Spice, Shaggy, Sean Paul On Barack Obama’s Favorite Music Of 2021 List
It is no secret that former President of the United States Barack Obama is a fan of Jamaican music. This was once again proven with the release of his list of favorite songs for 2021, which sees Spice’s hit single Go Down Deh, featuring Shaggy and Sean Paul, among the list of 27 tracks.
Obama released his annual list on all social media platforms today. In his caption, he noted that his taste in music shows the versatility in his musical taste.
“I’ve always enjoyed listening to a wide range 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.”
Go Down Deh was the lead single on Spice’s debut album, 10, which is among six sets vying for the Grammy Award in the Best Reggae Album category come January 31, 2022. Shaggy is credited and nominated for the project as executive producer, while Sean Paul is also competing for the Grammy in said category with his collab-heavy Live N Livin album.
“Just when I thought my year couldn’t end any better Mr President @barackobama announced that he has been listening to my song 😩😩😩,” Spice wrote today.
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In a previous interview with DancehallMag, Spice, whose given name is Grace Hamilton, explained that she was grateful for the collaboration and a fresh opportunity to take dancehall to another level.
“This song has opened so many doors for me and I’m super grateful to know that I have two legends on this collaboration with me. I’ve been hashtagging #TeamJamaica and #TeamDancehall because we came together in unison to represent Jamaica and Dancehall culture, So big up Sean Paul and big up to Shaggy,” she said.
Go Down Deh, produced by Romanian Constantin “Costi” Ioniță, also recently appeared on NPR’s 100 Best Songs Of 2021.
Some fans have been reacting to Obama’s inclusion of Go Down Deh on his list.
“@spiceofficial @direalshaggy love to see it 💙💙💙💙,” one Instagram user commented under his post.
@spiceofficial You made the cut mama @direalshaggy @duttypaul,” said another.
Meanwhile, another user added,” @spiceofficial @duttypaul @direalshaggy 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥 🇯🇲🇯🇲🇯🇲🇯🇲🇯🇲🇯🇲🇯🇲🇯🇲🇯🇲🇯🇲🇯🇲🇯🇲”
Over the years, Obama, the 44th President, has featured a few Jamaican artists on his annual lists, which he has previously credited his daughter and “family music guru”, Sasha, for helping him to curate.
In the 2020 year-end list, Koffee’s Repeat collab with J Hus was featured, while her hit song Toast was featured on the 2019 year-end playlist.
Obama’s 2020 summer playlist included John Legend’s Don’t Walk Away featuring Koffee; Twist & Turn by Popcaan, Drake and PartyNextDoor; and Could You Be Loved by Bob Marley and the Wailers.
His 2021 Summer playlist featured Protoje and Koffee’s Switch It Up and Bob Marley & The Wailers’ iconic hit Exodus.