2017 marked Barack Obama‘s official farewell from the White House, and good god we miss that man more than ever. While he’s no longer in charge of running the country, Obama is still keeping up with some of his unofficial duties: namely, his year-end list of all the music and books he has loved during the past 12 months.
The former prez took to Facebook earlier today to share his picks in music and literature from 2017, saying that this year he’s had “some extra time on his hands to catch up.” Oh god, the feels.
The 56-year-old named artists including Chance the Rapper, Harry Styles, Jay-Z and the late Sharon Jones among his best for the year, with the whole list reading as follows:
Mi Gente by J Balvin & Willy William
Havana by Camila Cabello (feat. Young Thug)
Blessed by Daniel Caesar
The Joke by Brandi Carlile
First World Problems by Chance The Rapper (feat. Daniel Caesar)
Rise Up by Andra Day
Wild Thoughts by DJ Khaled (feat. Rihanna and Bryson Tiller)
Family Feud by Jay-Z (feat. Beyoncé)
Humble by Kendrick Lamar
La Dame et Ses Valises by Les Amazones d’Afrique (feat. Nneka)
Unforgettable by French Montana (feat. Swae Lee)
The System Only Dreams in Total Darkness by The National
Chanel by Frank Ocean
Feel It Still by Portugal. The Man
Butterfly Effect by Travis Scott
Matter of Time by Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings
Little Bit by Mavis Staples
Millionaire by Chris Stapleton
Sign of the Times by Harry Styles
Broken Clocks by SZA
Ordinary Love (Extraordinary Mix) by U2
*Bonus: Born in the U.S.A. by Bruce Springsteen (not out yet, but the blues version in his Broadway show is the best!)
Look at that, would you? He even added a bonus inclusion from my personal hero, The Boss. Nothing but respect for MY two presidents.
Moving on to books, and Obama listed the following page-turners as his picks for the year.
The Power by Naomi Alderman
Grant by Ron Chernow
Evicted: Poverty and Profit in the American City by Matthew Desmond
Janesville: An American Story by Amy Goldstein
Exit West by Mohsin Hamid
Five-Carat Soul by James McBride
Anything Is Possible by Elizabeth Strout
Dying: A Memoir by Cory Taylor
A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles
Sing, Unburied, Sing by Jesmyn Ward
*Bonus for hoops fans: Coach Wooden and Me by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Basketball (and Other Things) by Shea Serrano
You can peep his full Facebook post HERE.
Now excuse me, I’m off to make a Spotify playlist and spend all my life savings on Amazon so I can be as smart and dignified as Bazza. Good day.
