Baracksdubs
YouTube channel
title: "Baracksdubs" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["2010s-youtube-series", "2012-web-series-debuts", "2019-web-series-endings", "cultural-depictions-of-barack-obama", "maker-studios-channels"] description: "YouTube channel" topic_path: "general/2010s-youtube-series" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baracksdubs" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0
::summary YouTube channel ::
::data[format=table title="Infobox social media personality"]
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| name | Baracksdubs |
| image | File:Baracksdubs logo.jpg |
| caption | Channel logo |
| youtube_handle | baracksdubsfans |
| youtube_display_name | baracksdubs |
| youtube_years_active | 2012–2019 |
| youtube_genre | Comedy |
| youtube_subscribers | 1.48 million |
| youtube_views | 309.7 million |
| stats_update | October 5, 2024 |
| :: |
| name = Baracksdubs | image = File:Baracksdubs logo.jpg | caption = Channel logo | youtube_handle = baracksdubsfans | youtube_display_name = baracksdubs | youtube_years_active = 2012–2019 | youtube_genre = Comedy | youtube_subscribers = 1.48 million | youtube_views = 309.7 million | stats_update = October 5, 2024
Baracksdubs is a popular YouTube channel and series that uses Barack Obama speeches to create cover songs, generally of popular songs. The channel was created by Fadi Saleh as a then-freshman student of the University of Tennessee. Saleh formed his own company, Spare Time Entertainment in 2015.
History
Fadi Salah started the channel when he was a 19 year old freshman and biochemistry major at the University of Tennessee. He told the Daily Dot he came up with idea of having Barack Obama sing songs while in the shower in December 2011. His first video, which had Obama singing "Drink to That" by Rihanna, was posted the following January.
Salah didn’t immediately advertise his involvement in the channel, in spite of the videos'popularity. It wasn’t until his video, "Born This Way", went viral that he shared the news with friends. By July 2012, the YouTube channel had 127,000 subscribers and an online merchandise store. Each video took approximately three weeks to create and would sometimes include super-imposing the presidents face on the artists' body to create the effect of him dancing. The videos have been shared on social media by the artists who’s songs were used, including LMFAO and Justin Beiber. Videos would sometimes feature other famous figures.
In September 2015, Salah announced his new company, Spare Time Entertainment, with the intent of turning his hobby into an online entertainment brand. By this time, the YouTube channel had amassed over 900,000 subscribers. The September 1st announcement was followed by a relaunch of Baracksdubs the following week. Salah had incorporated proprietary technology that reduced video editing time from approximately 100 hours to a single day by searching for specific words in source material.
In February 2017, following Donald Trump’s inauguration, Baracksdubs released a video of Obama singing Kendrick Lamar’s "Alright", who’s lyrics had been used as a protest chant against the new president.
Episodes
::data[format=table]
| Song | Artist | Released | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|
| "Drink To That" | Rihanna | January 4, 2012 | |
| "Born This Way" | Lady Gaga | January 10, 2012 | |
| "Sexy and I Know It" | LMFAO | March 26, 2012 | |
| "Call Me Maybe" | Carly Rae Jepsen | June 4, 2012 | author=Louis Peitzman |
| "Boyfriend" | Justin Bieber | June 24, 2012 | author=Melissa Knowles |
| "What Makes You Beautiful" | One Direction | July 20, 2012 | url=http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/07/23/barack-obama-sings-one-direction_n_1694889.html |
| "Hot n Cold" (sung by both Obama and Mitt Romney) | Katy Perry | October 15, 2012 | author=Mark Silva |
| "U Can't Touch This" | MC Hammer | November 6, 2012 | url=http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2012/11/07/barack-obama-sings-mc-hammer-u-cant-touch-this_n_2086941.html |
| "Deck The Halls" | Traditional | December 19, 2012 | |
| 'SexyBack" | Justin Timberlake | January 21, 2013 | |
| "Pokémon Theme" | Jason Paige | February 4, 2013 | |
| "Get Lucky" | Daft Punk | June 24, 2013 | |
| "All Gold Everything" | Trinidad James | July 15, 2013 | |
| "Blurred Lines" (sung only by Bill Clinton) | Robin Thicke | July 23, 2013 | |
