Obamas Pick Kendrick Lamar, ‘Uptown Funk’ for Favorite 2015 Songs

It’s year-end list-making season, and not even the First Family can resist choosing their best pop culture moments. Barack and Michelle Obama have revealed their favorite songs, films, TV shows and books of 2015 in a new interview with People. While Michelle eyes the pop charts for her song selection of the Mark Ronson/Bruno Mars funk-pop anthem “Uptown Funk,” Barack digs a bit deeper with Kendrick Lamar’s hypnotic To Pimp a Butterfly standout “How Much a Dollar Cost.”

The atmospheric Lamar cut – which features a hook from James Fauntleroy and cameo by the Isley Brothers’ Ronald Isley – is the emotional centerpiece on To Pimp a Butterfly. “It’s a true story,” Lamar told MTV News. “These are moments in my life deeper than just handing somebody a dollar. These are actually moments of integrity, actually being able to talk to somebody. Me talking to [this homeless man] was simply a thank you from God. And I felt God speaking through him to get at me.”

With his other year-end picks, Barack chose Ridley Scott’s sci-fi film The Martian, Lauren Groff’s book Fates and Furies and Cinemax drama The Knick. Michelle’s other selections are animated film Inside Out, ABC sitcom Black-ish and Elizabeth Alexander memoir The Light of the World.

The President previously showcased his diverse music taste in his Spotify summer vacation playlist, which spanned jazz (Miles Davis, John Coltrane), classic rock (Rolling Stones, Van Morrison), hip-hop (Talib Kweli & Hi Tek, Nappy Roots, Mos Def), funk (Sly & the Family Stone), modern rock (Coldplay, Florence + the Machine), indie rock (Okkervil River) and more.