Former President Barack Obama revealed his summer playlist Tuesday, and The Foreign Exchange, a Raleigh-based R&B/electronica/hip hop duo, made the cut.
The playlist includes 44 tracks from artists ranging from Beyoncé and Bruce Springsteen to Wet Leg to Harry Styles.
“It’s surreal to see “Barack Obama brought me here” under a video that I created with my friends,” Phonte Coleman, one-half of The Foreign Exchange, told the INDY. “You never know how far your music is gonna travel, and I’m just thankful that people are still discovering our work after all these years.”
In 2015, Obama shared his first Spotify summer playlists. Now seven years later, he continues to release curated playlists that span multiple genres and pay homage to seasoned musicians while shining a spotlight on new talent each summer.
North Carolina hip-hop has made the cut before: In 2019, Obama included “Raleighwood” by up-and-coming artist Lesthgenius on his list.
Durham native Coleman joined forces with Nicolay, a producer from the Netherlands, before ever meeting in person. Since 2002, the Grammy-nominated pair has released four albums and started an independent music label The Foreign Exchange Music. Phonte is also a member of North Carolina’s most beloved hip-hop group Little Brother.
“Better” was released in 2013 on their fourth studio album Love in Flying Colors. The song also features vocals from North Carolina-based artist Shana Tucker and horns from award-winning Durham trumpet player Al Strong.
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