Jack Harlow

November 9, 2023 at PST

Lovin On Me - Single

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July 22, 2021 at PDT

INDUSTRY BABY - Single

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December 10, 2020 at PST

Thats What They All Say

What do you really know about Jack Harlow? If you’re the type who keeps up with emerging voices in hip-hop, you might know that since 2018 the Louisville-hailing MC has been the best-kept secret of DJ Drama and Don Cannon’s Generation Now imprint. If you listen to Apple Music’s Rap Life playlist, then you for sure know him as the author of “Whats Poppin,” the 2020 runway smash that sparked a remix featuring Lil Wayne, DaBaby, and Tory Lanez. If you’re an NBA fan, maybe you’ve heard “Tyler Herro,” his tribute to the Miami Heat rising star. But even if you did know all that, one listen to Harlow’s debut Thats What They All Say and you’ll quickly understand that you didn’t know much at all.

The 22-year-old bares his soul across Thats What They All Say (which of course includes “Whats Poppin” and “Tyler Herro”) as it relates to where exactly he is on his fame journey. Conquering rap playlists, if only for a single song, can be a life-changing experience, and Harlow treats the booth like his diary. Thats What They All Say features Harlow talking about the pressures of being the single most prominent MC out of Louisville (“Face of My City”), the skittish nature of most of his recent romantic interactions (“21C / Delta,” “Funny Seeing You Here”), how his success has changed the people around him (“Keep It Light”), and also how hard he’s been trying to not let it change him (“Baxter Avenue”). We hear Harlow process it all with curiosity and humility and are left with the impression that he’s got a great head on his shoulders. It’s something that will serve him well on the road he’s traveling.

15 Tracks

October 21, 2020 at PDT

Tyler Herro - Single

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May 5, 2022 at PDT

Come Home The Kids Miss You

When Jack Harlow settled in to record “Movie Star,” something had been weighing on his heart: “I’m done faking humble, actin’ like I ain’t conceited/’Cause, bitch, I am conceited, you know you can’t defeat it,” he rapped. It’s a wonder he held out as long as he did. By the time of Come Home the Kids Miss You’s release, he’d been a performing guest on SNL, been called “Top 5 out right now” by one Kanye West, and released his Fergie-sampling, TikTok-conquering “First Class.” But as he remarks on that very song, life has been moving maybe quicker than he can comprehend. “They say, 'You a superstar now,' damn, I guess I am,” he raps. “You might be the man, well, that's unless I am/Okay, I'll confess I am.”

Come Home the Kids Miss You is Harlow coming to terms with his still-ascending star, reflections on his position sandwiched between meticulous wordplay and appeals for affection (“I’d Do Anything to Make You Smile,” “Side Piece,” “Lil Secret,” “Like a Blade of Grass”). It’s a series of diary entries authored by the coolest kid in school, and, as such, is not without moments of self-doubt. “Am I fancy enough?/Am I dancing enough?/Am I handsome enough?/Tell me right now so I can be enough,” he raps on “Young Harleezy.” But don’t think for a minute that Harlow isn’t also having heaps of fun. He’s called on people he likely once considered musical heroes for guest slots (Pharrell, Drake, Justin Timberlake, Lil Wayne), and if album closer “State Fair” is to be believed, Harlow’s been working so hard for so long that he’s finally ready to celebrate.

17 Tracks

August 2, 2021 at PDT

SUVs (Black on Black) - Single

1 Trackfalse

May 27, 2021 at PDT

Killer (Remix) - Single

1 Trackfalse

April 27, 2023 at PDT

Jackman.

Jack Harlow looks noticeably more buff on the cover of his third album for Generation Now/Atlantic than the skinny teen in his boxers pictured on his mixtape, 18, from seven years previous. Yet, with its directness, concision, and self-analysis, Jackman (2023) feels like a throwback to Harlow’s releases back when he was trying to make a name for himself in Louisville, KY, as opposed to a globe-straddling superstar.
Whereas he was happy to share billing with Drake, Pharrell Williams, and Lil Wayne on 2022's Come Home The Kids Miss You, here he prefers to largely stick to himself, performing his raps on his own over tracks by producers such as Hollywood Cole, FNZ, and DJ Dahi. Built from samples of songs by a range of artists, including soul great Bill Withers, '90s R&B act Jade, and even alt-pop cult faves Stereolab, the songs here are richer in sound than the more minimal, trap-influenced breakouts like "Dark Knight." That said, there's still a no-nonsense rigor underlying the deceptively gentle vibes of tracks such as "Denver."
Likewise, the lyrics on Jackman. have a tougher edge in direct opposition to the sunny sound of "Ambitious" or the laidback ease of "No Enhancers." The downside of fame is a prevalent theme, as is the hunger that persists even after worldly success has supposedly sated all appetites. Always quick to admit to his uncertainties, Harlow expresses some wariness about his audience, too. As he puts it in "Common Ground," "the festivals are filled with Larry Bird jerseys, college students in a hurry to jump to a four-count and say the n-word." The thorny issue of race surfaces again in "It Can't Be" as Harlow rebuffs the doubters who suggest his skin color is the only reason for his success, not "the tone of my voice" or "the thought I put into every choice."
The lesson here is that life just keeps getting more complicated, like when he reckons with the difficult revelations about friends and acquaintances in "Gang Gang Gang." But it's clear in the energy of his performances that his gratitude for being able to do what he does outweighs any gripes or misgivings.

