“Kendrick is a friend. I’ve known him for a long time. He even performed at the White House. You know, I was the first, I think, I’m pretty confident in saying that not that many presidents were familiar with hip-hop before I was President. And I do think Kendrick has a unique status right now, not just because of this summer, but he’s not just gifted, he’s [also] serious about the message. He digs into himself deep.” […]

“When we get together, he wants to talk about fatherhood … Those are the questions he’s talking about. He’s got a couple of young kids, and he’s taken that very seriously.”

– Barack Obama sat down with celebrity barber VicBlends for an episode of the DeepCut podcast, while stumping for Vice President Kamala Harris on the campaign trail. Since it’s well known that former President Obama is a hip-hop enthusiast, the conversation ultimately turned to the music genre, his take on the battle between Kendrick Lamar and Drake, and whether J. Cole is among the “Big Three” of rap. “I just talked to J. Cole last week,” Obama revealed. “He’s definitely at the top of the list. […] Now, there’s a guy named Jay-Z who’s closer to my generation. It’s a lot like that MJ and LeBron comparison. J. Cole’s been to the White House too; he’s outstanding.”

Watch Obama’s entire DeepCut episode below.