Peanut Butter Wolf

A holiday collection from the funky fringe, Badd Santa is a collection of Christmas songs -- plus one polyrhythmic Kwanza number -- compiled by left-field hip-hop producer and Stones Throw label owner Peanut Butter Wolf. Old-school hip-hop is represented by b-boys like Super J and the long lost Scoopy, while the Quad City DJ's bring the booty music for a track that's basically "Whoop! There Santa Is!." The soul is brought by the Soul-Saints Orchestra's slow roller "Santa's Got a Bag of Soul" and James Brown's "Go Power at Christmas Time," which Peanut Butter Wolf points out in the liner notes is a much more satisfying track than the usual choices for JB ("Soulful Christmas" and "Santa Goes Straight to the Ghetto"). Rounding out the set are a sweet reggae number from Cocoa Tea, childhood memories of Peanuts' television specials by way of Vince Guaraldi, a back to the future throwback with '60s synth man Bruce Haack, plus a handful of even more eccentric cuts including the very ugly "My Lovely Christmas" from Baron Zen. File this fascinating oddball between Run-D.M.C.'s "Christmas in Hollis" and the John Waters Christmas album. ~ David Jeffries, All Music Guide