Christmas, But Make it Black

Black Christmas music is a genre of its own. From originals like “All I Want for Christmas is You,” to our spin on the so-called classics, these songs have become a staple in Black households. 

In the spirit of the holiday season, Trymaine sits down with music industry veteran Naima Cochrane to take us on a deep dive into some of the best and most influential Black Christmas songs of all time. We get into Whitney Houston’s take on “Joy to the World,” James Brown’s “Santa Claus Go Straight to the Ghetto,” and more!

And, we get the back-story on “This Christmas” from Nadine Scott McKinnor, the writer behind the Donny Hathaway classic.

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Thoughts? Feedback? Story ideas? Write to us at intoamerica@nbcuni.com.

For a transcript, please visit msnbc.com/intoamerica.

For More:

• Naima’s Christmas Playlists: Baby Jesus, Bells, and Bodyrolls, Jazzy Holiday, & Soulfulass Christmas 
• And check out the Into America playlist on Spotify