Homeboy Sandman Drops Ethereal Album, "12 Days Of Christmas & Día De Los Reyes"

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After a string of singles every day in the lead-up to this album, the Queens MC finally gives us his holiday effort in full.

Queens rapper Homeboy Sandman just released 12 Days of Christmas & Día de Los Reyes, his new holiday project. Well, kind of: the theme may be based around Christmastime, but it's still the same abstract word wizardry you've come to expect from him. Moreover, he dropped a single from this album every day leading up to its release starting on December 25th. With tracks like "Eighth Day of Christmas," he built a concise and laidback collection of interesting beats and flows.

FORT LAUDERDALE, FL - JULY 06: Homeboy Sandman performs at Revolution on July 6, 2016 in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. (Photo by John Parra/Getty Images)

Each track corresponds to a "day of Christmas": the first, second, and so on. However, wrapping up the tracklist is "Día de Los Reyes," referring to the Christian holiday on January 6th. Moreover, it's a nod to Homeboy's Dominican and Puerto Rican heritage. Three Kings' Day, as it's known in English, is big in Latin America. So, with that in mind, the 42-year-old gave fans great hip-hop wrapped in a cultural history lesson waiting to be unearthed. Still, even with that extra layer, his style and delivery is too skillful to ignore.

On that note of great hip-hop, the instrumental variety is rich on here despite its narrow theme. While Sandman doesn't focus on overtly holiday-related topics, each song could be a gift to fans of abstract styles of rap. "Second Day of Christmas," for example, features a heavy guitar-based beat that slams through the speakers. Meanwhile, the very next track "Third Day of Christmas" is a Madlib-like collection of bustling drums and a heady and sprawling verse. Also, he displays a similar creativity on his album with the Oakstop Alliance, Royalty Summit.

Still, what did you think of Homeboy Sandman's latest album, 12 Days of Christmas & Día de Los Reyes? Whatever the case, let us know in the comments down below. Also, you can check out the project's tracklist down there as well. Moreover, as always, stay posted to HNHH for more creative releases in the hip-hop realm and beyond.

Tracklist

  1. First Day of Christmas
  2. Second Day of Christmas
  3. Third Day of Christmas
  4. Fourth Day of Christmas
  5. Fifth Day of Christmas
  6. Sixth Day of Christmas
  7. Seventh Day of Christmas
  8. Eighth Day of Christmas
  9. Ninth Day of Christmas
  10. Tenth Day of Christmas
  11. Eleventh Day of Christmas
  12. Twelfth Day of Christmas
  13. Día de Los Reyes

About The Author
Gabriel Bras Nevares
Gabriel Bras Nevares is a staff writer for HotNewHipHop. He joined HNHH while completing his B.A. in Journalism & Mass Communication at The George Washington University in the summer of 2022. Born and raised in San Juan, Puerto Rico, Gabriel treasures the crossover between his native reggaetón and hip-hop news coverage, such as his review for Bad Bunny’s hometown concert in 2024. But more specifically, he digs for the deeper side of hip-hop conversations, whether that’s the “death” of the genre in 2023, the lyrical and parasocial intricacies of the Kendrick Lamar and Drake battle, or the many moving parts of the Young Thug and YSL RICO case. Beyond engaging and breaking news coverage, Gabriel makes the most out of his concert obsessions, reviewing and recapping festivals like Rolling Loud Miami and Camp Flog Gnaw. He’s also developed a strong editorial voice through album reviews, think-pieces, and interviews with some of the genre’s brightest upstarts and most enduring obscured gems like Homeboy Sandman, Bktherula, Bas, and Devin Malik.
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