Christmas is undoubtedly associated with the predictable, yet iconic songs we hear played every year as it approaches. Mariah Carey, Michael Bublé, but I have come to fall in love with a slightly more niche genre of Christmas music and so have so many others.

Every year I now look forward to “Carti Christmas,” which is a blend of the mainstream holiday music with a twist of Playboi Carti. 

Born Carti’s official Christmas Day release of the album Whole Lotta Red in 2020, Vampmus is a fan made amplified and remixed version of this original Carti classic. His drop of WRL was everything but conventional because of its loud, distorted rage beats and high-pitched ad-libs. It was a stylistic risk that succeeded wildly. 

Playboi Carti took the comfort and tradition of Christmas music and turned it into a cultural artifact. 

It wasn’t until the Vampmus tapes were made that the album became what it’s known for now. These unofficial tapes take wholesome traditional Christmas music like Jingle Bells and Deck the Halls. 

This fan-driven remix culture is part of why Carti was able to build the following he has. Carti Christmas is more than a seasonal holiday; but a representation of dismantling mainstream music in the pursuit of something fans will love even more.

The Vampmus albums include three albums, Vampmus 1, Vampmus 2, and Vampmus 2.5.  These tracks have integration of Carti’s roots with emphasis on Atlanta mixtapes. Like the use of DJ Swamp and Izzo’s ad-libs and tags which give a mix of classic old school music and futuristic noise. The continual abrasive guitar riffs are an iconic addition to the tracks. Kendrick Lamar, Future, The Weeknd, and Travis Scott all made contributions and featured in the making of these beloved tracks.

By hijacking one of the most traditional annual events Playboi Carti and his fans have created a new, and chaotic way to ring in Christmas.