Former President Barack Obama might be used to topping polls, but now he’s charting new territory: He’s a performer on a song that just hit Billboard’s hot R&B songs chart. His performance on the remix of the “Hamilton” hit “One Last Time,” featuring cast member Christopher Jackson and gospel singer BeBe Winans, made its debut at No. 22 on the list.
Obama and company dropped the track before Christmas as part of “Hamilton” creator Lin-Manuel Miranda’s “Hamildrops,” remixes featuring various celebrities (from “Weird Al” Yankovic’s polka to hip-hop from Mobb Deep), with proceeds going to charity.
The “One Last Time” entry is called the “44 Remix,” on which Obama reads a passage from George Washington’s farewell address. Beating out the 44th president on the chart are some of his own friends and favorite musical acts, including John Legend and Stevie Wonder with “What Christmas Means to Me” at No. 16.
The Obamas are notable “Hamilton” geeks: Miranda debuted what would become the show’s opening song at a 2009 White House event for spoken word, poetry and musical performances, and the “Hamilton” gang eventually made a trip to 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. in 2016 to perform tracks from the blockbuster Broadway show.
