J Squared & Hudson Season's Beatings - The Second Coming (mixtape) Ho Ho Ho, tis the time to be merry, jolly and pissed by the fireplace with cranberry sauce stains on your face and gravy spots on your t-shirt. Yes christmas is back like a bad rash, and once more the Off the Hook crew are just in time to deliver us the antitode to all the musical crap that xmas throws at us year in, year out (Avid Merrion I’m looking at you, you twat). Season’s Beatings first came out 2 years ago and became an instant classic for pretty much everyone with a love for hip hop and a hang up about tired xmas compilations. ‘The Second Coming’ is the follow up to this first classic, and just in time to save us in 2005 with its amazing selection of yuletide inspired funk, hip hop, reggae, soul and jazz. The recipe is still the same, find as many yule related songs as they can, preferably from the more forgotten genres when it comes to festive music, and mix them all together, with a sprinkling of xmas shoutouts from forgotten stars (like Bucks Fizz for example, yes Bucks Fizz remember them?). The result? The perfect remedy to xmas blues, stomach ache and family members asking you to join in on those tired old sing alongs. Run DMC’s ‘Christmas Is’, Donny Hathaway ‘This Christmas’, Kool Moe Dee ‘Christmas Rap’, Lou Rawls’ ‘Santa Claus is coming to Town’, Mase and a host of East Coast rhymers on ‘Santa Baby’, Elton John’s ‘Ho Ho Ho’, De La’s ‘Millie Pulled a pistol on Santa’ and my personal favourite, Eazy E ft Buck Wheat & Menajahtwa’s ‘Merry Mutha***** Christmas’. Just make sure you don’t play that last one if your family is susceptible to swearing. You never know though it might convince your grandparents to freak it in the living room. Props must go to the guys also for unearthing a Big Daddy Kane and Biz Markie Christmas freestyle that is just plain nuts. Whichever way you flip it, this is indispensable christmas cheer and you’ll hate yourself if you miss out on it. So forget the shopping you left till the last minute and go and get yourself a copy right now, and don’t forget to play it loud on the day. Indispensable christmas cheer - Kper © ukhh.com 1999 - 2005