Dear Santa: Please Hold Me Down This Christmas (Ballerstatus.com) September 2 2008

I was sitting down cleaning my basement, you know, just organizing the set-up and everything. As I was wiping down my table, I found an old notebook. Normally, when I find things of that nature, I would just keep it moving, and throw it to the side. This time, I decided to browse through the pages, and see what this worn out notebook consisted of. To my surprise, inside this notebook was old letters I wrote to Santa. Funny thing was, these were letters I normally wrote three to four months in advance each year, because I felt if Santa got a hold of my letters first, then my Christmas would be off the chain.

I'm 19 now, and I've grown a lot. All of the Transformers, and video games I asked for when I was younger don't really apply to me anymore. As of now, music is the center of my universe. I'm on my Mims swag, because music is my savior. These letters inspired me to design a wish list in a sense, because Santa delivered when I needed it most. Santa you held me down, but I need you this time, especially around the fourth quarter.

Dear Santa,

You know I never was really good with letters, and I know it's been a minute since we last spoke, but I need a favor this time. I have a couple things I need, and I would really appreciate if you hear me out on this. I know I'm asking for a lot, but just hear me out.

1. Please let Blueprint 3 be a classic.I know Jay is capable of delivering, because he's Jay-Z. I love "Jockin' Jay-Z," and so far in 2008, Jay's been killing the features a la Andre 3000. From "Mr. Carter," to Jeezy's "Put On," to Mariah's "Bye Bye (Remix)," Jay is still showing his lyrical tenacity with blistering punchlines, and cold hearted facts. The Blueprint is a classic hands down. From Kanye's soulful production to Jay's empowering lyrics, the combination was a match made in heaven. After receiving criticism on Kingdom Come, Jay came back harder with American Gangster. With the indomitable "Roc Boys" becoming the new anthem for money makers, Jay showed even after 12 years deep, the jumpshot is still cash.

2. Please let 50 be in rare form for Before I Self-Destruct.Things haven't been looking good for the G-Unit general lately. After catching a brick on G-Unit's Terminate On Site and losing the battle with Kanye, 50 has been spiraling downhill. Santa I'm confused. I mean I feel 50 has the ability to shut the game down again. I mean last summer, he had "I Get Money" thumping hard in everyone's car. This year, 50 had the mixtape game on smash. The Return of the Body Snatchers, Elephant In The Sand and Sincerely Yours showcased a vivacious 50 spitting like he was back in 03. If an ardent 50 Cent exudes the fiery bars he displayed on those mixtapes, he will have people salivating for this album.

3. Please let Eminem drop King Mathers this year.It's been four years since Eminem released an album. Known for his scintillating lyrics, and squalid references regarding his family, Em has been missed dearly. Those snide lyrics may have created tension among many people, but the living legend controlled the reigns of the game from the late '90s into the early 2000s. After Em disappointed many on Encore, Slim Shady was perceived to have faded to black. From the tragic loss of his friend Proof, to his weight problem, Em has had his share of problems. While many assumed he had retired, it was said that Em is in fact back in the studios, and is working on King Mathers. To excite fans even more, legendary producer DJ Premier confirmed the project was in the works, as he produced "Keys To The City," which is said to be on the album. "Man, Eminem is back," the producer said recently to HipHopDX. "He attacked the track with a new style, just f***ing ridiculous, kind of like how he came with 'The Way I Am' but even more lyrical like the old Eminem."

4. Please let rappers like Joe Budden, and Saigon finally drop an album.Honestly Joe Budden is my dude. Lyrically he's one of the best hands down. If you don't believe me check out the Mood Muzik mixtape series. Santa, I digress. It's been 5 years since Jumpoff released an album. After divorcing Def Jam, Joey finds himself on the independent route, and is said to be releasing his second album, Padded Rooms, this fall. Saigon has been out for years now, and due to label issues, he was has been pushed back more times then Clyde Drexler's hairline. Even after he started bubbling last year with "Come On Baby," featuring Swizz Beatz, we're yet to see an album.

5. Please don't let a T-Wayne album come out ... at least not this year.I love these two artists. I think Lil Wayne and T-Pain are extraordinary. I'm just tired of the synthesized singing. That's it. "Can't Believe It" is a hell of a record, but I'm just saying take it easy guys. Just for three months.

6. Please do not let Lupe, and Game retire after this year.These two have consistently shouldered the burden, and have provided quality music to the public in the past few years. I don't know if it's a new trend for rappers to just call it quits after three albums. I understand these guys wanna get their Quincy on, and put on their respective protégés, but come on, we need you guys.

7. Please let me have an Andre 3000 album.I think the album has long been overdue. 3000 reemerged on the scene by hopping on tracks like the "You (Remix)," "Walk It Out (Remix)," just to name a few. 3K spewed venom this year by going 32 bars deep on "Royal Flush." We've seen what Andre is capable of doing when rhyming alongside Big Boi, but by himself, oh man, Christmas would be special.

8. Please let Fab wake up and just take New York over.Fab is nasty. He's nasty to a point like every time he spits a verse, I just run to the bathroom, and conjure up what he said in his last bar because his punchlines have been ridiculous. I always thought he had the potential to be the heir to Jay-Z, and hold the East Coast down. I guess Fab is cool just being Fab and chilling. Just like Jay, Fab's been spitting like he's missing a tooth. From the "Hi Hater (Remix)," to the "Addiction (Remix)," to Weezy's "You Ain't Got Nuthin' On Me," Fab has conveyed that he's on a whole different planet. Let me not even mention his DJ Drama mixtape There's No Competition. Damn Fab!

Right now, that's all I ask for Santa. Christmas would great if all of these wishes came true. I mean even 4 out of 8 I could live with. Just hold me down this last time. Holla at me if you can because I'll be Gone Till November.

Check out Ballerstatus.com

For the link to my article http://www.ballerstatus.com/article/editorialscolumns/2008/09/5379/