Michael Christmas is one of the more unique underground lyricist currently gripping the microphone. It has been well documented that intricate wordplay is making a serious comeback as of late, so to just rely on one's lyrical virtuosity would place him or her right in the middle of pack; easily overlooked for the higher profile artists. However, Christmas imbues every song and line with his own funny, goofball personality that is one of a kind. No matter what the topic he discusses, humor will be heavily relied upon to properly convey his emotion and thoughts; it is a welcomed approach that keeps him from sounding stale or boring.
On his latest track, "Leonard Washington," Christmas decides to rant about all of the people and activities pissing him off lately. Of course, he doesn't go about doing this like a thug, dropping a three hundred bar tirade questioning his oppositions maleness, nor does he try to go full conscious rapper, kicking knowledge to his haters, begging them to open their minds. Instead, he weaves poignant sinister comments meant for others, within his own self deprecating remarks, which rapidly fall one after the other. "I get play like Greg Oden in the playoffs (none)/like Derrick Rose when his new ACL came off/ I drink like I got laid off/ And if you weren't on my dick before, bitch stay off." It is a hilarious display of rhyming and creative writing; this might be the first hip hop song to ever reference both Dragon Ball Z and the Penny Saver, within a minute of each other. His jokingly pessimism coupled with the Thelonious Martin's smooth production, provides for an easy listen that is at once, in someways, easy to relate to.
Christmas has just announced that his debut mixtape, Is This Art, is due out on February 19th, which is right around the corner. If you enjoyed this track, and you can't wait to hear more, you should head straight to his soundcloud, where you can find an archive of all his earlier work. However, be warned, laughs will be had and good vibrations will be felt.
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