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Kendrick Lamar Praised By President Barack Obama: ‘Breaking New Ground,’ ‘Doing Amazing Work’

By Stacey Cole
Published on: 04:19 PST, Nov 7, 2016

Kendrick Lamar has just received high praise from President Barack Obama himself, according to Complex. The “Alright” rapper has managed to get Obama’s seal of approval just days before the 44th president leaves the Oval Office.

It’s fair to say that the new U.S. president, whether it’s Hillary Clinton or Donald Trump, will not be as thrilled about hip-hop and Kendrick Lamar as Obama has been over the past eight years of his presidency.

Clinton has been a huge fan of Katy Perry, Beyonce, and Adele over the years, while Trump finds it “terrifically” pleasant to listen to the music of Paul McCartney, Aerosmith, and Michael Jackson. But Obama has made headlines several times over the past years, dancing to Drake’s “Hotline Bling,” calling Kanye West a “jacka**,” and now praising Kendrick Lamar.

Kendrick Lamar’s “Alright” has become the anthem of the civil rights movement in the U.S. over the past two years, so it is little wonder that Obama recognizes Lamar’s achievements in hip-hop.

During his telephone interview on Sway in the Morning, Obama offered his top picks for the best MCs and gave a piece of advice to his potential successor, Hillary Clinton. The current U.S. president said Kendrick Lamar and Chance the Rapper, who is Obama’s BFF, are doing “amazing work.”

“I love Drake, and the girls love Drake, and, you know, so, he’s commercially just doing great, and unbelievably talented.”

So it is no wonder that Obama danced to Drake’s hit song “Hotline Bling”! But Obama thinks that just because there are fresh faces dominating the hip-hop world, in no way does it mean that Jay Z is no longer the king.

“Same with Kanye [West], so there’s a lot of talent out there, but when I look at who’s breaking new ground, Kendrick Lamar and Chance, those guys are doing just amazing work.”

Obama also revealed how he managed to hit it off with Chance the Rapper. It turns out, Obama has known Chance since the rapper was only 8-years-old. The 44th president explained that Chance’s dad was his state director back when Obama was a senator in Illinois.

As for Kendrick Lamar, Obama doesn’t seem to be spending a lot of time with the “Alright” hitmaker like he does with Chance, but nonetheless, the U.S. president thinks Lamar is “blowing it up” and doing a great job.

In other news, when hip-hop group A Tribe Called Quest reunited last year live on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, every hip-hop fan almost went crazy, according to A.V. Club. But the New York Times has just learned even more exciting news: Kendrick Lamar and Jack White will be featured on A Tribe Called Quest’s new album!

A Tribe Called Quest announced their final album, titled We Got It From Here, Thank You For Your Service, last week, but it has just become apparent that there will be five big names featured on that album. As it turns out, Kendrick Lamar, Jack White, Elton John, Busta Rhymes, and Andre 3000 are working in the studio with the members of A Tribe Called Quest.

It was the hip-hop group’s co-founder, Malik “Phife Dawg” Taylor, who came up with the title, and the members of the group decided to keep it in his honor. Taylor died in April, but the group hasn’t stopped working on new music.

While it will be Kendrick Lamar’s first collaboration with A Tribe Called Quest, Busta Rhymes has been the group’s long-time collaborator and made his famous cameo on the group’s 1992 hit “Scenario.”

The upcoming album featuring Kendrick Lamar, White, and others, will be the group’s sixth studio album and its first album in nearly two decades. We Got It From Here, Thank You For Your Service is set to be released on November 11.

[Featured Image by Carolyn Kaster/AP Images]

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