Tonight President Barack Obama gave his farewell address, not in the White House as is usually done, but in his town of Chicago. The speech began at around 9PM ET. Watch it in full below. But before Obama took to the stage to deliver his address, Grammy nominated singer-songwriter BJ The Chicago Kid, who as you might have guessed is from Chicago, sang the National Anthem. A few weeks back BJ dropped the nine track mixtape The Lost Files: Cuffing Season. If you have't already, head here to listen. President Barack Obama's farewell address touched on a wide range of topics including the accomplishments of his presidency and the work that still needs to be done. President Obama closed out his farewell address on a hopeful note by saying:
"My fellow Americans, it has been the honor of my life to serve you. I won’t stop; in fact, I will be right there with you, as a citizen, for all my days that remain. For now, whether you’re young or young at heart, I do have one final ask of you as your President – the same thing I asked when you took a chance on me eight years ago.I am asking you to believe. Not in my ability to bring about change – but in yours.
I am asking you to hold fast to that faith written into our founding documents; that idea whispered by slaves and abolitionists; that spirit sung by immigrants and homesteaders and those who marched for justice; that creed reaffirmed by those who planted flags from foreign battlefields to the surface of the moon; a creed at the core of every American whose story is not yet written:
Yes We Can.
Yes We Did.
Yes We Can.
Thank you. God bless you. And may God continue to bless the United States of America."
Read the full transcript of President Obama's farewell speech via The Los Angeles Times by heading here. Watch BJ The Chicago Kid's stunning performance of the National Anthem via YouTube below. BJ appears at around the 2:39:20 mark.