10 Tracks

April 30, 2020 at PDT

Moana - Single

1 Trackfalse

March 12, 2020 at PDT

Sweet Action

7 Tracks

September 19, 2019 at PDT

Confetti

Louisville might not be the first city that springs to mind when you think about American rap hubs, but Jack Harlow’s trying to change that. (He’s relocated to Atlanta these days, but we won’t split hairs.) The 21-year-old MC is very much of a generation indebted to Drake, in both style and content—moody beats, melodic bars, tons of semi-relatable relationship drama. But for a young buck with the aura of a guy who just stepped off the set of Riverdale, Harlow’s got bars, and on Confetti, his fifth mixtape, he spits them at breakneck speed with utmost confidence. “THRU THE NIGHT,” a collaboration with fellow Louisville native Bryson Tiller built on an inspired sample of Usher’s “U Don’t Have to Call,” is an easy highlight.

12 Tracks

August 27, 2020 at PDT

Tap In (feat. Post Malone, DaBaby & Jack Harlow) - Single

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July 22, 2021 at PDT

INDUSTRY BABY - Single

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August 16, 2018 at PDT

Loose

As laidback and fun-loving as Jack Harlow's flows can often be, there's no mistaking the drive he possesses as an artist. The strides he took over the course of his early releases are a testament to his eagerness to push himself, develop creatively, and just do better. His first mixtape since the Louisville rapper signed with Generation Now and Atlantic Records, Loose sees him raise his game again with deftly delivered rhymes and performances that impress with their ease and finesse. Always ready to demonstrate his keen intelligence, Harlow is not just aiming to outdo his peers but outdo himself.

Part of the credit goes to producer 2forwOyNE, another rising talent who established his prowess with Harlow's irresistibly punchy "Dark Knight" in 2017. Here, he provides Harlow with a wide range of musical settings that include the eerie, synth-laden trap of "NUN FREE," the spacy electro/dancehall fusion of "CODY BANKS," and the dreamy, jazzy avant-R&B of "DRIP DROP."

Whatever the vibe, Harlow finds ways to command the space with lyrics that typically portray him as the fast-talking kid that everyone else in town wants to take out or get with. At the same time, he's quick to puncture his persona of macho invulnerability with a self-deprecating quip. On "PICKYOURPHONEUP," he risks torpedoing his chances for the night when he tells his potential companion, "In the morning maybe we can do Denny's—I wanted Cracker Barrel, but you know it gets busy." The fact that he compares himself to a kid secret agent in "CODY BANKS" is another welcome sign that Harlow has a sense of humor about himself.

Tracks like "SLIDE FOR ME" and the sultry "LIKE THIS" also demonstrate Harlow's increasing affinity for pop melodies as well as the more intimate sensibility that would later flourish in his 2022 crossover smash, "First Class." He may still call himself a "youngin" on "DRIP DROP" but his growing sophistication is undeniable.

13 Tracks

November 16, 2017 at PST

Gazebo

The last of the Louisville rapper's early mixtapes for his indie label, Private Garden, before he signed to Generation Now/ Atlantic, Gazebo captures the sound of Jack Harlow already leveling up. And it's not just about the sharpened focus that Harlow and producer 2forwOyNE bring to "Dark Knight," the punchy underground hit that led to his major-label deal a year later. It's about the creative growth and maturity that manifests in many ways throughout Gazebo, some of which may have surprised those who thought they had this upstart pegged.

One is the overall coherence Harlow brings to this set, which he wanted to sound "like Louisville at night." That 3 a.m. vibe is as palpable in the opener "Eastern Parkway"—which borrows its name from one of the city's main drags—as it is in the propulsive "Dark Knight." Augmented by contributions by Willy Will, J. Reid, and Ronnie Lucciano, the production work by 2forwOyNE provides Harlow with a solid foundation of tight trap beats, moody atmospherics, and ghostly, fragmentary melodies like the kind that fill "Used to Be."

