Pure Love Manifesting Itself As Hip-Hop Music This Holiday Season

Hip-Hop Music to Remind Us to be Good during the Holidays

HypeFresh has put together a nontraditional holiday track list to keep people going through the holiday season.

“Money Trees” by Kendrick Lamar featuring Jay Rock

“Money Trees” reminds us that the struggle was real on the come-up for many of the artists whom we love. Kendrick Lamar expresses admiration for hustlers in his lyrics, saying, “I’ve been working hard all day/ Going this way, that way/ Through streets and narrow paths, just to say/ Money trees provide the perfect shelter/ And that’s exactly how I feel!”

‘Foldin’ Clothes” by J. Cole

2016 album, “For Your Eyez Only” is overall a very romantic expression of love for others, for source, for the collective, and for ourselves. “Foldin’ Clothes” is particularly comforting.

“I want to take care of you, I want to make you happy. Baby, I want to do what’s right. It feels much better than doing something wrong.”He emphasizes the importance of his time with lines like, “People from the neighborhood are skilled at acting. They have to learn to speak unnaturally just to pass job interviews.

“Before he reminds his partner how important she is to him. “Listen, this is a meditation for me/A practice of being present/There’s no where I need to be/except right here with you.”

“HUMBLE” by Kendrick Lamar

Kendrick Lamar commands us to be humble in this timeless didactic classic. “I can buy yo’ ass the world with my paystub.” “Watch my soul speak, you let the meds talk.”

“Grace & Mercy” by Mick Jenkins

Mick Jenkins drops name-brands in lines like, “I stay in the sun, need my skin like Hershey’s” that scream pro-Black holiday season. Plus, “…wake up thanking God For these brand new mercies,” is good advice for anyone.

The song “Praise the Lord (Da Shine)” is performed by A$AP Rocky featuring Skepta.

This spiritual pump-up jam is all about manifesting your dreams into reality! “Twenty bands, rain dance/We can keep the rain check or we can make plans.” And the chorus, “I take what’s mine, then take some more/It rains, it pours…” makes you want to continue conquering your goals this holiday season!

“If I Ruled the World (Imagine That)” by Nas and Ms. Lauryn Hill

A song that reminds us of divine ideals. “If I ruled the world/Still livin’ for today, in these last days and times.” I would love if Ms. Lauryn Hill and Nas ruled the world!

“Unforgettable” by French Montana featuring J. Baldwin and Swae Lee

A bop for an island-inspired holiday season, this 2017 hit with some seriously compelling lines about marriage. “A fucking good time never hurt nobody/…I got to give it to her like we in a marriage.” Being good never felt so bad.

“The Poverty of Philosophy” by Immortal Technique

“The Poverty of Philosophy” by Immortal Technique is him explaining Karl Marx’s essay, “The Philosophy of Poverty” to a hip-hop audience of Black and Latino people in the ‘hood.
His opening few lines address this by explaining that poverty makes the “America” of ideals a fallacy.

Many Latinos and Black individuals in the neighborhood are focused on basic needs like food, clothing, and shelter. They often don’t have the luxury to ponder about freedom and socialist democracy. They fail to recognize that America relies on disconnecting them from their true identity. If we had a clear understanding of who we truly are, we would never tolerate this country imposing its genocidal agenda on our lands.

“Gimme the Loot” by The Notorious B.I.G.

Unfortunately, not everyone is cozy during the holidays. Biggie Smalls theatrically portrays a criminal’s mentality, “’Cause mom dukes ain’t giving me shit so for the bread and butter I leave *****s in the gutter!” The song’s lyrics expertly hints at wider systemic reasons for violence and poverty with lines like, “I’ve been robbing motherfuckas since the slave ships!”

“Toxic” by Britney Spears

“Toxic” as a holiday-time jam is all about leaving behind anybody who’s toxic, even family members. No, you are not a slave for anyone. “And I love what you do/Don’t you know that you’re toxic?” Blast that over some egg nog!

“Trust Nobody” by Hippie Sabotage

“Losing everybody/They can never take the grind.” We can all empathize with the struggle being real, so here is a sad song to indulge in that is all about getting up and fighting and then continuing to fight even when you are hurting. “I don’t hate nobody/Just stay up out my life/And I won’t hurt nobody.”

“Like Toy Soldiers” by Eminem

This nostalgic hit is a classic and asks the hip-hop community to remember that actions have consequences.