

But despite the puberty, fame and money, Harlow is, in essence, the same kid in his Mr. The next few years positioned him as a rising star in the hip-hop world, someone that legends praise (he's been cosigned by artists including Kanye West and Sean "Diddy" Combs) and peers envy. Tiny Desk Jack Harlow: Tiny Desk (Home) Concert On his 18th birthday, he opened up for Vince Staples, and signed to DJ Drama's label in 2018. Harlow" era of his career are still online and watching them feels oddly personal, invoking a "boy next door" kind of sensibility. Several makeshift music videos from the "Mr. Jack Harlow's story has been repeated ad nauseam in the wake of his celebrity: the 24-year-old suburban kid from Kentucky started rapping in middle school, with his first mixtape released when he was in seventh grade. The record simultaneously underutilizes his strengths and emphasizes his weaknesses, resulting in a middle-of-the-road body of work despite endorsements for his success and its potential. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 2022.īut even though Come Home The Kids Miss You was poised to launch Jack Harlow's worldwide takeover, the rapper's sophomore album misses the mark. His second single from the new record, " First Class," became the first hip-hop song to hit No. After the one-two punch of his 2020 hit "Whats Poppin" and a knockout verse on Lil Nas X's " INDUSTRY BABY," which he performed on-stage at his first Grammys performance, the past few years have brought the rapper praise from the hip-hop community and a devout fanbase on social media. The Louisville, Ky., rapper's sophomore album Come Home The Kids Miss You, released earlier this month, arrived in a moment when Harlow had reached a new level of cultural clout. He seems slightly in awe of his company, unsure if he should ask advice from someone who “touch gold every time you touch a mic.Jack Harlow is a rising star in the hip-hop world, someone that legends praise and peers envy.įor Jack Harlow, everything was pointing to this being his summer to conquer. “I mean, the world’s in denial but they all know where I’m headed for,” he raps. Meanwhile, Harlow can only offer bland braggadocio.

He doesn’t disappoint here, alluding to a still-cooking beef with Pusha T (“All I hear is plug talk coming from middlemen”), fatherhood, and the phoniness of his contemporaries - another great verse from a rapper famed for his poetically aggrieved self-absorption.

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While deservedly clowned at times for his boorish social-media antics and lame radio jingles like “Toosie Slide” and “Girls Want Girls,” Drake has also earned grudging respect for introspective performances full of lyrical epiphanies.

The contrast between Drake and Harlow’s verses on the much-hyped “Churchill Downs” proves instructive. To paraphrase Gertrude Stein, one wonders if there is a there there. Yet Harlow seems wary of embracing a thematic ambition beyond fame for fame’s sake, and a desire to dominate the pop-rap marketplace. Pharrell Williams, Drake, Justin Timberlake, Lil Wayne, and Snoop Dogg (via an uncredited cameo on “Young Harleezy”) fête the pop-rap heir apparent. He imagines himself as the Most Interesting Man Alive, frequently touts his appeal with the opposite sex, and pens several entries for your favorite streaming service’s curated playlists. What does Jack Harlow want to say ? It’s an unresolved question at the heart of his second major-label album, Come Home the Kids Miss You, a 50-minute affair that unfurls with buffered surfaces and seductive vibes.
