Masked Wolf appears on Barack Obama's 2021 Summer Playlist

Australian rapper Masked Wolf has received one of his biggest endorsements yet thanks to former President of the United States, Barack Obama.

'Astronaut In The Ocean', the breakout hit from the Sydney rapper, features prominently in Obama's Summer 2021 Playlist, sitting alongside the likes of SZA, Jay-Z, Erykah Badu, Rihanna, Miles Davis and Joni Mitchell.

In past years, Courtney Barnett has appeared in Obama's Summer Playlist on numerous occasions, while last year also saw Sampa The Great and E^ST added to former First Lady Michelle Obama's playlist debut.

President Obama heralded the arrival of the playlist in a post reflecting on easing COVID restrictions in the US.

"With so many folks getting together with family and friends, there’s a lot to celebrate this summer," Obama said.

"Here’s a playlist of songs I’ve been listening to lately — it's a mix of old and new, household names and emerging artists, and a whole lot in between."

Masked Wolf responded to Obama's endorsement of 'Astronaut In The Ocean' in a post to Twitter, writing "The [goat emoji] knows!! Thank you legend."

The ? knows!! Thank you legend ? https://t.co/8h6jNXXQCm

— Masked Wolf (@maskedwolfmusic) July 10, 2021

Last week, it was reported that 'Astronaut In The Ocean' was the fifth best-selling song in the US in the first half of 2021, selling 2.47 million total units within six months.

The song, released independently in 2019 and re-released by Warner Music after going viral on TikTok this year, has since charted at #1 in six countries and achieved over half a billion streams.