend in the sequel’s closing seconds. It hears Nas recount introducing ‘Pac to Hennessy’s seductive charm.

He says, “I remember I put 2Pac onto that Henny.” The Howard University… Howard Homecoming, Washington, D.C. ‘What’s this?’ he exclaimed. But he drank that stuff… Word, insane. Super hard.”

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