As we celebrate the holidays this season, The Takeaway is bringing you our annual “Remixing the Holidays” series. Throughout the month, we’re talking with musicians, actors, experts and listeners about the best and worst songs of the season.
For the fourth installment in the series, John Hockenberry speaks with Darryl “D.M.C” McDaniels, a hip-hop pioneer and one of the founding members of Run-D.M.C. Back in 1987, the group did something unusual for hip hop artists – they released a Christmas single titled, “Christmas in Hollis,” sampling holiday classics like “Joy to the World,” “Frosty the Snowman,” and “Back Door Santa.” It went on to become a classic itself, and has been featured in movies and popular television programs.
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