I was once one with the people of Whoville, then I became a slight Grinch, but as I’ve become a modestly more cynical adult, I share my indifferences; however, the music reigns supreme in my head—from the various pop megahits to the enormous array of orchestral piano ballads and jazz wonders that have kept the spirit alive throughout December. I love Christmas music—aside from the recent pop hits ingrained so egregiously in the zeitgeist. Unfortunately, Hip-Hop and Christmas haven’t seen much pop crossover, with the iconic track still being Run DMC’s “Christmas In Hollis.” We’ve had “Christmas In Harlem” by Kanye West, Cyhi Da Prince, and Teyana Taylor, a random Christmas song by Lil Jon and the Kool-Aid Man, and most notably within the Hip-Hop community, Gucci Mane’s varying Xmas theme album The Return of East Atlanta Santa, a follow up to an iconic mixtape, East Atlanta Santa. However, there is more than meets the eye within the world of Hip-Hop and Christmas, like Snoop Dogg’s “Santa Claus Goes Straight To The Ghetto” and Eazy-E’s “Merry Muthafuckin’ Xmas,” Ludacris’s “Ludachristmas,” and so forth, but for me, my go-to has always been the work of Cookin’ Soul.

Cookin’ Soul is a production duo from Spain, two DJs who go by Big Size and Zock, and one thing they have done so excellently throughout the years has been making remixes and mashups of songs from revered Hip-Hop artists. They have an exquisite grind, delivering so much work, so it’s no surprise that their tapes are some of my most replayed, especially around the holiday season. They have Merry Little Xmas, Ready for Xmas (A Biggie Mash Up), Stockin Stuffers Hood Xmas (an album with Smif-N-Wesson), Wu Xmas, A Tribe Called Xmas, and Doom Xmas, and to be frank, these mash-ups are incredible, or rather, that’s is what I believe. Cookin’ Soul repurposes the beats and interconnects some distinct Christmasy overtones to bring forth that feeling. With A Tribe Called Xmas, they rework the “Butter” beat from The Low End Theory and bring some sonic influence like the twinkly bells and subtle orchestral notes akin to the elements we hear in older and modern pop Christmas songs. It’s a fantastic mix that gives the best of both worlds and gets done effervescently. It’s been the case since the first mash-up I discovered, and still love, Ready For Xmas, the Biggie collab.

One of the first songs on Ready For Xmas is “WHAT did I Want,” which incorporates a lot of original notes to boast an atmosphere equivocal to that of sitting in warmth in front of a fire as it snows outside over a base percussion taken from “The What” off Ready To Die. It tip-toes more toward originality than merely repurposing, but it does so as you notice the flows align with what gets added, making them feel like their own thing. It’s about quality, and they deliver such, making them such fantastic listens. Cookin’ Soul is more than just these tapes, as they have produced and retained semblance in Hip-Hop producing for many artists. They bring a much-needed balance for these many songs made throughout the years that haven’t had much of a presence since, like “Ghostface Xmas” by Ghostface Killah and “Jingle Bellz” by Jim Jones, two artists I love, but these songs have nothing compared to the beautiful mixes/mash-ups Cookin’ Soul makes. It may sound overly glowing, but I remember how seminal the Biggie mash-up was for me in 2012 when Xmas traditions changed, and everything felt new.

I’m writing about this because I just want to spread the glee this music gives me, and I hope it does so for you. The mash-ups are whimsically snowy, and the rhymes stay fresh as ever. I can replay the Biggie and Wu-Tang one for eons, and hopefully, that same love reflects on you. Give their Christmas Mash-Ups a spin and see how dope it really is. You can get all of them on their YouTube and wherever they have uploaded for download, which can get found on their site or YouTube descriptions.