Who Is This Artist And Why Does She Hate Boston?
You may have noticed a perplexing billboard around the North End of Boston this week (or if you are heading that way soon, you will). It simply contains three giant words, “I HATE BOSTON.” Yes, in all capital letters. It turns out it is connected to the artist Reneé Rapp, which poses the question, why does she hate Boston?
Let’s first take a step back. Reneé Rapp is actually both an actress and and singer. She hails from North Carolina and is 23-years-old. Rapp got her start in theatre in Charlotte, which ultimately led her to score a role in Mean Girls on Broadway from 2019 – 2020. Recently, Rapp also played a main role as Leighton Murray in the comedy drama, The Sex Lives of College Girls, on HBO Max.
So that’s who she is. But why does she hate Boston so much that she would express it on a public billboard?
It turns out Rapp is also an artist signed to Interscope Records. Her new record, Snow Angel came out today. If you are now googling the record or looking it up in Spotify, track number two on the album may jump out at you. It’s titled “I Hate Boston.”
CBS Boston found a quote from Rapp discussing the song on WBZ-TV and has a photo of the billboard. “It’s more fun when people don’t know, and are very curious as to why I would do such a thing, and it is to incite fights and arguments. Cause you guys [in Boston] are very good at that, and you love that,” she said. CBS then noted Rapp has a well-admired reputation for satire.
“How Did You Make Me Hate Boston?”
That is the open lyric to the chorus of Rapp’s song, followed by “It’s not its fault that you don’t love me.” It would appear Rapp is telling a story of an experience with someone who associates a bad experience with Boston.
Things should get interesting this fall when Rapp returns to Boston for her (already sold-out) show at the Roadrunner. Rapp’s Facebook page also has a photo of another “I Hate Boston” sign from her video.
Here Are The Boston Legends That Played With The Savannah Bananas
The Savannah Bananas rolled their high-flying baseball game into Massachusetts this week, and surprisingly, they had a few Boston legends join them on the field.
On Wednesday night, the minor league baseball club (with the very bright uniforms) took their game to Campanelli Stadium in Brockton. However, the game quickly sold-out upon tickets going on sale.
Back in October, the Savannah Bananas announced they were bringing their “banana ball” on tour. This would bring the ball club to 33 cities in 20 states over the course of the 2023 summer.
“The 2023 world tour will be the most mind-boggling, exhilarating, craziest, and fun thing that has ever happened in sports,” said Bananas head coach Tyler Gillum, in a press release issued by the club. Forty players from the team are part of each tour stop.
And in Boston, two local legends took the field as well. One of them fit in perfectly with the Bananas. He was a character himself when he helped the Boston Red Sox win the World Series in 2004. His unique look and personality was a Banana before the Bananas. Next, a local college football hero who also spent some time with the Patriots took the Campanelli Stadium field as well.
Banana Ball Highlights
Boston.com reported that in addition to these appearances, fans were treated to “raining donuts, dancing umpires, the tallest baseball player ever, and walk-off win.” Unfortunately, the Bananas were on the wrong side of the home run. The Party Animals ultimately won the game. The Party Animals are the rival team that travel with the Bananas on this baseball tour. The team is also owned by Jesse Cole (Savannah Bananas team owner).
The Boston legends who made an appearance with the Savannah Bananas on Wednesday night played different roles in the entertainment. In fact, their crowd-thrilling participation came within different innings of the game.
It is unknown if these pros will be part of the Savannah Bananas games in Portland, Maine this weekend. However, here who is made the trip back to town on Wednesday.
Jeff Gorra is a Boston-based writer who has been with Beasley Media Group since the beginning of 2023. He writes about restaurants and food, as well as sports and rock music. His experience also includes show hosting and in-depth creative writing in rock and reggae dub music. Jeff’s an avid surfer, New York Giants, and Pearl Jam fan, however, if you make unforgettable pizza, he is sure to find you.