Jack Harlow
Jackman Thomas "Jack" Harlow (born March 13, 1998) is an American rapper and singer.[2][3] He began a musical career in 2015, and released several EPs and mixtapes until signing with Don Cannon and DJ Drama's record label Generation Now, an imprint of Atlantic Records in 2018.
Jack Harlow
Jackman Thomas Harlow
March 13, 1998
Louisville, Kentucky, U.S.
- Rapper
- singer
- songwriter
- record producer
- actor
2015–present
- Generation Now
- Atlantic
- sonaBLAST!
Harlow's first mainstream breakthrough came with the release of his 2020 single "Whats Poppin." Aided by its popularity on TikTok,[4] and following a remix with rappers DaBaby, Tory Lanez, and Lil Wayne, it peaked at number two on the US Billboard Hot 100 and received a Grammy Award nomination for Best Rap Performance. That same year, he was included on XXL magazine's 2020 Freshman Class[4] and released his debut studio album Thats What They All Say (2020), which received platinum certification by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).[5] In 2021, Harlow guest featured on Lil Nas X's single "Industry Baby," which became his first number one song on the Billboard Hot 100. His second album, Come Home the Kids Miss You (2022) was supported by his second number-one single and first to debut at the position, "First Class." In 2023, he guest performed on Jungkook's single "3D", which peaked at number five, while his song "Lovin on Me" became his third number-one single on the chart.
Harlow has received numerous accolades, including Top New Artist at the 2021 Billboard Music Awards.[6] That same year, he was named Variety's "Hitmaker of the Year" and was included in Forbes 30 Under 30.[4] He made his acting debut as Jeremy in the 2023 remake of the 1992 film White Men Can't Jump, directed by Calmatic.[7]
Early life
Jackman Thomas Harlow was born on March 13, 1998, in Louisville, Kentucky.[8][9][10] He is the son of Maggie (née Payette), a businesswoman, and Brian Harlow, and was raised on a horse farm near Shelbyville.[11] He has one younger brother, Clayborn Harlow. He is of French and Irish descent.[12]
Harlow moved from Shelbyville to Louisville with his family as a child and began rapping at age 12. He and his friend Copelan Garvey used a Guitar Hero microphone and a laptop to record rhymes and songs. They made a CD, Rippin' and Rappin', and sold copies at their school, Highland Middle School. When he was in seventh grade, Harlow acquired a professional microphone and made his first mixtape, Extra Credit, using the moniker Mr. Harlow. He formed a collective, Moose Gang, with various friends; during this time, he worked on two mixtapes that were ultimately never released, Moose Gang and Music for the Deaf. He attended Atherton High School, where he played on the boys' varsity soccer team.
Music career
2015–2018: Early mixtapes and Private Garden
In November 2015, Harlow released his first commercial record, the EP The Handsome Harlow. It was released on Gill Holland's sonaBLAST! record label.[8][13] Throughout high school, he often played sold-out shows at Louisville venues like Mercury Ballroom, Headliners, and the Haymarket Whiskey Bar.[8][9] In March 2016, he opened for Vince Staples in Louisville.[14]
In June 2016, less than a month after graduating from Atherton High School, he released the mixtape 18, which was the first album on his label and music collective, Private Garden.[15][16] The collective also features Harlow's frequent collaborators, the Homies, composed of Louisville rappers and producers Ace Pro, 2forWoyne, Shloob, Quiiso, and Ronnie Lucciano.[8] Over the course of the next year, Harlow performed at South by Southwest,[17] Bonnaroo Music Festival,[18] and the Forecastle Festival.[19]
In the summer of 2017, Harlow released the single "Routine".[8] In October of that year, he released another single, "Dark Knight", with an accompanying music video. He credits Cyhi the Prynce with helping him work through his writer's block and finish the song.[20][21] "Dark Knight" became the lead single on Harlow's mixtape Gazebo, which was released in November 2017.[9] Harlow went on a 14-city Gazebo Tour in support of the album. The Homies opened for Harlow, and the tour ended in January 2018.[22][23] In May 2018, Harlow opened for indie rock band Portugal. The Man on select tour dates.[24][25] The next month, he was featured alongside Lil James and Sixteen on the Skeme song "Get Sumn".[26]
Acting career
In March 2022, it was announced that Harlow would make his acting debut in a remake of the 1992 film White Men Can't Jump directed by Calmatic.[7]
In October 2022, Harlow appeared on Saturday Night Live as both host and musical guest for the Halloween episode.[68] In April 2023, Harlow joined the cast of the Apple TV+ film The Instigators, co-starring alongside Matt Damon and Casey Affleck.[69]
Artistry
Style
Harlow's craft has been characterized by critics as blending playful confidence with emotional sincerity in both his music and lyrics,[70][71] which often explore themes such as sexuality, partying, and drug use.[72] Harlow's music has been categorized broadly as hip hop. Publications have further tagged his music as blending trap beats[73] with instruments such as pianos and uilleann pipes.[74][75]
In 2020, Kate Hutchinson of The Guardian opined that Harlow's most interesting songs are his more introspective ones, dealing with topics such as being uncomfortable with his acclaim, and his white privilege.[74] Thomas Hobbs, another writer for The Guardian, wrote that Harlow embraces "being a dorky outsider", while additionally having "enough charisma" to pull off "using language that is usually cringeworthy coming from suburban white people".[76] He has described his own music as emphasizing rhythm, and his lyricism as being "personal but fun",[77] and geared toward "connect[ing] with people".[78] In 2022, following Harlow's surge in popularity, Terry Nguyen of Vox also described his music as breezy, comparing it to Drake.[4] Nguyen praised Harlow's lyricism for its wise wordplay and for its introspective content.[4]
Influences
Harlow cites a range of influences across multiple genres, including Eminem,[79] Drake, Kanye West, Lil Wayne, Outkast, Paul Wall, Willie Nelson, Johnny Cash, Hall & Oates, Fergie, and Jesse McCartney, among others.[80][81][82] Harlow has also identified cinema as an influence, aiming for his songs to be "like short films". His favorite filmmakers are Martin Scorsese, Quentin Tarantino, and Alfred Hitchcock.[83]
Philanthropy and activism
Harlow supports the Black Lives Matter political movement, having attended a rally to protest the killing of Breonna Taylor, which occurred in his hometown.[84] Harlow has stated that, being white, he "can never truly know what [the experience of racism] is like", and that it is his responsibility as a white rapper to approach his work with that knowledge in mind.[85]
In October 2021, Harlow donated to five Louisville-based organizations: AMPED, the Center for Women and Families, the Grace M. James Academy of Excellence, Louisville Urban League and Metro United Way.[86][87] Citing the spirit and pride he holds for his hometown, Harlow stated that "People need hope, they need love", when announcing his donation plans.[86] KFC and Instagram pledged to match up to $50,000 of what Harlow raises through the social media platform's fundraising tool.[86]
In December 2021, Harlow teamed up with KFC and its parent company Yum! Brands to donate a joint $250,000 to the American Red Cross to support those impacted by a deadly tornado in western Kentucky.[88]
In 2023, he founded the Jack Harlow Foundation to “reinvest, uplift and support organizations aiming to make the city that raised him a better place.”[89] That same year, he headlined a rally alongside Kentucky's Democratic governor Andy Beshear ahead of the general election.[90]
Headlining tours