Salford rapper T-Bone reveals funny Christmas single and invites people to try festive freestyling challenge

A Salford comedic rapper has released a humorous Christmas single in a bid to challenge the likes of Fairytale of New York or Stay Another Day at the top of the festive charts.

T-Bone has released HO HO HO, a colourful and light-hearted account of a working-class Christmas celebration, following on from a string of singles which have celebrated ordinary life.

The rapper has also released an instrumental track for the song and is inviting Manchester’s MCs to show off their wit and wordplay to the beat with a festive freestyle challenge.

Here’s what you need to know about the city-region’s rap scenes attempt to grab a bit of the festive music action.

Who is T-Bone and what is his Christmas single HO HO HO?

T-Bone says HO HO HO is, in his own words, intended to “swag out an average Christmas”. With its sardonic chorus and lyrics about a Christmas down the pub and round the house, T-Bone hopes to put a grin on the face of the biggest Grinches out there.

His lyrics are set to a beat that promises to get heads nodding and feet shuffling in festive dance moves. The song has been produced by JSD, a stalwart of the Manchester rap scene.

T-Bone said: “It has always been a dream of mine to have a Christmas song! Ever since I first saw the film About a Boy where Hugh Grant lives off the royalties of the one his dad released years before and I thought… I fancy a slice of that!

“HO HO HO is about bringing some pride, confidence and swagger to the bang average Christmas, so pump it in the car, smash it out on your work’s do, or even have a dance around the kitchen with your mum while she’s basting the turkey.

“As with all my tunes, it’s not about fancy cars and drip, the simple things in life deserve their time in the sun too, because, if we’re being honest, they’re what really get us all through this mad journey we’re on.”

T-Bone emerged in 2021 after originally deciding during lockdown, which he mostly spent stuck in his Salford flat, that it would be a good idea to make rap music finding the fun, the beauty and even a bit of occasion glamour in the simple and everyday things that happen in life.

His debut single Inabit was all about sitting on the couch and the wonder of the magical middle aisle at budget supermarket Aldi, while Donna was a love song dedicated to his favourite kebab and A Place in the Sun was an ode to the daytime TV show that got him through the loneliness of the Covid-19 pandemic.

What is the freestyling challenge?

As well as bringing out his own Christmas single T-Bone is also giving aspiring rappers and MCs the chance to showcase their skills with a festive freestyling challenge.

The instrumental version of the song has been released and performers are being invited to show off their skills with the 16-bar challenge.

All people have to do is visit T-Bone’s Linktree, grab the beat from their preferred platform and post their festive freestyle on an Instagram reel tagging both T-Bone and JSD and adding the hashtag #FestiveFreestyleMCR

The challenge runs from Monday (19 December) to Boxing Day.