Search
Search
B2K, Santa Hooked Me Up
Picture of Derrick Dunn

Derrick Dunn

Second Listen Sunday : B2K, Santa Hooked Me Up

In the year 2002, B2K were the dominant R&B boy band. Their debut achieved gold status and the concerts stayed sold out. Prior to releasing their third album Pandemonium in December of that year, label execs had the bright idea to release a Christmas album. Arriving in stores on October 29, 2002, Santa Hooked Me Up is clearly a cash grab for the tween crowd of the time.

 

“Why Did You Leave Me On Christmas” was the first and only single from the album. Written by IMX members Marques Houston, Jerome Jones and Kelton Keese the song is a decent slow jam with Omarion’s lead vocal expressing disdain over losing his woman during the holiday season.  IMX also lends their writing talents to the albums opening number and titular track. I get the vibe they were going for on the song, but I did not care for it when I was 21 and at age 40 it sound when even worse.

 

Now there is an argument that I was not in the demographic for the song but the other up-tempo track “Sexy Boy Christmas” feat. Tg4 is not any better. Furthermore, the group’s cover of Christmas classics “Jingle Bells”, “Santa Claus is Coming to Town” and “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer” are laughable. In my opinion, the only reason the songs are on this album was to appease the parents of B2K fans. Outside of a few exceptions, I have always preferred B2K’s slower material. Therefore, it is no secret that is the album’s strongest material.

 

“Rain and Snow”, “Everyone’s Home For Christmas” and “My First Christmas” more than make up for the album’s weaker material. Santa Hooked Me Up closes out with a mediocre cover of “Santa Baby” by Jhené Aiko. Santa Hooked Me Up.  Christmas albums can usually go one of two ways. They can either give an artist a chance to highlight their ability to sing anything as Alexander O’Neal did with 1988’s classic My Gift to You or they come off as nothing more than a stocking stuffer for fans of a hot new artist. 

 

Santa Hooked Me Up falls into the latter category, as nothing on here is particularly memorable or worth adding to your Christmas playlist.

 

Final Grade: C


Santa Hooked Me Up is available on all streaming platforms

Movie Clappers

More reviews to explorer

Slow Jam Saturday : Chauncey Black, “Everyday Is Your Birthday”

July 26, 2026

This week’s Slow Jam Saturday pick takes us back to 2008 to show some love to Chauncey Hannibal, a member of Blackstreet, and his solo track “Everyday Is Your Birthday.” Chauncey’s vocals were featured prominently on the group’s first four albums until he began his solo career in 2005. He initially signed with Flipmode Entertainment, and “Everyday Is Your Birthday” was the first single from his project titled “Church Boy,” although the actual album was never released.

Second Listen Sunday: Brooke Valentine, “Chain Letter”

July 26, 2026

As my loyal readers know, one of my passions during my Air Force enlistment was being a DJ. Since I was stationed in the UK, it was sometimes hard to keep up with the music scene, as there was no satellite radio, the club scene rarely showcased new music, and I missed out on shows like 106 & Park. Often, I would buy new CDs based solely on their covers and find a way to incorporate the music into my sets, particularly if the artist caught my attention. One such artist was Brooke Valentine, who is this week’s pick for Second Listen Sunday.

Second Listen Sunday : Akon, Konvicted

July 19, 2026

Since my wife’s favorite solo artist, Ne-Yo, is currently on tour, I decided to show some love to Akon this week for Second Listen Sunday by focusing on his second album, “Konvicted.” I first discovered Akon in the fall of 2004 when I made my DJ debut while stationed in the UK. During my warm-up set, I played “Locked Up,” and one of the bouncers came over, handed me a pound, and said it was about time someone played that song.

Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn

© Copyright Reviews & Dunn. All rights reserved

website designed by Red Robin Digital designers 

▲