While the world is reeling from senseless terrorism and tense political times, it’s become difficult to find a source of joy this holiday season Thankfully, Chicago natives Chance the Rapper and Jeremih decided to ride through on their one horse open sleigh with a Christmas-themed surprise mixtape in tow. The unexpected collaborative project, Merry Christmas Lil Mama, dropped through our chimneys, straight into our stockings early Thursday morning,
The two rapper-singer hybrids croon away on nine heartfelt tracks, and even enlist the autotune skills of comedian Hannibal Buress on the intro track “All the Way.” There are a number of tracks that stand out, including “Stranger At The Table,” an ode to Jackson 5’s “I Want You Back.” The Chi-town artists also give a shout out to their city on the Christmas spirited track “Chi Town Christmas,” in which Chance plays on the holiday spirit with lines like “Mild sauce my wings/ Nights at the rink/ These are a few of my favorite things.”
It may not be all that surprising that the release of Merry Christmas Lil Mama was unforeseen, as the Instagram post in which Jeremih announced the mixtape’s release hints that it was recorded very recently. The photo, taken in a recording studio lined with Christmas lights, showcases their festive hats, as well as the Monday edition of the Chicago Tribune.
This is the first project released by Chance since the critically acclaimed Coloring Book, while Jeremih’s last release, Late Nights: Europe, was back in July. The two friends also joined forces with Big Sean on his recently released track “Living Single”.
You can listen to the entire Christmas-themed mixtape here.
