What's That Song From the Target Christmas Commercial?

Posted on Dec 14th 2010 12:30PM by Phil Brondyke
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'Toy Jackpot,' Blackalicious

Blackalicious' 'Toy Jackpot' gets to the heart of Christmas morning for a 7-year-old by title alone. In the 2010 Target Christmas ad, the Sacramento, Calif., rap duo's song fuels the excitement for kids rushing to the tree and tearing into presents.

Blackalicious' Roots-meets-Dilated Peoples sound gives the track a distinctive hip-hop flavor, while still carrying the aggressive lyrics of MC Gift of Gab, which tell the story of an eager kid's Yuletide awakening. The two children featured in the spot play out their morning in reverse -- from ripping through wrapping paper all the way back to peeking around the hallway wall.

Countering the conventional commercial use of an alt-pop song to bestow warm and fuzzy feelings to the holiday season, the retail chain's ad underscores the fact that kids are in it for the Christmas loot. Lines to the effect of "I can't wait" surround the meat of the 30-second spot: "I was up all night in anticipation/Feeling electric joules of jubilation/Yuletide carols from the local congregation/Make it tough to hold my patience."

If the pairing of 'Toy Jackpot' with Target's "get out and buy" campaign seems too perfect to be coincidence, it is. The song was released by Blackalicious as a single for Target and is available in its entirety on the company website.

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