Trump-Kanye meeting: A short history of rappers at the White House from Jay-Z and Kendrick Lamar to Diddy

Sign up for the daily Inside Washington email for exclusive US coverage and analysis sent to your inbox Get our free Inside Washington email Get our free Inside Washington email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. The duo – who previously met at Trump Tower in New York following Mr Trump’s election victory in November 2016 – discussed a wide range of topics, from North Korea to prison reform, mental health and even designs for a new hydrogen-powered “iPlane”, Kanye apparently sharing an interest in visionary aviation with Howard Hughes. Kendrick Lamar and Barack Obama shake hands at a Fourth of July party at the White House in 2016 He did profess a love for Kendrick Lamar’s “How Much a Dollar Cost” but was particularly fond of Jay-Z, recording a special message for his induction into the Songwriters Hall of Fame last year and pointing out their similarities: “Let’s face it, we both have wives who are significantly more popular than we are.” The Obamas are also big Beyonce fans, she sang Etta James’s “At Last” at their inaugural ball in 2009 and Michelle returned the favour by belting out “Single Ladies” on a “Carpool Karaoke” segment of The Late Late Show with James Corden, an interlude featuring a guest appearance from Missy Elliot. Artists like Queen Latifah and Killer Mike have meanwhile attended the White House Correspondents’ Dinner, the latter also making waves during the 2016 presidential campaign when he interviewed Democratic candidate Bernie Sanders. Former bandmate Ice Cube could not resist attacking Eazy for attending on “No Vaseline”, a diss track from his second solo album Death Certificate : “I never have dinner with the president/And when I see your ass again, I’ll be hesitant.” Cube, real name O’Shea Jackson, revised his opinion in 2015 when asked by Sky News about the prospect of dining with President Obama: “I think our conversation would be a lot juicier.” Kanye’s encounters with Donald Trump deserve their place in history but Michael Jackson’s meeting with Ronald Reagan and Richard Nixon’s with Elvis Presley remain the grip-and-grins to beat for sheer unlikely spectacle.