day 8

oh the wonders of backdating... not that i would... no.... never...

but anyway.



ahh, mid 80's rap. before bling, puffy, and the benjamins ruined it. before everyone got scowly and serious (ok, i like a lot of the scowly, serious rappers too, but give me almost anything before 1989 or so over most of what gangsta wrought, and especially over all the puffy/ma$e/whatever junk of the mid 90's).

could a modern rap act even get away with this? probably not, at least not one with the kind of mainstream acceptance that got RunDMC on the first "very special christmas" compilation in the first place. maybe some of the more indie minded rappers, but anyone else would just make a mockery of it. not that the song isn't "funny," but it's certainly not a joke.

best lyrics:
It's Christmas time in Hollis Queens
Mom's cooking chicken and collard greens
Rice and stuffing, macaroni and cheese
And Santa put gifts under Christmas trees
Decorate the house with lights at night
Snow's on the ground, snow white so bright
In the fireplace is the yule log
Beneath the mistle toe as we drink egg nog
The rhymes that you hear are the rhymes of Darryl's
But each and every year we bust Christmas carols

it's sort of silly, and innocent, and... awesome.

someone - POD, maybe? - did a godawful remake of this a few years ago. they did keep the lyrics but it was unnecessary. nobody can really recapture this. back when Rap was young, and - while still certainly socially conscious - wasn't above just having a simple good time, without everything that would these days be railed against by social commentators as "negative influences."

i definitely count this as one of my favorite christmas songs ever.