Barack Obama: Kanye West's music is 'outstanding'

Following a turbulent few years between the rapper and president, Barack Obama has diplomatically praised Kanye West's talents, describing his music as 'outstanding'.In a forthcoming interview with People magazine, the president was asked to chose between socialising with the Yeezus rapper and his wife Kim Kardashian or the cast of US TV show Duck Dynasty. Despite choosing neither the duck hunting Robertson family nor the famous couple, Obama was able to allude to the musical merits of the Yeezus rapper.

'The Duck Dynasty family seems like a pretty fun bunch, so I can see how that would be pretty fun,' he said during the interview according to Time, before adding: 'Kanye's music is outstanding, though. I've got a lot of his stuff on my iPad. If it was a concert, then I might not mind listening to him.'

The positive statement comes a month after West responded to Obama's 2009 comments which were caught on tape and captured the president describing the rapper as a 'jackass' for interrupting Taylor Swift's acceptance speech at the MTV VMA awards to praise Beyoncé. In an interview with Philadelphia's Hot 107.9 radio station in November, West acknowledged 'that's how the world felt,' but that Obama shouldn't have responded negatively. 'I don't care if somebody the President or not. I care about thoughts, and how you helpin' people, and what you bring to the world. My music brings joy to people. What I create brings joy to people, and I'm about people. Me, I'm not about me. I'm about, 'I got an idea that people gonna like.''

He added that 'I think he shouldn't mention my baby mama name,' in reference to Obama commenting on a United States that is 'monitoring every day what Kim Kardashian was wearing, or where Kanye West was going on vacation.'

The full People Magazine interview with Obama is due on Friday 27 December.