The holidays aren't for everybody.
Known in the media world as the "Christmas Creep," Christmas advertisements emerge quietly in October and are sometimes in full force by the time Halloween costumes are tucked away. The music industry is no different. "The straight answer is the physical market," RCA Records co-president John Fleckenstein told Billboard. "Christmas albums tend to be multigenerational, and thus, they skew very heavily on the physical side." If big market stores like Target and Walmart want the albums to take off in time for the Holidays, October is the month to stock up.
But thanks to streaming, the demand for Christmas music has exploded even more, breeding some shuddering renditions as a result. It began this year with John Legend and Kelly Clarkson's gauche attempt to revitalize "Baby, It's Cold Outside" for the MeToo era. "It's your body and your choice," Legend sings.
While Christmas music may be well-intentioned, the era of streaming has produced some uncomfortable and unnecessary Christmas music. Here are the strangest holiday albums to emerge so far in 2019.
Elijah Blake, Holiday Love
Who knew Christmas could be so turnt! "I call you Rudolph when you step off in the coupe," mutters Elijah Blake over a bass-heavy trap instrumental. "Red lights, but I'm rollin' rollin, Sleigh ride, yeah, I'm up to something." Blake's Holiday Love EP is an absolute force. The album cover finds Blake staring joyfully up at some mistletoe, while wreaths dangle from his dreads. "I guess we gotta let your mom and daddy know the bad news," Blake sings on the innuendo-heavy "Snowed In." "Might as well grab some candles and blaze." The two time Grammy-award winning songwriter falters and dives headfirst into insanely corny territory.
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