Christmas is soon here, what better way to celebrate than with a good rap song? We’ve compiled a list of Christmas rap songs 2023 that will give you a smile this year.
1. Christmas in Harlem” by Kanye West
The song was released on December 17, 2010. The song received positive reviews from critics, complimenting the lyrics and comparing favorably with other Christmas songs. The song peaked at number 13 and 3 on the 2011 Billboard Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles and Bubbling Under R&B/Hip-Hop Singles charts, respectively.
2. “Christmas Rappin’” by Kurtis Blow
Released in 1979, this song was the first rap song released by a major record label. “Christmas Rappin'” became the first single and was very successful, selling nearly 400,000 copies.
He released a song with that name as a play on Kurtis’ song.
This was the first successful Christmas rap song. It tells the story of Santa Claus stopping by a house party and joining in the fun.
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3. “Holiday” by Lil Nas X
The song was released as a single on 13 November 2020.
The music video for “Holiday” was directed by Gibson Hazard and Lil Nas X and features a futuristic Santa at Lil Nas X’s workshop on December 24, 2020.
4. “St. Brink Intro” by Gucci Mane
“St. Brink Intro” is a song by Gucci Mane featuring Lil Yachty and Offset. It was released on September 5, 2016, as the first single from his album Everybody Looking (2016). The song was produced by London On Da Track.
5. “Ludacrismas” by Ludacris
“Ludacrismas” is a song recorded by American rapper Ludacris. It was released on December 18, 2010, as the first single from his seventh album “Ludaversal”. The song was produced by J.U.S.T.I.C.E. League and co-written by Ester Dean, Sean Garrett, and Luda himself. The song features guest vocals from American singer-songwriter Justin Bieber and background vocals from rapper Drake, who also appears in the music video of the same name.
6. “Rudolph the Red-Nose Reindeer” by DMX
Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer is a song written in 1949 by Johnny Marks and made popular by Gene Autry. In the song, Rudolph’s father doubts his son’s potential because of his red nose. Rudolph runs away to join Santa’s sleigh team, where he earns his way into Santa’s heart and becomes one of Santa’s lead reindeer on Christmas Eve.
7. “Sleigh Ride” by TLC
Sleigh Ride” is a song written by Leroy Anderson and Mitchell Parish. It was originally recorded by the band TLC in 1994, and released as a single from their album of the same name. The song reached number five on the Billboard Hot 100, becoming one of their most successful singles to date. It also reached number one on the Billboard R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart for three weeks.
The song received positive reviews from music critics who praised its production and vocals. The accompanying music video for “Sleigh Ride” features the group members performing with Santa Claus at a Christmas party.
8. “Christmas in Hollis” by Run-D.M.C
Christmas in Hollis is a single by Run-D.M.C., released in 1987 on Profile Records. It was the group’s first hit single and one of the first rap songs to enter mainstream pop culture during hip-hop’s “golden age”. It was also the first hip-hop song to be certified gold by the RIAA, selling over 500,000 copies.
The song peaked at #40 on Billboard magazine’s Hot 100 singles chart on December 11, 1987, and reached #1 on Billboard’s Hot Dance Music/Maxi-Singles Sales chart.
In 2009 it was named the tenth-best Christmas song of all time on VH1’s special 100 Greatest Songs of Hip Hop.
9. “Santa Claus Goes Straight To The Ghetto” by Snoop Dogg feat. Nate Dogg
Snoop Dogg released his first Christmas album in 2006, titled “Christmas at Grandma’s House”. The album was a collection of holiday standards, reinterpreted with Snoop’s own brand of humor and insight. It also included a track called “Santa Claus Goes Straight To The Ghetto”, which he performed on Late Night with Conan O’Brien earlier this month.
The song tells the story of Santa Claus coming down to visit the ghetto on Christmas Eve and bringing gifts to all the children there.
10. “Merry Xmas” by Fetty Wap
Merry Christmas (or Merry Xmas) is a 2016 Christmas song by American rapper Fetty Wap. It was released on December 1, 2016, as the lead single from his second album, King Zoo. The song features Monty, another rapper from New Jersey.
With an upbeat melody and lyrics like “I got some money, I ain’t gotta worry about nothin’,” “Merry Xmas” quickly became a hit in the United States and worldwide after it was released. The song reached number 14 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and number 7 on the Canadian Hot 100 chart.
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11. “Player’s Ball” by Outkast
“Player’s Ball” is a song by the American hip-hop duo Outkast. It was released in February 1996 as the first single from their debut album Southernplayalisticadillacmuzik, which was released in April of that year. The song peaked at number 58 on the Billboard Hot 100 and number 11 on the Hot Rap Singles chart.
12. “How Sean Price Stole Christmas” by Sean Price
“How Sean Price Stole Christmas” is a song by rapper Sean Price, released as the first single from his fourth studio album, Mic Tyson. The song was recorded in December 2010 at the Brooklyn recording studio House of Pain and features a chorus sung by actor Will Ferrell, who also appeared in the music video.
The track was produced by Scram Jones and features scratches from DJ Revolution. The song’s lyrics were described as “sarcastic,” with Price rapping about “the absurdity of the holidays.”
Several media outlets noted that the song’s subject matter differed from traditional Christmas rap songs. According to Pitchfork Media, “How Sean Price Stole Christmas” is an exception among holiday-themed hip-hop songs in that it does not feature much “Christmas cheer.” However, AllMusic writer Matt Collar wrote that while he found some of the lyrics “a bit harsh,” he said that overall they were “pretty funny.”
13. “Merry Christmas Lil Mama” by Chance the Rapper and Jeremih ft./ King Louie
“Merry Christmas Lil Mama” is a song by American hip-hop recording artist Chance the Rapper and American singer Jeremih, released as a single on December 25, 2013. The song features King Louie and was produced by Nate Fox, who also produced the duo’s previous collaboration “Planes”.
The song was nominated for Best Rap/Sung Collaboration at the 57th Annual Grammy Awards.
