{"id":1063,"date":"2025-12-20T08:01:56","date_gmt":"2025-12-20T08:01:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/africahalloffame.org\/Home\/?p=1063"},"modified":"2025-12-20T08:01:56","modified_gmt":"2025-12-20T08:01:56","slug":"burna-boy-olamide-obongjayar-others-make-barack-obamas-favourite-music-list-of-2025","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/africahalloffame.org\/Home\/burna-boy-olamide-obongjayar-others-make-barack-obamas-favourite-music-list-of-2025\/","title":{"rendered":"Burna Boy, Olamide, Obongjayar, Others Make Barack Obama\u2019s Favourite Music List of 2025"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"flex flex-col text-sm pb-25\">\n<article class=\"text-token-text-primary w-full focus:outline-none [--shadow-height:45px] has-data-writing-block:pointer-events-none has-data-writing-block:-mt-(--shadow-height) has-data-writing-block:pt-(--shadow-height) [&amp;:has([data-writing-block])&gt;*]:pointer-events-auto [content-visibility:auto] supports-[content-visibility:auto]:[contain-intrinsic-size:auto_100lvh] scroll-mt-[calc(var(--header-height)+min(200px,max(70px,20svh)))]\" dir=\"auto\" data-turn-id=\"25d7884b-bf41-4df0-a1b8-3077746317fa\" data-testid=\"conversation-turn-398\" data-scroll-anchor=\"true\" data-turn=\"assistant\">\n<div class=\"text-base my-auto mx-auto pb-10 [--thread-content-margin:--spacing(4)] @w-sm\/main:[--thread-content-margin:--spacing(6)] @w-lg\/main:[--thread-content-margin:--spacing(16)] px-(--thread-content-margin)\">\n<div class=\"[--thread-content-max-width:40rem] @w-lg\/main:[--thread-content-max-width:48rem] mx-auto max-w-(--thread-content-max-width) flex-1 group\/turn-messages focus-visible:outline-hidden relative flex w-full min-w-0 flex-col agent-turn\">\n<div class=\"flex max-w-full flex-col grow\">\n<div class=\"min-h-8 text-message relative flex w-full flex-col items-end gap-2 text-start break-words whitespace-normal [.text-message+&amp;]:mt-1\" dir=\"auto\" data-message-author-role=\"assistant\" data-message-id=\"25d7884b-bf41-4df0-a1b8-3077746317fa\" data-message-model-slug=\"gpt-5-2\">\n<div class=\"flex w-full flex-col gap-1 empty:hidden first:pt-[1px]\">\n<div class=\"markdown prose dark:prose-invert w-full break-words dark markdown-new-styling\">\n<p data-start=\"264\" data-end=\"708\">Former U.S. President <strong data-start=\"286\" data-end=\"327\"><span class=\"hover:entity-accent entity-underline inline cursor-pointer align-baseline\"><span class=\"whitespace-normal\">Barack Obama<\/span><\/span><\/strong> has once again spotlighted global sounds in his annual favourite music list, and Nigerian artists are prominently represented. Afrobeats stars <strong data-start=\"471\" data-end=\"512\"><span class=\"hover:entity-accent entity-underline inline cursor-pointer align-baseline\"><span class=\"whitespace-normal\">Burna Boy<\/span><\/span><\/strong>, <strong data-start=\"514\" data-end=\"555\"><span class=\"hover:entity-accent entity-underline inline cursor-pointer align-baseline\"><span class=\"whitespace-normal\">Olamide<\/span><\/span><\/strong>, and <strong data-start=\"561\" data-end=\"602\"><span class=\"hover:entity-accent entity-underline inline cursor-pointer align-baseline\"><span class=\"whitespace-normal\">Obongjayar<\/span><\/span><\/strong> all earned spots on Obama\u2019s favourite music of 2025, underscoring the genre\u2019s sustained global influence.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"710\" data-end=\"1028\">Burna Boy made the list with <strong data-start=\"739\" data-end=\"751\">\u201cTATATA\u201d<\/strong>, a record that reflects his continued ability to merge African rhythms with introspective songwriting and global appeal. The inclusion adds to Burna Boy\u2019s long history of recognition from Obama, reinforcing his position as one of Africa\u2019s most internationally resonant voices.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"1030\" data-end=\"1311\">Olamide\u2019s selection came through <strong data-start=\"1063\" data-end=\"1078\">\u201c99\u201d<\/strong>, a track that blends street-rooted energy with sharp commentary. Its presence on the list highlights Obama\u2019s appreciation not just for mainstream Afrobeats, but for music that captures local identity, language, and cultural texture.