| "Made in the USA" | Demi Lovato | August 13, 2013 | |
| "Best Song Ever" (sung only by co-anchors on the Today Show) | One Direction | August 23, 2013 | |
| "It's All Good" (sung by both Obama and his wife Michelle) | Ne-Yo | October 9, 2013 | |
| "Jingle Bells" | Traditional | December 9, 2013 | |
| "Do What U Want" | Lady Gaga | January 9, 2014 | |
| "Timber" (sung by both Obama and Hillary Clinton) | Pitbull | April 15, 2014 | |
| "Birthday" (sung only by Ellen DeGeneres) | Katy Perry | June 10, 2014 | |
| "Fancy" | Iggy Azalea | August 5, 2014 | |
| "Problem" | Ariana Grande | August 19, 2014 | |
| "Uptown Funk" | Mark Ronson feat. Bruno Mars | January 27, 2015 | |
| "Shake it Off" | Taylor Swift | February 9, 2015 | |
| "Anaconda" (sung only by the characters of SpongeBob SquarePants) | Nicki Minaj | May 18, 2015 | |
| "Can't Feel My Face" | The Weeknd | September 7, 2015 | |
| "Thriller" | Michael Jackson | October 28, 2015 | |
| "Hotline Bling" | Drake | December 14, 2015 | |
| "Jumpman" | Drake | January 5, 2016 | |
| "Sorry" | Justin Bieber | January 25, 2016 | |
| "Panda" | Desiigner | April 26, 2016 | |
| "No" | Meghan Trainor | May 3, 2016 | |
| "All I Do Is Win" (sung only by Donald Trump) | DJ Khaled | May 23, 2016 | |
| "Work" | Rihanna | May 30, 2016 | |
| "Power" (sung only by Bernie Sanders) | Kanye West | June 6, 2016 | |
| "One Dance" | Drake | June 27, 2016 | |
| "FDT" | YG | July 26, 2016 | |
| "Cut It" | O.T. Genasis | August 9, 2016 | |
| "Can't Stop the Feeling!" | Justin Timberlake | September 3, 2016 | |
| "Stressed Out" | Twenty One Pilots | November 30, 2016 | |
| "All I Want for Christmas Is You" | Mariah Carey | December 22, 2016 | |
| "Let Me Love You" | DJ Snake | December 26, 2016 | |
| "Starboy" | The Weeknd | January 11, 2017 | |
| "Alright" | Kendrick Lamar | January 17, 2017 | |
| "Happy Birthday to You" | Traditional | January 23, 2017 | |
| "Missing you" | Erik Hassle | January 30, 2017 | |
| "Respect" | Aretha Franklin | August 18, 2018 | |
| "Money" (sung only by Bernie Sanders) | Cardi B | August 21, 2019 | |
| "Woah" | Krypto9095 | November 27, 2019 | |
| :: |
Media coverage
The videos have been featured on Huffington Post, Gawker, and several other online news publications.
References
References
- (March 30, 2012). "Barack Obama sings 'Sexy and I Know It' by LMFAO in viral YouTube video". New York Daily News.
- (July 16, 2012). "Barack's Dubs: How a biochemistry student makes President Obama sing". Daily Dot.
- (September 1, 2015). "Baracksdubs to relaunch with growth plans". Knoxville News Sentinel.
- (2012-07-16). "Barack's Dubs: How a biochemistry student makes President Obama sing".
- Waxman, Olivia B.. (December 14, 2015). "Watch President Obama 'Sing' Drake's 'Hotline Bling'".
- (2012-11-07). "President Obama raps 'U Can't Touch This' in new viral music video".
- (2015-01-30). "President Obama sings 'Uptown Funk' in funny YouTube mix".
- Press, Associated. (2016-03-12). "Donald Trump Calls Off Chicago Rally Due to Security Concerns".
- (January 11, 2012). "President Obama Sings 'Born This Way' By Lady Gaga In Mashup (VIDEO)". Huffington Post.
- Pfeiffer, Eric. (January 12, 2012). "Video: President Obama sings "Born This Way" by Lady Gaga". Yahoo News.
- (January 13, 2012). "Obama 'sings' Lady Gaga's 'Born This Way'". USA Today.
- Louis Peitzman. (June 4, 2012). "Finally, Barack Obama Covers 'Call Me Maybe". [[Gawker]].
- (June 5, 2012). "President Obama 'Sings' 'Call Me Maybe'".
- Melissa Knowles. (June 26, 2012). "Viral Video Mashup of President Obama 'Singing' Justin Bieber's 'Boyfriend'". [[Yahoo!]].
- (July 23, 2012). "Barack Obama Sings One Direction's 'What Makes You Beautiful' (VIDEO)". Huffington Post.
- Mark Silva. (October 16, 2012). "Obama, Romney: 'Hot and Cold' — Web-Fun ala Katy Perry". Bloomberg.com.
- (November 7, 2012). "Barack Obama Sings 'U Can't Touch This' (VIDEO)". Huffington Post UK.
- (December 12, 2012). "Obama Sings 'Deck The Halls' (VIDEO)". Huffington Post.
- (January 22, 2013). "Obama Sings 'SexyBack' By Justin Timberlake: BaracksDubs' Inaugural Cover (VIDEO)". Huffington Post.
- (February 5, 2013). "Barack Obama Sings Pokémon Theme". The Huffington Post.
- Locker, Melissa. (June 25, 2013). "WATCH: Barack Obama Sings Daft Punk's 'Get Lucky'".
- Oldenburg, Ann. (July 25, 2013). "Bill Clinton sings 'Blurred Lines'". USA Today.
