Anyone who watched a video of DMX in 2012 singing “Rudolf The Red-Nosed Reindeer” while drumming on a tabletop will rejoice that now, they can show it to their friends easily from Spotify instead of having to search for it through the annals of YouTube. For the holiday season, Spotify released a playlist of Christmas covers by well known artists, including DMX.
Christmas music is an inevitable part of December. Radio stations and local businesses convince consumers that holiday tunes are everywhere. Like a crowded subway car at rush hour, it is an inevitability that everyone loves to hate. That is why parents will put on Frank Sinatra’s version of “Jingle Bells” to satisfy their young child, because it is just that much more bearable.
DMX, a rapper known for his aggressive flow and incisive poetry, did something like Sinatra in offering a new take on an old thing. His version of “Rudolf” keeps all of the original lyrics while completely changing the essence of the song. It’s like listening to someone who’s angry about something but doesn’t know why. DMX’s ad libs are funny—Santa says “what’s happening”— and he delivers the story with punch. Anyone who didn’t know the story of Rudolf will surely not forget it after listening to this cover.