Harlow's ideas about how best to create these soundscapes are fast-evolving, too. On "Routine"—an affecting rumination about hip-hop's impact on his life to date—Harlow's flow shifts between his ever-dextrous rhyming and early displays of the singing voice and more overtly pop sensibility soon to be heard on later hits. Elsewhere on Gazebo, he moves beyond the teenage brashness he exuded on his 2016 mixtape, 18, by showcasing a greater sensitivity. "Tightrope" is one of many tracks here that show the limits of his bravado as he ponders the challenge of maintaining empathy in a tough, cynical world and of keeping up the search "for something that lasts." Marked by the plea "I just wanna feel alive," "Maybe" is another sign of the melancholy side that's emerging.

That said, Harlow also shows plenty of the charisma that got him to this point—along with the pleasure he takes in showing all that he can do.

10 Tracks

November 9, 2023 at PST

Lovin On Me - Single

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November 12, 2020 at PST

Pussy Talk (Remix) [feat. Jack Harlow] - Single

1 Trackfalse

June 23, 2020 at PDT

WHATS POPPIN (Remix) [feat. DaBaby, Tory Lanez & Lil Wayne] - Single

1 Trackfalse

August 2, 2018 at PDT

SUNDOWN - Single

1 Trackfalse

June 16, 2016 at PDT

18

When Jack Harlow opens his third mixtape by stating, "I feel like the chosen one," the words are no ordinary boast. Expectations were already rising for the teenaged Louisville MC, who began rapping at the age of 12, started making his own CDs not long after, and spent his high school years selling out local shows and scoring an opening slot for Vince Staples.
Harlow was just a few weeks past graduation when he released 18, his first for Private Garden, the label he named after the collective that he'd formed with friends at school. As one might expect from a set with such an audacious yet endearing cover image (where he poses wearing just boxer shorts and glasses), the music showcases a performer and lyricist who is unafraid to bare his anxieties and expose himself while still conveying a youthful brashness. As he puts it in "The Chosen One," "Attracted to my confidence, swagger hella prominent, it's actually astonishing they mad at my accomplishments." Keeping a firm grasp on the tight hyphy production by Phinesse The Beat, Harlow delivers his lines with a playful swagger that suggests he doesn't necessarily believe he's all that.
Beyond the all-grown-up-now facade and his claim in "Never Woulda Known" to have "come a long way from that Guitar Hero mic" he wielded in his early days, he exudes a teenage mix of confidence and vulnerability on the eight tracks here. That quality lends a disarmingly casual charm to "Ice Cream," on which Harlow boasts about his rising local rep ("I'm the prince of my city") while sounding slightly surprised by his newfound appeal to members of the opposite sex. What's most striking is how much he relishes the opportunity to dart across the beats supplied by Wonya Love. The pleasure he takes in his task is infectious, possibly even more so because the talented 18-year-old on display here can't know what he'll soon accomplish.

8 Tracks

August 13, 2020 at PDT

Automatic - Single

1 Trackfalse

May 5, 2022 at PDT

Come Home The Kids Miss You

When Jack Harlow settled in to record “Movie Star,” something had been weighing on his heart: “I’m done faking humble, actin’ like I ain’t conceited/’Cause, b***h, I am conceited, you know you can’t defeat it,” he rapped. It’s a wonder he held out as long as he did. By the time of Come Home the Kids Miss You’s release, he’d been a performing guest on SNL, been called “Top 5 out right now” by one Kanye West, and released his Fergie-sampling, TikTok-conquering “First Class.” But as he remarks on that very song, life has been moving maybe quicker than he can comprehend. “They say, 'You a superstar now,' damn, I guess I am,” he raps. “You might be the man, well, that's unless I am/Okay, I'll confess I am.”

Come Home the Kids Miss You is Harlow coming to terms with his still-ascending star, reflections on his position sandwiched between meticulous wordplay and appeals for affection (“I’d Do Anything to Make You Smile,” “Side Piece,” “Lil Secret,” “Like a Blade of Grass”). It’s a series of diary entries authored by the coolest kid in school, and, as such, is not without moments of self-doubt. “Am I fancy enough?/Am I dancing enough?/Am I handsome enough?/Tell me right now so I can be enough,” he raps on “Young Harleezy.” But don’t think for a minute that Harlow isn’t also having heaps of fun. He’s called on people he likely once considered musical heroes for guest slots (Pharrell, Drake, Justin Timberlake, Lil Wayne), and if album closer “State Fair” is to be believed, Harlow’s been working so hard for so long that he’s finally ready to celebrate.

15 Tracks

October 21, 2020 at PDT

Tyler Herro - Single

1 Trackfalse

April 27, 2023 at PDT

Jackman.

13 Tracks