Christmas Countdown: 216 BLUE ALERT

Pineapple Posse wants to celebrate the holidays, but–clinging to street red–swear they won’t take “No L“–not from nobody. Lazy sex references and casual violence attribution frame: I’m back on the mic 216 Up in the heights, yeah the Posse down to fight. That’s likely a reference to the area code for E. Cleveland’s Shaker Heights. Must be some down-and-dirty there to warrant this rudderless rap.

Christmas Countdown: 223 BLUE ALERT

German whisper-rapper LoadTronic spins down the drug trail in “Christmas Cheesecake,” a reference to how his homies are stacked (??!). It ain’t a dream you just see me bubble ball out 223 Yeah I go up now. This number could be the ungodly time, or the Minneapolis municipal code against drug paraphernalia, or the number of pages in a Cheesecake Factory menu… dunno. But it’s lyrically street.

Christmas countdown: 270

Roger Creager admits “I Got the Guns” back around Christmas ’79. This rocking country codependency is as fetishistic as it sounds, ending with the list: Just and old bolt-action 16 gauge; And my grandmother’s 410; A 270 that my dad fired once–He brought a mule deer in. Woo.

Judging and smoking, Mr. Loaf fronts that he comes from the 270 in “Gingerloaf.” Could be Greensboro, NC. Could be Bowling Green, KY. Sure it’s the tough part of wherever, though. Christmas is not a bright spot in this rap.

Christmas Countdown: 365*

Perhaps Christmas ought to be every day. Well, the spirit for it anyway. Too much?! Don’t decide until after you hear these songs out.

Don’t stop the love! Keep your lights up! croons the reggae ringing Mahami (feat. STRTWLKR) in “Christmas 365.” An upbeat sentiment you can march to.

Miss Tania Lou also hopes it up with her “Christmas Soca!A good cheer that should last 365 days a year! Unite! Delight! Dance! Ay-yi-yi!

John Butler asks you to celebrate with him every day of the year–because it was a rough year. Am i missing a step in the logic here? “Merry Christmas – Christmas 365” is a rhythm machine gospel plea that needs no sense, just hope.

Barry Biggs figures Christmas trees and street lights will help solve the homelessness problem in the carrib-beat “Christmas 365.” If you believe, that is. It’s on you.

Country swing from Tracy Barfield wants you to live Christmas like it’s always been. “Christmas 365” is a line-dance party around the world. And a one-two-three…

Shame (with Roc Dean) party rap out “Christmas 365” to celebrate, uh, just this song. No big picture here.

The BIG picture seems to be the topic of Superb Lyrics’s “Persevere Before Next New Years.” This hipster experimental word salad rap pins rainbows, attraction, manifestations, management, goodies, goal projects–and more. Get’r done!

Christmas Countdown: 5:00

Double Vision, Ryan Rane, Noah Strykes is hurting in the long D bicoastal thing “Through a Screen.” Plonky altpop measures the 3000 miles and the 500 hours (21 days?) the season will separate them. Not even Skype will make it a real Christmas. A sighing song.

Jack Bennett does one of those tongue trippin’ rap races over “Christmas Morning“–which is odd at his oldness. ‘Course he Remember waking up, 5:00 in the morning, we were little kids… but this is later. Still spry for a fly guy. Antic and fun if you try to keep up with the pop references.