Chance The Rapper and Darryl McDaniels during the “Jingle Barack” sketch on December 17, 2016 — (Photo by: Caroline De Quesada/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty Images via Getty Images)
Caroline De Quesada/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty Images
Christmas and hip-hop have enjoyed plenty of overlap over the years as rappers have thrown on the Santa Claus suit and helped get fans in the holiday spirit.
While some of the tradition’s patina has faded since artists have moved away from Christmas-themed albums and holiday classic covers, plenty of rappers have dabbled in the Kris Kringle section at various times throughout their careers.
From Kanye West’s “Christmas in Harlem” to Run D.M.C.’s “Christmas in Hollis” and DMX’s “Rudolph The Rednose Reindeer” remix, there’s something for just about every type of rap fan out there looking to sprinkle in some cheer to their holiday playlist.
Now it’s not all sleigh bells and stocking stuffers as some artists’ reality had them finding coal under the Christmas tree and they let their holiday frustration be heard on wax. Some of the tracks aren’t exactly going to be memorialized in the hip-hop hall of fame either.
There’s still clearly an appetite for Christmas music as Mariah Carey seemingly defrosts every holiday season. “All I Want for Christmas” first topped the Billboard Hot 100 in 2019 and returned to No. 1 on this week’s Hot 100 chart 30 years after its original arrival way back in 1994. It’s essentially holiday gospel at this point for all ages.
“It’s something that I look forward to all year,” the Queen of Christmas told The New York Times. “Maybe people think it’s something that I put on, but it’s really my favorite time of year.”
Pour up some egg nog and launch your streaming service of choice while running through our top 25 Christmas hip-hop songs below, presented alphabetically by artist.
-
Chance The Rapper feat. Jeremih, “I’m Your Santa”
Chano and Jeremih bring the holiday spirit to Chitown.
-
Chris Brown, “This Christmas”
C. Breezy dabbles on the soundtrack of the 2007 holiday movie of the same name, starring himself, with a cover of the Donny Hathaway classic.
-
Def Loaf Feat. Kodak Black, “All I Want for Christmas”
We need a Christmas album from Kodak Black at some point in the future. Dej and Yak ruminate here about missing a lover during the holidays, with a newfound perspective.
-
DMX, “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer (Remix)”
The Yonkers legend brings the bark to put a hoarse twist on a classic Christmas carol.
-
Eazy-E, “Merry Muthaf–kin’ Xmas”
Ditch the sleigh, Eazy-E’s dashing through the snow in his candy red top ’64.
-
Ghostface Killah, “Ghostface X-Mas”
Ghostface Killah gets his Kris Kringle on but instead of cookies and milk, he’s sipping on egg nog and Hennessy.
-
Gucci Mane, “St. Brick Intro“
Guwop’s known as the East Atlanta Santa for a reason.
-
Jeezy, “Hustlaz Holiday”
No matter what holiday it is, Jeezy won’t stop hustling. Rain, sleet, snow, or shine, there’s money to be made.
-
Jermaine Dupri, Bow Wow, Mariah Carey, “All I Want for Christmas is You (So So Def Remix)”
Why is Bow Wow blowing Santa’s cover like that? Mariah’s Christmas classic gets a bouncy rework here.
-
Jim Jones, “Ballin’ on Xmas”
Capo’s spreading some Harlem cheer for the holiday season. It’s a Dipset Christmas.
-
Juice Crew All-Stars, “Cold Chillin’ Christmas”
Hip-hop gets a Jingle Bell Rock with Big Daddy Kane, MC Shan and Roxanne Shanté.
-
Justin Bieber Feat. Busta Rhymes, “Drummer Boy”
Biebs bars up alongside Busta Rhymes and the duo collides to “make it hot up in the winter.”
-
Kurtis Blow, “Christmas Rappin’”
Perhaps rap’s first true holidays classic shakes up the dullness of your Christmas playlist.
-
Lil Jon feat. Kool-Aid Man, “All I Really Want for Christmas”
If only Lil Jon was the one relaying our Christmas lists to Santa Claus.
-
Ludacris, “Ludacrismas”
Merry Ludacrismas. Like the elf he played in Fred Claus, Luda can DJ my Christmas party any year.
-
Outkast, “Player’s Ball (Christmas Version)”
The world’s introduction to a relatively unknown Atlanta duo, who would go on to shift the tectonic plates of hip-hop.
-
Run the Jewels, “A Christmas F–king Miracle”
Wreck the halls with Run The Jewels, but don’t play this one around the grandparents.
-
Run-D.M.C., “Christmas in Hollis”
-
Run-D.M.C., Mase, Diddy, Snoop Dogg, Salt-N-Pepa, Onyx & Keith Murray, “Santa Baby”
Only Snoop Dogg would rap satin and silk with cookies and milk.
-
RZA & Craig Ferguson, “Deck the Halls”
The unlikely combo rapping along to “Deck the Halls” is funny no matter how many times you’ve seen it.
-
Snoop Dogg, “Santa Claus Goes Straight to the Ghetto”
Snoop puts a hood spin on the “12 Days of Christmas.”
-
TLC, “Sleigh Ride”
TLC mostly ignores the famed original, but manages to make “Sleigh Ride” feel jolly enough without straying away from what makes them great.
-
Tyler, The Creator, “You’re A Mean One, Mr. Grinch”
Tyler would make a hilarious-yet-explicit Grinch. And he’d have him dressing better than most of America in Golf Wang threads.
-
Ye Feat. Cam’Ron, Jim Jones, Vado, Pusha T, Musiq Soulchild, CyHi, Teyana Taylor & Big Sean, “Christmas in Harlem”
Kanye West’s G.O.O.D. Friday’s series produced a memorable holiday season posse cut, which should be on every rap fan’s Christmas Day playlist.
-
Ying Yang Twins, “Deck da Club”
The Atlanta duo make it rain while decking the halls with “piles of money.”