WORCESTERMAGAZINE.COM | JANUARY 14 - 20, 2022 | 21
LISTEN UP
Papa Shawn Boo tackles tough subject matter on ‘Almost50’
JANUARY 14TH & 15TH
JANUARY 30TH
FEBRUARY 11TH
DANCING WITH THE STARS LIVE! TOUR
LEE BRICE
JAKE OWEN
FEBRUARY 12TH
FEBRUARY 18TH
FEBRUARY 19TH
DAUGHTRY
STEPHEN PEARCY OF RATT, QUIET RIOT AND SLAUGHTER
BELLATOR MMA 274: GRACIE VS. STORLEY
FEBRUARY 20TH
MARCH 11TH
MARCH 13TH
BOWZER’S ROCK N’ DOO-WOP PARTY
CELTIC THUNDER IRELAND
IL VOLO SINGS MORRICONE AND MORE!
Victor D. Infante Worcester Magazine USA TODAY NETWORK
There are times you can be listening to a track on Worcester hip-hop artist Papa Shawn Boo’s latest album, “Almost50,” and you just get caught up in the groove, in the rapper’s innate ability to deliver tight rhymes with a sense of eff ortless cool. Then, there are other times when you listen to the album and you hear something that makes you think, “This is messed up.” There are points on the album which are deeply uncomfortable, but the overall narrative Papa Shawn – who formerly performed as KQAUZ – creates is one of looking back at life as one approaches the age of 50, and taking ownership of both the mistakes he’s made and the trauma which has been infl icted on him. Papa Shawn takes a lot of the narrative of rapper braggadocio, and then upends the tropes, revealing the human mess underneath it all. It’s not always easy, but it IS effective. The album begins with the swaggering “I Love That,” which serves as a sort of mission statement for the album: “I went from underdog/to being in charge/that’s how I know there is a God,” he raps. “I went from behind the bars/ kept in the yard/now I’ve got a job/I love that you discriminate/you think I can’t rehabilitate.” Ultimately, this entire album is about growing up and changing, and that’s what’s il-
THE 20TH ANNIVERSARY
Buy tickets @ comixmohegansun.com
JANUARY 14TH & 15TH
Papa Shawn Boo's most recent album is "Almost50." DYLAN AZARI
AMERICAN HONEY
JANUARY 15TH
SOUTHBOUND
JANUARY 16TH
CRAIG CONANT
JANUARY 20TH
CHAD DANIELS
JANUARY 21ST & 22ND
lustrated here: That you’re not a captive of your past. Still, there’s some glee as he shoots down the naysayers, and it’s utterly earned. In a lot of ways, the next song, the battle rapfueled “Challenge,” inverts the prior song’s theme: “I’m almost 50,” he raps, “my lifestyle’s valid.” Then, he has some fun talking smack about newbie rappers coming up behind him, off ering to give them some help: “First class I’ll ask/ See ‘ALMOST50’, Page 22
ROBERT KELLY
JANUARY 14TH
JANUARY 27TH – 29TH FEBRUARY 5TH & MARCH 5TH
SHERROD SMALL KELSEY COOK
FREE SHOWS!
JANUARY 14TH JANUARY 15TH JANUARY 21ST JANUARY 22ND JANUARY 28TH JANUARY 29TH FEBRUARY 4TH
PSYCHIC MEDIUM PATRICIA GRIFFIN
MULLETT VIXEN CHUBBY CHECKER BADFISH – A TRIBUTE TO SUBLIME FOGHAT G. LOVE & THE JUICE MEAT LOAF PRESENTS: BAT FEATURING THE NEVERLAND EXPRESS + CALEB JOHNSON
JANUARY 27TH – 30TH
WINE, FOOD, FRIENDS. WELCOME BACK. SUNWINEANDFOODFEST.COM
See more at mohegansun.com or call 1.888.MOHEGAN. Must be 21 or older to attend shows in Comix and Wolf Den. Before your visit, see list of Arena safety protocols at mohegansun.com/arena-policies. Select Arena events may require masks, negative COVID tests and/or proof of vaccination status to attend. Please check mohegansun.com or tour’s website for the latest updates.