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"1313\" data-end=\"1711\">Obongjayar\u2019s inclusion stands out as a major win for alternative Nigerian sounds. His song <strong data-start=\"1404\" data-end=\"1419\">\u201cNot in surrender\u201d<\/strong> was featured, reflecting the former president\u2019s continued interest in genre-blurring artists who push emotional depth and experimentation. For many fans, Obongjayar\u2019s appearance on the list signals growing global recognition for Nigerian artists operating outside traditional pop frameworks.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"1713\" data-end=\"2041\">Obama\u2019s annual playlist has become a cultural benchmark, often introducing global audiences to artists and songs beyond the Western mainstream. His 2025 selections once again span continents and genres, but the strong Nigerian presence reflects how Afrobeats and its offshoots have become integral to global music conversations.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"2043\" data-end=\"2371\">Social media reactions were swift, with fans celebrating the diversity of Nigerian sounds represented from Burna Boy\u2019s arena-ready anthems to Olamide\u2019s street consciousness and Obongjayar\u2019s alternative edge. Many described the moment as proof that Nigerian music\u2019s global rise is no longer confined to a single sound or style.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"2373\" data-end=\"2685\" data-is-last-node=\"\" data-is-only-node=\"\">As Afrobeats continues to evolve and expand, moments like this reinforce its cultural weight far beyond charts and streaming numbers. With Burna Boy, Olamide, and Obongjayar featured on Barack Obama\u2019s favourite music of 2025, Nigerian music once again affirms its place on the world\u2019s most influential playlists.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"z-0 flex min-h-[46px] justify-start\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"pointer-events-none h-px w-px absolute bottom-0\" aria-hidden=\"true\" data-edge=\"true\"><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Former U.S. President Barack Obama has once again spotlighted global sounds in his annual favourite music list, and Nigerian artists are prominently represented. Afrobeats stars Burna Boy, Olamide, and Obongjayar all earned spots on Obama\u2019s favourite music of 2025, underscoring the genre\u2019s sustained global influence. Burna Boy made the list with \u201cTATATA\u201d, a record that [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":1064,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[12],"tags":[],"ppma_author":[160],"class_list":["post-1063","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-entertainment","author-urbanafrica"],"authors":[{"term_id":160,"user_id":2,"is_guest":0,"slug":"urbanafrica","display_name":"URBANAFRICA","avatar_url":{"url":"https:\/\/africahalloffame.org\/Home\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/cropped-FFB50F59-0D6C-491C-BACA-64123F72D056.jpg","url2x":"https:\/\/africahalloffame.org\/Home\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/cropped-FFB50F59-0D6C-491C-BACA-64123F72D056.jpg"},"0":null,"1":"","2":"","3":"","4":"","5":"","6":"","7":"","8":""}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/africahalloffame.org\/Home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1063","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/africahalloffame.org\/Home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/africahalloffame.org\/Home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/africahalloffame.org\/Home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/africahalloffame.org\/Home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1063"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/africahalloffame.org\/Home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1063\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1065,"href":"https:\/\/africahalloffame.org\/Home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1063\/revisions\/1065"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/africahalloffame.org\/Home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1064"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/africahalloffame.org\/Home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1063"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/africahalloffame.org\/Home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1063"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/africahalloffame.org\/Home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1063"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/africahalloffame.org\/Home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/ppma_author?post=1063"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}