There's a certain aspect of joy in taking a hardass old-school hip-hop song and completely disarming its threatening level of gangster shit by relating it to something delicate that brings you back to your early childhood. Example: placing Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Eazy E, DMX, and Cypress Hill lyrics over the Thomas the Tank Engine theme song. You know, the one that sounds like you're taking a leisurely stroll when all of a sudden a cloud of bubbles surrounds you and floats you up to Yoshi's Island?

When you first hear the mashups, you're brought back to the days when you would take the most expensive pieces of wood on the planet and link them together to make an awesome winding railway in your basement. Then, the lyrics drop and you find your head bobbing the same way you did when you wore Memorex overhead headphones and listened to your discman. It's like you're drinking a cocktail of Ovaltine and a 40 of Colt 45. It's like you're about to get to 3rd base for the first time but you're wearing a furry zip-up onsie. It's like, well, just take a listen and hear for yourself:

DMX the Tank Engine - "Where the Tracks At":

Eazy E the Tank Engine - "Chug 4 Dem Gangstaz":

Cypress Hill the Tank Engines - "Insane in the Train":

50 Cent the Bank Engine - "Thomas in da Club":

Childish Tankino - "Sweatpants":

Beastie the Tank Engine Boys - "Sabotrain":

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[via Jalopnik via Reddit]