There are only 10 more days until Obama leaves the White House, but America’s most coordinated Commander-in-Chief may still remain President — at least of Playlists. It’s no secret that DJ Barry has dropped some bomb Spotify mixes in between passing healthcare legislation and pardoning low-level drug offenders. And while the First Family’s musical prowess extends far beyond playlists — see Michelle’s educational rap video, Malia’s endorsement of Brooklyn hip-hop crew Pro Era, and Sasha’s rap-along with her dad’s biggest fan Chance — POTUS has is evidently quite keen to pursue a role with the streaming giant. At a White House reception of young ambassadors last week, he reportedly joked, “I’m still waiting for my job at Spotify… Cuz’ I know y’all loved my playlist.”
Spotify CEO Daniel EK did not miss the PR opportunity. “Hey @BarackObama, I heard you were interested in a role at Spotify,” he tweeted yesterday with a link to a new position. “Have you seen this one?”
The required experience is basic enough — familiarity with the Spotify platform, the ability to speak passionately at press events, a keen attention to detail… plus at least eight years experience running a highly-regarded nation, a track record of programming playlists at a federal level, and at least one Nobel Peace Prize. Bonus points if Kendrick Lamar has ever played at your birthday party.
The posting also shoots a healthy dose of side-eye at Donald Trump. The President of Playlists is required to “Attend daily briefings” and “Celebrate our diversity of playlists, from Viva Latino (3.4 million followers) to Rap Caviar (5.3 million followers).” Celebrating diversity and attending briefings are hardly the president-elect’s favorite tasks. Spotify even suggests applicants curate a celebratory “I just found my birth certificate” playlist.
Obama has yet to respond to the job offer. In the meantime, check out his fire Summer Nights mixtape, and try not to think about the ones we’ll be getting from DJ Rick Perry of Dancing with the Stars.
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Text Hannah Ongley