Reviewed by Tony Cummings

Those of you who are familiar with Christian hip-hop will know that 116 are a loose-knit collective, originally called 116 Clique, from Dallas, Texas and signed to Reach Records. In 2018, Reach released 'The Gift' and now have updated the project with new tracks. Old or new, the hip-hop renditions of Christmas carols such as "We Three Kings (ftg Lecrae, Paul Russell and Abe Parker)", "Silent Night (ftg Crystal Nicole)" and "O Come (ftg Tedashii, Cass and Nobigdyl)" are a lot of fun, while dance rap man Gawvi brings something special to "Angel" and "What A Time (ftg Whatuprg and Svrcina)" are possibly my favourites. If you are looking for some Christmas music which avoids the clichés of the genre, and emanates a considerable amount of celebratory joy, this is a set well worth searching out.

The opinions expressed in this article are not necessarily those held by Cross Rhythms. Any expressed views were accurate at the time of publishing but may or may not reflect the views of the individuals concerned at a later date.

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