STACK #158 Dec 2017

MUSIC FEATURE

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Johnny Cash Christmas As I Knew It

Like all of Cash’s tracks, this is an upbeat pop song – light-hearted and free-spirited, without a care in the world. Oh no, wait… it’s about Christmas in the middle of crippling poverty. Run-DMC Christmas in Hollis When Run-DMC were first approached to do a Christmas song, they thought it’d tank their career. Rather than recording a cover, Jam

We all know the Christmas song canon: Winter Wonderland, White Christmas , Baby It’s Cold Outside , yadda yadda yadda. What we don’t all know is just how many acts have thrown their hats into the ring since those songs were minted a zillion years ago. You might think it’s too early to start putting up decorations, but with new Hanson and Sia Christmas albums ready to go it’s at least time to start assembling your playlists. Here are eight tracks that ought to join the classics list this year. Words Jake Cleland

Master Jay cut a beat so good it inspired the two MCs to write verses for one of the most enduring Christmas rap tracks ever. Kurtis Blow Christmas Rappin’

Cited by Run-DMC as the original hip

hop Christmas hit, Christmas Rappin’ takes a massive bite

Ariana Grande Santa Tell Me As the Second Coming of Mariah Carey, Grande

from Chic’s Good Times for its beat and turns it into an eight-minute Christmas party jam.

furthers the holiday tradition by syncing

the track’s handclaps to her slapping her friends’ behinds. You only get that kind of creative vision once a generation. Snoop Doggy Dogg Santa Claus Goes Straight to the Ghetto The only thing this has in common with James

The Darkness Christmas Time (Don’t Let The Bells End)

Hanson Finally It’s Christmas

This made it all the way to #2 in the UK charts, but it was expected to climb to #1. What beat it? The Donnie Darko version of Mad World .

Brown’s song of the same name is, uh, the name. ... Straight To The Ghetto swings from spliffs to gifts, and the spirit of community versus stealing presents from your own grandpa.

The opening track from Hanson’s new album is an epic Christmas belter. You might’ve thought MMMBop was corny, but there’s a reason it was everywhere; their love of irresistible hooks makes for one hell of a holiday song. Justin Bieber ft. Busta Rhymes Little Drummer Boy There are a lot of the classics' DNA in this track by Justin Bieber and

Busta Rhymes, but it’s been twisted so far that we’re going to classify it as an original. Busta’s line about accidentally getting his phone dirty because he tweeted Bieber in the middle of Christmas dinner is all-time.

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DECEMBER 2017

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