While you were busy grilling burgers and DJing your Fourth of July cookout from an iPhone, President Obama had Kendrick Lamar and Janelle Monáe perform at his. The two were this year’s musical guests at the White House’s annual barbecue for the military and their families, and the last of Obama’s presidency. Naturally, they sent him off in style: Kendrick performed kid-friendly versions of all of his hits (trick, don’t kill his vibe!), Janelle covered Prince’s “Let’s Go Crazy,†and all three successfully embarrassed Cool Teen Malia Obama for her birthday.
Both Kendrick and Janelle have been White House regulars during Obama’s time in office, an honor the president noted with some fanboying: “I have to tell you, these two, I’ve gotten a chance to know, and they are both amazing artists and talented and popular and doing great things. But they are also very conscious about their responsibilities and obligations. And they put in a lot of time and effort on behalf of a lot of causes that are important. We’re really proud of them for that.†Watch Kendrick’s full performance above and their “Happy Birthday†sing-along below.