【】

One of the few bright spots in the surreal fever dream that was 2016 was the emergence of Chance the Rapper from local Chicago hip-hop hero to world superstar and now, thanks to a surprise Christmas mixtape, he's the best Santa Claus we could ask for.

SEE ALSO:16 gifts for the Chance the Rapper fan in your life

Chance announced the new mixtape, done in conjunction with singer Jeremih, in the wee hours of Thursday morning via Twitter.

Tweet may have been deleted

This surprise cements Chance as the new King of Christmas following his terrific performances on last week's Christmas episode of Saturday Night Liveand at this year's White House Christmas Tree lighting.

Mashable Top StoriesStay connected with the hottest stories of the day and the latest entertainment news.Sign up for Mashable's Top Stories newsletterBy signing up you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.Thanks for signing up!

The mixtape is a very Chicago affair: Chance and Jeremih, both of the Windy City, are joined by fellow Chicago rappers Noname, who made a big splash in 2016 herself with the outstanding Telefone, and Lud Foe, plus comedian Hannibal Buress (a Chicago native).

And, in case you were wondering, people were very excited.

@chancetherapper santa came early this year i guess pic.twitter.com/Rze6G1oRJi

— meg ☻ (@meganvandamm) December 22, 2016

@chancetherapper CHRISTMAS CAME EARLY

— Luna (@Lunaa) December 22, 2016

@chancetherapper OH MY GOD BEST CHRISTMAS SURPRISE EVER SANTA IS REAL

— happy sparksidays (@kyliesparks) December 22, 2016

The nine-track mixtape is available to listen to via SoundCloud (embedded below) so please do yourself a favor and add it to your holiday rotation now.

---

Featured Video For You

---

This frozen lighthouse looks like a fairytale castle

---