Music by Jay-Z, Harry Styles Among Obama’s Picks of 2017
The former president says he’s had “some extra time” to relish in good books and music.
Kamil Krzaczynski/Reuters
President Barack Obama has revealed that his favorite songs of 2017 include hits by Jay-Z, Harry Styles, and R&B breakout star SZA, among others. In a Facebook post on Sunday, Obama said life outside of the White House had given him time to enjoy songs that got him “moving” and books that “inspired” him. “With some extra time on my hands this year to catch up, I wanted to share the books and music that I enjoyed most,” he wrote. His list of favorite books for 2017 included the dystopian novel The Power by Naomi Alderman, Exit West by Mohsin Hamid, a novel about refugees and emigration, as well as nonfiction books like Ron Chernow’s Ulysses S. Grant biography and the basketball-oriented book Coach Wooden and Me by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. Harry Styles’ “Sign of the Times” got a mention among Obama’s top music picks, along with Jay-Z’s “Family Feud” and songs by The National, Young Thug, SZA, Travis Scott, Chance the Rapper, and DJ Khaled.
During my presidency, I started a tradition of sharing my reading lists and playlists. It was a nice way to reflect on...
Posted by Barack Obama on Sunday, December 31, 2017
Register below to read this article for free or subscribe
to unlock unlimited access to The Daily Beast.
Monthly
$1
First month then $5.99/month
Annual
$35
First year then $59.99/year
Premium
$79
First year then $119.99/year
*Substack access provided by the next business day, using your subscription email. Choosing the Premium plan constitutes your permission to share your subscription email with Substack and your agreement to Substack’s Privacy Policy.
Already have an account? Sign In
Looks like you already have a subscription!
You're all set!
Thanks for subscribing.