Homeboy Sandman blessed fans with a single every day in the holiday season, with his latest being “Eighth Day of Christmas.” Moreover, he began on December 25th, and his end goal is his new album, 12 Days of Christmas & Día de los Reyes, set to drop on Three Kings Day (January 6th). As such, each day leading up to the 6th brought us a new single off the album from Sandman.
While a track a day can seem daunting, the Queens MC wrote varied and high-quality tracks for each day. Some of his earlier singles were woozier, more energetic, and laced with spontaneous drums. However, “Eighth Day of Christmas” displayed Homeboy Sandman in a drumless, more reflective state. The beat is based on a smooth, glamorous, and lush sample, with many different instruments elevating the track.
For example, there’s the subtle chunks of electric guitar that give the track a funky feel. Also, the keys go from low bass notes to high-pitched tones with ease, which add some dynamism to the track. There’s not a lot of percussion here, with a light hi-hat and rimshot used as sparse elements. Finally, the deep bass is what grounds the track, balancing out the track’s melodic elements.
Meanwhile, the 42-year-old delivers a subtly emphatic performance, despite the track’s low-key and dreamy atmosphere. All of the beat’s elements come through very densely, but Homeboy balanced them with a confident and raspy flow. While there are a few abstract bars here and there, there are also powerfully simple proclamations against traditional success and not getting his due credit.
Furthermore, the flow is consistent, but he spit a lot of internal rhyme schemes and cheeky references. Everything makes for a great performance to ring 2023 in, consistent with his impressive output from last year. For example, he assisted the Oakland-based Oakstop Alliance in their debut album, Royalty Summit.
What did you think of Homeboy Sandman’s newest track, “Eighth Day of Christmas”? Moreover, are you excited for his new album, 12 Days of Christmas & Día de los Reyes? Let us know in the comments and check out some standout bars down below. Also, as always, stay tuned to HNHH for the latest great music drops of the week.
Quotable Lyrics
Laughin’ at the premise that I’m good for one penny,
Peep the independence, y’all gon’ need to come get me,
Example: tell my niece ‘Never need mimic,’
No need to even speak of a speed limit