Headscratching time from Blink! Their pop (rap) seems to be addressed to a number. “Christmas 22” is an adrenaline thumper of beat poetry and has nothing much to do with Christmas.
Casiotone for the Painfully Alone also pay lip service to the holidays in “Cold White Christmas,” a painful, electronic mess of a life without any meaning to any season. The countdown here is like waiting for death. Downer pop for the twenty-two year olds.
NYC on December 22, Lewis Watson has more misery in the light pop of “Christmas Eve Alone This Year.” Man, seasonal depression’s a bitch.
Oddly upbeat as well, B. Wells (feat. DaVan Official) force-raps to ‘Nutcracker’ about how cold 22 degrees is in “A Ghetto Christmas.” Cold = blazing up; so, no worries.
Not big on pop country, but gotta kudos the talent of Amanda Shires (bit of a Dolly warble that gets me). “Blame it on the Mistletoe” is a different song by a familiar name. More thoughtfulness, this time: So what it happened yesterday, December 25? We can call it what it is, What it was, the best merry Christmas, When you showed up.
Not a digger of rap, neither, but BLV Jeezy gets playful (and a bit BLUE ALERT) with “Woo Santa.” New Xmas phone: I’m sorry is this Santa on the line It’s the 25th december and you blessed me with this dime y’all. Santa hollas back, too.
Nesskaff (feat. Jonathan Panetta) garage the day with “I Just Want You for Christmas.” Not breaking new ground, but never underestimate the power of a killer backbeat.
Claiming you’re Crunchy like a biscuit, Cullan Baxter R+B raps “Candy Sweet Christmas” all ’bout you, honey. The double entendres fly like reindeer.
Sassy R+B (disco-ish) from Weihnachtsmusik, “Santa Tell Me” details a gal’s hankering for a a guy. Will he love for always? Should I wait a year? I don’t want a new broken heart.
Scotty Sires has got the rom-com grand gesture in “25 Christmas Trees.” It’s a bombast of a pop nugget, but it gets points for being a count of anything else but days.
Emily Weisband divas the larger-than-life pop number “The Holly Jolly Truth.” That truth?–you got 25 days to make a move right Baby you’re the holly jolly truth. Get some mistletoe, boi.
Ska love letter from Dr. Blackout, “Hey Merry Christmas,” gets one’s attention. Does it win her over? Dunno. ‘Sheartfelt… Let’s listen again.
“Christmas in Indiana” is not where you expect the urban opression to create fomenting rap, but: All around the state From the country to downtown From up north to way down south: Holidays won’t stop production Reluctant to stand complacent, This rap city like the basement, Bunch of 30’s on them Chevy’s, We ballin just like the Pacers–so rhymes Hoosier Boy.
Nasty BLUE ALERT rap from Sumo, “Santa” is all money and sex and guns (30 clip) and drugs and the usual Xmas excess.
“Merry Chrysler” is more playful rap from J (feat. Christian Sams). I guess a car arrives full of gifts including the rifle, a 30 aught 6. You’ll put your eye out!
“36 Presents” is a ballad from miniMATTHEW about life, family, loss, and anything else you read into this beat poetry set to minstrely folk pop. Pretty.
Tray GooD has a short origin story in “36 Days,” a rap announcement how he was born AFTER Christmas. Capable.
“Another Christmas Without My Niggas” is the BLUE ALERT nostalgia of Boogie Badazz. Lookin’ back isn’t sweet–nothing is. Miss my friend (Clutchin’ on the forty, got it hangin’ out the shirt, ain’t no hoes over here). Even “This Christmas” isn’t too good for ol’ Badazz: They just gave lil’ Bobby 40 ‘fore Christmas time (Damn, Bobby).
Even naughtier is the promiscuous new acquaintance Drago (feat. Freeah) makes in “Naughty List.” This bouncy rap (to the tune ‘Last Christmas’) veers from women to drugs (Got a 40 ounce of dro so we gon’ run it up) to the difference between composer and conductor.
LRN Nola (feat. Okill & LRN Fly) BLUEST LIST rapping responds to “I Hate Santa” with all sorts of other hatin’ [I’ll go get that .40 and pipe you down]–most of is misogynistic. Get it all out….
Ease up, ease up. “How The Grinch Stole Covid” by Reality Student Ministry re-raps the story with children in mind. Distancing at 6 feet apart? The Grinch laments, People won’t touch me Man, with a 40 foot pole!
Lamar Riddick gets up to family speed with the Christmastime cheer in his “Rudolph,” a rap of rapid word play [Iʼm a 4.4 40 yard Dasher]. Faster!
Da Epic Squad raps sillily over ‘Wonderful’ about your mom, Mrs. Claus (Man that hoe she be old 54 and counting), and Bezos. “Hoe Hoe Hoe” is boys being foulmouthed boys. And maybe Christmas.
Mac Lethal covers Dr. Dre’s “Santa Raps so Fast” like it’s a contest. Over 60 lines of beat in just over a minute, so he wins. Among the shooting, smoking, and put downs he reflect: And even when I’m 63… I’ll prolly be a sick MC. So, not so happy an ending–?
We Speak in Sounds has a nostalgic look back in the choral pop “I Believe in Santa Claus.” ‘Cuz if you believe you might get a N64.
But, the Nintendo 64 is just one of the punchlines (lousy presents!) in “Fuck Christmas,” a BLUE ALERT time of disappointment for young rappers Gentleman’s Vibe & IFHT (feat. Peter Chao). Raucous fun.
All right already with the games! Life is more complicated than that, like the Secret Santa dilemma when you figure out you got the Jew to buy a gift for…. But All Students goes all in with “I Don’t Know What to Get.” Turns out Hanukkah presents are all cheap crap, so Some raisins… A balloon… 64 pack of crayons… and Burger King coupons. Problem solved! Electronica rap.
Joseph Chilliams (ft. Sen Morimoto & Adam Ness) seems the perfect gentleman with his Christmas “Wishlist.” In electronic soul rapping he croons how it’s all about you, baby. We should 69. No dirty deets, no body parts named, no kiss and tell–just affection. Is it blue?
