Obama Invites His Favorite Rapper To The White House

Kendrick Lamar’s big year in 2015 included a White House visit with President Obama, according to one of the president’s top aides.

Senior adviser Valerie Jarrett told BuzzFeed’s “Another Round” podcast that Obama recently shared a personal moment with the rapper in the Oval Office.

“You know what the president said to him? [Because] he was a little nervous — bless his heart, he’s really a very nice young man, and the president said, ‘Can you believe that we’re both sitting in this Oval Office?’” Jarrett said. 

The visit occurred in late October, the White House said, when Lamar was in Washington to perform at the Kennedy Center with the National Symphony Orchestra.

Lamar dominated the music scene in 2015 with his latest album, “To Pimp A Butterfly.” He received 11 Grammy nominations, including nods for Album of the Year, Song of the Year and Best Rap Album. 

The president is a big fan, too. Obama told People magazine last month his favorite song of 2015 was Lamar’s “How Much A Dollar Cost.”

“That’s great, man,” Lamar told TMZ in response to hearing Obama’s praise. 

Asked about the message of the song, Lamar said, “Help as many people as you can, man, [if you] want to live forever.”