- Locker, Melissa. (June 24, 2013). "WATCH: WATCH: Bill Clinton Sings Robin Thicke's 'Blurred Lines'".
- Savage, Lesley. (August 16, 2013). "President Obama "sings" Demi Lovato's "Made in the USA"". CBS News.
- (August 14, 2013). "Obama Sings 'Made In The USA' By Demi Lovato Thanks To BaracksDubs (VIDEO)". Huffington Post.
- (December 10, 2013). "Barack Obama Sings 'Jingle Bells' Because We've All Been Very Good This Year". Huffington Post.
- Goodman, William. (January 9, 2014). "Watch Barack Obama 'Sing' Lady Gaga's 'Do What U Want'". Huffington Post.
- (April 16, 2014). "Barack Obama And Hillary Clinton 'Sing' Timber By Pitbull (VIDEO)". Huffington Post.
- (June 12, 2014). "Ellen DeGeneres Covers Katy Perry's 'Birthday' Without Singing A Single Note". Huffington Post.
- (August 8, 2014). "Barack Obama Gets 'Fancy' In Latest BaracksDubs". Huffington Post.
- (August 7, 2014). "Iggy Azalea and U.S. President Barack Obama's Fancy YouTube Mash-Up Video: Check It Out Here [WATCH VIDEO]". International Business Times.
- (August 20, 2014). "Watch President Obama 'Sing' Ariana Grande's 'Problem'".
- (August 20, 2014). "Watch President Obama Sing Ariana Grande's "Problem" (Sort Of)".
- (January 28, 2015). "Watch Barack Obama Sing 'Uptown Funk' (Sort Of)".
- (February 10, 2015). "President Obama, Charli XCX Cover Taylor Swift's "Shake It Off" In Lip Dub, Remix Videos". Us Weekly.
- (September 15, 2015). "WATCH: Barack Obama sings 'Can't feel my face' through Presidential speeches". Irish Independent.
- (September 8, 2015). "Barack Obama sings 'Can't Feel My Face' in new 'Barack Dub'".
- (October 29, 2015). "Watch President Obama 'Sing' Michael Jackson's 'Thriller'".
- (December 15, 2015). "Even President Obama Is Remixing Drake's 'Hotline Bling' (Sort Of): Watch".
- (January 6, 2016). "Pistons' amazing promo for Andre Drummond has Obama rapping to Drake's 'Jumpman'". Washington Post.
- (January 26, 2016). "Watch Barack Obama Sing Justin Bieber's 'Sorry' in This Lip-Dub".
- (January 27, 2016). "Barack Obama Singing Justin Bieber's 'Sorry' By Baracksdubs Is Spectacular". Huffington Post UK.
- (April 27, 2016). "Obama Raps Desiigner's "Panda" in Flawless Mash-Up Video". [[XXL (magazine).
- (May 5, 2016). "You Have to Watch This Hilarious Barack Obama Dubsmash of Meghan Trainor's "No"". [[Teen Vogue]].
- (May 24, 2016). "Donald Trump gets a lip-dub anthem, sings DJ Khaled classic".
- (June 1, 2016). "This Dub of Obama Singing 'Work' is Actually Pretty Funny". [[Essence (magazine).
- (June 6, 2016). "This Dope Mashup Has Bernie Sanders Singing Kanye West's "Power"". [[Complex (magazine).
- (June 27, 2016). "Watch President Obama 'Sing' Drake's 'One Dance'".
- (July 26, 2016). "President Obama Will Never Say 'Fuck Donald Trump' — Except In This YG Mash-Up". MTV News.
- (September 5, 2016). "Barack Obama 'Sings' Justin Timberlake's 'Can't Stop The Feeling'!". CKIS-FM.
- (December 1, 2016). "Watch: Barack Obama Sings Twenty One Pilots' Hit "Stressed Out"". WDZH.
- (December 23, 2016). "Watch Barack Obama 'Sing' Mariah Carey's 'All I Want For Christmas is You'".
- (December 23, 2016). "Barack Obama 'Singing' 'All I Want For Christmas' Is A Gift". Huffington Post.
- (December 27, 2016). "President Barack Obama Beliebs In This 'Let Me Love You' Parody". Huffington Post.
- (January 15, 2017). "Barack Obama "Sings" The Weeknd's 'Starboy'!". CKIS-FM.
- (January 30, 2017). "Barack Obama 'Sings' Kendrick Lamar, Promises 'We Gonna be Alright': Watch".
- (June 4, 2012). "Barack Obama Sings 'Call Me Maybe' By Carly Rae Jepsen (VIDEO)". Huffington Post.
- Brian Anthony Hernandez. (May 22, 2012). "'Call Me Maybe' Parody Features Digital Obama, Romney [VIDEO]". Mashable.
- Natasha Chandel. (June 26, 2012). "President Obama Strikes Again With Justin Bieber 'Boyfriend' Mashup". [[MTV]] Newsroom.
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