ADD-vent 2019: Christmas… and Hip-Hop?
by Zachary Lee
Oil and water. Orange Juice and Toothpaste. Forks and Power Outlets. Bathtubs and Toasters. Your Foot and a LEGO.[1] While fine on their own, the combination of these items rarely yield positive or desirable results.
For many, Hip-Hop and Christmas music deserve a spot on this list. While perfectly enjoyable separately, their unification is often unique at best and corny and forced at worst. While there are a few exceptions to the rule, from Boyz II Men’s “Let It Snow”[2] to Mary J. Blige’s “This Christmas”[3] to Tyler the Creator’s recent spin on “You're A Mean One, Mr. Grinch,”[4] one does not need to go any further than listen to Justin Bieber’s “Mistletoe” (featuring Busta Rhymes)[5] to understand the possibly horrific results from this forced sonic matrimony. It seems that everyone needs to have their own Christmas album and the remixed renditions are often taking more than they give.
In particular, though, the story and origin of hip-hop is one that has more connections with the spirit of Christmas music than many often realize. As a genre, hip-hop music was birthed in New York's South Bronx in 1973 by Jamaican-born Kool DJ Herc. Becky Blanchard from the University of Florida, writes that “rap music reflects its origin in the hip-hop culture of young, urban, working-class African-Americans, its roots in the African oral tradition, its function as the voice of an otherwise underrepresented group.”[6]
Indeed, while hip-hop today has been commercialized and appropriated by the music industry, hip-hop’s roots and early artists saw people using this form of music as a way to cope and rebel against the tyranny of the system that they were living in. Hip-hop’s timeless relevance is rooted in its ability to humanize history and speak and give a voice and insight to those who have been silenced throughout, crying out for justice in every bar and cadence.
While most Christmas songs (even the aforementioned “Silent Night”) should properly celebrate the birth of our Savior Jesus, it can be easy to forget that Jesus and His family too were marginalized. He was shunned and pushed away by a community in Bethlehem who had “no guest room available”[7] for an expectant mother and father who had traveled long and far.
So, is there an album that combines the beautiful—yet sobering—message of Christmas with the sounds of hip-hop? Enter 116’s The Gift, an album put out by Reach Records.
For Ace Harris, the A&R (Artist and Repertoire) of the label, stated “Hip-hop & Christmas...on the surface you might kind of like side-eye that which I did too.”[8] When crafting the project, Harris stated “The only way this can work is if you take classic Christmas songs and reimagine them. We wanted to dial back on trendy sonics [and opt for] more nostalgic lo-fi warm textures, more boom bap vibes…[evoking] the classic vibe of hip-hop.”
Indeed, the “hip-hop element” of songs off of The Gift expand and give more shape to stories and messages explored in classic Christmas carols. A song like “We Three Kings” takes its core sonic elements from John Henry Hopkins, Jr. carol of the same name, but the artists go deeper into the story of the song. Paul Russell raps “Six miles to a real messiah / Steady waiting for a king since Jeremiah”[9] which helps humanize expand upon the wise man’s journey in the original carol.
Additionally, a song like “O Come” is another example. The track begins familiar enough for fans of the famed Christmas carol “O Come All Ye Faithful”; singer CASS croons the opening lines with a tone that is equal parts alleviating and energetic before the beat switches and the song transitions to a more buoyant call to arms, complete with a boom-bap percussion and various ad-libs.[10] The line “Oh come let us adore him” retains its status as an earworm of a hook while rappers nobigdyl. & Tedashii intersperse verses.
The trio of artists remind listeners that Jesus “came and took my mess like a manger” and that being able to enjoy family, eggnog, and presents are all secondary blessings to the real purpose of Christmas: celebrating Jesus’ birth. The track is one of many examples throughout the album where hip-hop and Christmas music do not awkwardly co-exist but thrive off of the styles and content that each respective party brings to the table. It truly does feel like harmony.
Thus, the combination of hip-hop and Christmas music are not unnecessary “add-ons” to each other but rather elevate the messages and purposes of both. Christmas is thus both a time of celebration but also a reminder that from Jesus' birth, He was rejected by people. Yet despite knowing this, Jesus did not take equality with God for something to be grasped but pressed into that suffering and hardship.[11] Thus, hip-hop music, whether it be The Gift or other albums, speak a potent message to remember those unseen and unheard. Trip Lee’s lyrics [12] on the track “Joy”:
“Good news, I can't tell where you at
Looking to the heavens tryna yell where you at
Why pain gotta chain us?
Will the unjust ever have to pay up?
Yeah, joy comes if we wait up
Even came in the flesh long ago to obtain us”