Music Farm

TOKEN THU . FEB 2 , 2023 DOORS: 7 PM / SHOW: 8 PM $22 ADV | $25 DOS Confidence can’t be given. Instead, it’s earned. Through a prolific, albeit quiet grind, Token has morphed into an outlier in hip-hop. Powered by razor sharp wordplay, head-spinning verbal acrobatics, and off-kilter hooks, the Massachusetts born rapper evolves at a dizzying pace. After amassing hundreds of millions of YouTube views and streams independently and receiving acclaim from The Boston Globe, XXL, Complex, and more, he leaps forward again on his 2022 project Pink Is Better—the first album released under his own label Never Too Different and Atlantic Records. “At first, I was trying to do everything to impress people. This is the first time where I’m doing the music that inspires me. I’ve now become my own person, and I’m confident I can make it as far as I want without compromising. I’m inspired by artists who continuously change it up. I’m more tapped into who I truly am. I don’t want to be known for anything other than being me.” Growing up outside of Boston, music anesthetized depression, anxiety, stress, and loneliness throughout his childhood. So, Token put his head down and honed his craft at just 10-years-old, putting in countless hours, recording tracks of his own, burning CDs, and distributing them around Massachusetts. During 2015, his “No Sucka MCs Contest Entry” went viral, eventually exceeding 5.7 million YouTube views. After Token wound up on Mark Wahlberg’s radar, he appeared on the hit television show Wahlburgers and landed a role in the blockbuster Patriots Day. Simultaneously, he lit up Sway in the Morning with a headline-making six minute freestyle. XXL christened it “one of the year’s best freestyles, if not one of the best performances ever on Sway’s legendary show.” On its heels, he dropped his first mixtape Eraser Shavings in 2016 followed by 2018’s Between Somewhere, which vaulted into the Top 5 on the iTunes Hip-Hop/Rap Albums Chart. Generating 100 million-plus streams, it also spawned anthems, including “YouTube Rapper” [feat. Tech N9ne], “Household Name,” and “Flamingo.” Not to mention, he sold out shows on multiple continents and contributed music to the Fast & Furious Hobbs & Shaw soundtrack and Scoob! The Album.  Throughout 2020, he carefully assembled what would become Pink Is Better, achieving a sense of personal and creative balance.  “Pink represents balance,” he affirms. “It’s the middle ground of red and white. It’s what I’ve been going through during the last two years. I’m an extreme person. The red side is the fast lifestyle—girls, money, and getting fucked up. The white side represents a white flag, giving in to my emotions, overthinking shit, and feeling defeated. It’s about embracing the life that’s been given to me in a healthy way rather than living all the way on one side or the other.” Following “Chit Chat” and “Sip,” the single “High Heels” [feat. Rico Nasty] illuminates his progression. He leans into the skittering beat as he drops charismatic and catchy bars with no shortage of boastful charm punctuated by a rare Rico Nasty cameo.