Former President Barack Obama landed plenty of big honors during his time in office. But does a Nobel Peace Prize really hold up next to the possibility that one of the greatest rappers of our generation might play you in a biopic? Probably not, but we can dream, can’t we? With his former veep Joe Biden about to replace one-term prez Donald Trump in the White House, Obama sat down with Complex News’ Speedy Morman to talk about his new memoir, A Promised Land, and answer the burning question on everyone’s mind: how does he feel about Drake possibly playing him in a biopic?
“I will say this: Drake seems to be able to do anything he wants. That is a talented, talented brother,” said Obama laughing when asked if he’d give the Canadian MC the go-ahead to portray him. “So if the time comes and he’s ready? You know what, Drake has — more importantly, I think — my household’s stamp of approval. I suspect Malia and Sasha would be just fine with it.”
After Morman noted that he’d worn his Air Force One Nike’s in No. 44’s honor, Obama joked that he didn’t show up to the chat with sneakers on because he didn’t want to “look like the old guy in the club.” Drake, who is no stranger to acting thanks to his years on DeGrassi: The Next Generation, has not shied away from the potentially intimidating gig, either.
“I hope somebody makes a movie about Obama’s life soon because I could play him,” Drizzy reportedly told Paper magazine in 2010. “That’s the goal. I watch all the addresses. Any time I see him on TV, I don’t change the channel. I definitely pay attention and listen to the inflections of his voice. If you ask anyone who knows me, I’m pretty good at impressions.”
The interview also had the former commander-in-chief weighing in on what he sees as the skewed journalistic standards of right-wing media outlets, his struggle to think of anything Trump has done “well” during his divisive four years in office, and whether Trump — who has continued to pursue fruitless legal challenges to the election while refusing to concede to Biden — will have to pack his bags and make way for No. 46 on Jan. 20. “Oh, he’s gonna leave the White House,” he said.
Watch the full interview below.
