Former President Barack Obama has been sharing lists of his favorite songs and movies for years now. These annual roundups always include a varied mix of genres and styles, with newer releases representing at least part of the playlists. Many are from obscure artists that few people have heard of.
And 2021 is no different. This year, Obama shared his roundup of hits, which was heavy on indie pop. But one of the more eyebrow-raising additions to that list is the controversial Lil Nas X song, “Montero (Call Me by Your Name)”.
The Daily Wire originally reported that Lil Nas X, whose real name is Montero Lamar Hill, aggressively used demonic imagery to advertise the new song when it was released earlier in 2021. He also promoted a line of 666 pairs of “Satan Shoes,” limited-edition altered Nike shoes to coincide with the music video, which featured the 22-year-old rapper giving Satan a lap dance. Later, Nike sued the shoe’s creators and confirmed they had no affiliation with the product.
Meanwhile, Lil Nas X delivered an over-the-top live performance of “Montero” on the season finale of SNL in May that failed to draw a large audience despite a fairly shocking wardrobe malfunction. The singer split his pants right in the crotch while he was performing the song and riding a stripper pole.
Besides the Satanic-themed “Montero” song, Obama has been listening to songs by Lizzo, Mitski, and Carlile. He wrote on Twitter, “I’ve always enjoyed listening to a wide variety of music, so it’s no surprise that I listened to a little bit of everything this year. I hope you find a new artist or song to add to your own playlist.”
His complete playlist for 2021 is as follows:
Mitski: “The Only Heartbreaker”
The War on Drugs: “I Don’t Live Here Anymore” [ft. Lucius]
Mdou Moctar: “Tala Tannam”
Adia Victoria: “Magnolia Blues”
Durand Jones & The Indications / Aaron Frazer: “Witchoo”
Esperanza Spalding: “Formwela 10”
Brandi Carlile: “Broken Horses”
Genesis Owusu: “Gold Chains”
Little Simz: “Woman” [ft. Cleo Sol]
Farruko: “Pepas”
Spice: “Go Down Deh” [ft. Shaggy and Sean Paul]
Jon Batiste: “Freedom”
Wye Oak: “Its Way With Me”
Nas: “Nobody” [ft. Ms. Lauryn Hill]
Allison Russell: “Nightflyer”
Lil Nas X: “Montero (Call Me by Your Name)”
Yotuel / Gente de Zona / Descemer Bueno: “Patria y Vida” [ft. Maykel Osorbo and El Funky]
Tammy Lakkis: “Notice”
Teddy Afro: “Armash”
Courtney Barnett: “Write a List of Things to Look Forward To”
Aventura / Bad Bunny: “Volví”
Isaiah Rashad: “Headshots (4r da Locals)”
Yebba: “Boomerang”
Mo3 / Morray: “In My Blood”
Yendry: “Ya”
Lizzo / Cardi B: “Rumors”
Parquet Courts: “Walking at Downtown Pace”
Obama recommends books, movies, and music to his 130 million Twitter followers annually. In the past, the former president has been questioned for sharing music suggestions that contain vulgar rap lyrics rife with swear words that seemingly encourage violence and harmful treatment toward women.
Critics argued that promoting music with this type of messaging does not line up with Obama’s claims of being a self-described feminist.