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Farewell Obama, United States’ First President To Understand and Acknowledge the Power of House Music

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FKalways Obama

Two nights ago Barack Obama, United States’ 44th President, gave his farewell speech to tens of thousands presents at Chicago’s McCormick Place and millions more watching around the country. While it is not up to us, as a news outlet that focuses on electronic music, to judge President Obama’s 8 years in the Oval Office, we find it important to remember Obama’s several personal links to house music and his history in supporting the scene we love so much.

Back in 2004, when he was still an Illinois State Senator, President Obama was directly responsible for facilitating the honorary naming of a day (August 25th) and street after Chicago House pioneer Frankie “The Godfather” Knuckles. Obama’s influence in the decision was explored during a recent episode of TV One’s Unsung.

Prior to the revelation, however, we had already learned of President’s Obama personal acknowledgement of house music and its importance in both the arts and as a cultural backbone that continuously shapes Chicago, the United States and the entire world beyond our borders. A picture of the Obamas and Knuckles surfaced in 2014 alongside a personal condolences letter penned by the President and the First Lady after Knuckles death that year. The photo of Barack and Michelle with Knuckles was actually taken at Oprah’s Legends Ball several years prior, where Knuckleswas the DJ. The letter, which you can read below, referred to Knuckles as “a trailblazer in his field,” stating that “his legacy lives on in the city of Chicago and on dance floors across the globe”. When you read the letter, note that the Obama’s carefully chosen words include mention of Knuckles’ penchant for “blending genres” — terminology so specific to the electronic music world it may be years before we hear another President utter or write anything so remotely pertinent to dance music culture.

FKAlways Letter

In 2015 President Obama personally recorded a message for the 25th Anniversary of the Chosen Few Picnic in Chicago, an annual music festival held in Jackson Park that features house music as a central focus of the celebration. In fact, Obama went so far as to invite the Chosen Few DJ’s to the White House, further underscoring his understanding and love for the cultural movement that is house music.

No matter your political affiliation and your thoughts on President Obama’s 8 years in office, it’s most certainly a fact that it will be years, if not decades, before we get another United States President with the same cultural understanding, appreciation and respect for house music as Obama’s.

But now it’s time to bid Obama farewell, and we choose to do so with one of Frankie Knuckles’ best tracks.

 


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The Obamas are Throwing South by South Lawn, a One-Day Festival at the White House in collab with SXSW

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Obama dance

No matter what your political stance is, if any, it is hard to argue that President Barack Obama has been and will probably be the coolest U.S. President for a long time. It’s definitely safe to say that with the end-of-the-year elections looming, the leading prospects to be the next President of the United States don’t stand a chance in taking over that label from the current Commander-in-chief.

Although it was far from necessary to further cement their coolness, the Obamas have announced that they are throwing a one-day music and arts festival this October in collaboration with SXSW.

Appropriately called South by South Lawn, the event is set to feature music, film and interactive components. Although the lineup is unknown still, it’s safe to say that not many artists would turn down the proposal to perform at the White House for this one-of-a-kind event.

President Obama speaks with Evan Smith, CEO and Editor in Chief of the Texas Tribune, as part of the SXSW Interactive Keynote Conversation at The long Center on Friday, March 11, 2016. Erika Rich for American-Statesman

President Obama speaks with Evan Smith, CEO and Editor in Chief of the Texas Tribune, as part of the SXSW Interactive Keynote Conversation at The long Center on Friday, March 11, 2016.
Erika Rich for American-Statesman

President Obama has never been shy about his interest in music, sharing personal day and night summer playlists favorites and famously writing an open letter of condolence with First Lady Michelle Obama to the late Frankie Knuckles and his family when the legendary producer and DJ passed away. In it, they underscored the social role of house and dance music in general when they wrote that “Frankie’s work helped open the minds and bring people together, blending genres to capture our attention and ignite our imaginations”.

Want to attend Obama’s South by South Lawn? You will need to be chosen by the event’s organizers via online nomination. Full information can be found here.