Obama released his annual summer playlist, and this NC duo made the rotation
Every summer, former President Barack Obama releases a playlist of the music he’s got on heavy rotation.
This summer, that list includes The Foreign Exchange, a Raleigh-based hip-hop/electronica/R&B duo. Obama revealed the anticipated list on Tuesday — 44 songs covering a range of genres. He includes Burna Boy, Beyoncé, Harry Styles, Rosalia, Al Green and the late North Carolina native Nina Simone.
The Foreign Exchange’s song on the playlist is “Better” featuring Shana Tucker and Eric Roberson, which appears on their 2013 album “Love in Flying Colors.” The fourth studio album reached No. 22 on the U.S. R&B charts.
Tucker, a singer-songwriter and cellist based in North Carolina, is currently a teaching artist with the United Arts Council of Raleigh and Durham Arts Council.
The group was surprised and stunned to know that the former president had recognized them on his national platform.
“Thank you for listening… Barack!” the Foreign Exchange wrote on their Instagram page.
Durham native Phonte Coleman and Dutch producer Nicolay formed the Foreign Exchange in 2002 and have since released six studio albums.
“Can’t even lie, I didn’t see this one coming. THANK YOU, BARRY!” Nicolay wrote on his Instagram page.
Added Tucker: “MADE THE LIST.Y’all… @barackobama just made my entire life *Better*”
The Foreign Exchange has been nominated for Grammy Awards, including one in 2009 for Best Urban/Alternative Performance for their track “Daykeeper.”
They also started a recording label, Foreign Exchange Music, in Raleigh.
Coleman began to emerge on the music scene in the late 1990s with North Carolina’s beloved hip-hop group Little Brother, which also featured rappers Big Pooh and producer 9th Wonder. They met as students at North Carolina Central University in Durham.
In 2019, the rap group performed at the Art of Cool Festival in Durham, their first performance in nearly 10 years.
The Foreign Exchange’s last hit single “June” was released in 2018 and the group averages more than 267,000 listeners a month on Spotify.
Obama has been releasing his playlists for several years. He also announced his summer reading list on Tuesday.
This story was originally published July 29, 2022 at 2:40 PM with the headline "Obama released his annual summer playlist, and this NC duo made the rotation."