24 | JANUARY 14 - 20, 2022 | WORCESTERMAGAZINE.COM
ADOPTION OPTION
Meet Princess!
Princess is available through the Worcester Animal Rescue League's adoption program. WORCESTER ANIMAL RESCUE LEAGUE
This lovely girl is Princess. We gave her that name because she is reserved and elegant. Princess chooses her friends based on her own values and traits. Patience and a quiet nature are a few of the qualities Princess is looking for in an adopter. Accepting her for who she is and taking an interest in some of her favorite things is the way to her heart. This beauty loves to go for leisurely strolls and take in the wonders of nature. At fi ve years old she has outgrown the urge to romp and play with other dogs. However, she has found a few dog friends that she enjoys sharing a walk with. Think of it this way — Princess is similar to a person that has a bird watching hobby. You may take a buddy with you bird watching, but you don’t want to have a long conversation or start up a wrestling match when you are looking through those binoculars, otherwise you will miss the birds. So, when it comes to dogs, Princess’s philosophy is, “You do your thing & I’ll do mine.” That is pretty much her philosophy when meeting new people as well. Once Princess gets past the “fi rst date” stage with a new person she begins to loosen up and you will begin to fall in love. Is your living situation one with adults only? Have you been thinking about adding a dog to your household? If so, Princess may enjoy meeting you. Please contact the shelter to fi nd out how to meet her. COVID-19 Protocols: The Worcester Animal Rescue League remains closed to walk-in visits with the animals and appointments must be made, in advance, to meet with any of the animals. Masks are required. Visit https://worcesterarl.org/ for more information.
‘Almost50’ Continued from Page 22
terribly wrong, and Papa Shawn wants you to know it. “Show You Things” does much the same, although it has a lighter touch, and the hilariously believable excuse for not sleeping over: “baby I snore/I don’t have my CPAP with me.” Emotional connection may not be happening here, but it’s all indelibly human. The passage of the album decelerates with “Family First,” which both rejects criticism of fathering so many children, while embracing fi nding salvation in religion, and then fi nally ends with “This Time Around,” a more refl ective song where he ponders the sins of youth and asks, “I messed up/how long should I pay for it?” The rapper leaves that question aside as he slides into the Black Lives Matter anthem, “Enough is Enough.” It’s a soulful and searing indictment of racial injustice, one propelled by a visceral sense of heat. It’s odd that such heavy subject matter manages to be the moment of relief in the album, but that’s what happens. When the soulful beat clips out, replaced by the mournful keyboard beats of “I Lost It,” it signals a tonal change and a shift in perspective. “I Lost It” talks about the persona’s early sexual experiences as a child, with what’s described as a neighbor, and it’s shockingly clear he’s describing an act of molestation. There’s no way to sugar coat that, but it’s interesting that the refrain is, “I’m almost 50/ please don’t tell my mom,” and that “he doesn’t want anyone to get into trouble.” One could almost think the persona feels unaff ected, but they cast the the earlier songs, particularly “10 Kids 5 Baby Mommas,” in a diff erent light. And in case the listener still has any doubts, the next song, “Clearly,” the persona details desire to die in his sleep: “God please take this
pain away/and thank you Lord for another day,” the persona fi nding faith as a way through the darkness in his mind. As I’ve written before, it’s a fundamental mistake to view each piece of art as an act of autobiography, and to immediately assume the creator is the persona. That’s how I’m approaching this album, as I do everything I review, but it’s impossible not to view this suite of songs as anything but deeply personal. They resonate with emotional agony. The listener moves out of the pain of “Clearly” into the cold isolation of “Be Thy Self,” before returning to the theme of molestation in “Alone in My Room.” Here, the song switches to third person as he details the abuse: “He didn’t even know it was wrong/that ain’t right.” It’s interesting that this is the only song in third person, even as the persona draws lines between the molestation and a sense of distrust in others. It’s diffi cult territory, and not the sort generally addressed in hip-hop, but Papa Shawn handles it frankly and fearlessly. The penultimate song, “Crazy Wavy,” brings everything back to the present: “I guess you live and you learn/ time unlike money/you can’t come back to burn.” This and the closing number, “I’m the Man Around Here,” paint a contrast of embracing responsibilities on one hand, and being hardened by experiences on the other. In a lot of ways, it’s a disconcerting ending, but it’s also a fi tting one: both perspectives feel true, two diff erent aspects of where the road has led the persona. It’s not an easy ending, but then, that’s the point: It’s not an ending at all. Whatever else has happened, the persona is still alive. “I love that you think it won’t happen,” raps Papa Shawn back in the fi rst song, “I Love That.” “I love that you think I should stop rapping.” As an age and an album, “Almost 50” is simply another beginning.
