Jack Harlow

Jack Harlow rose from a teenage regional sensation in Louisville, Kentucky’s hip-hop underground to global commercial prominence on the strength of his magnetic presence, candid lyricism, and instinctive command of the microphone. With a directness and openness rare among his contemporaries, he chronicled the frustrations, triumphs, and ennui of young adulthood, shifting from the carefree party anthems of his 2015 EP Handsome Harlow to the more introspective explorations of sexuality, depression, and insecurity that defined the 2017 mixtape Gazebo. That growing reputation secured a contract with Generation Now, the Atlantic Records imprint run by DJ Drama, which issued his 2018 project Loose. Two years afterward came his official debut album, That’s What They All Say, featuring appearances by Lil Wayne, DaBaby, and Big Sean. After the 2021 Grammy-nominated Lil Nas X collaboration “Industry Baby,” Harlow displayed further growth on the star-laden 2022 album Come Home the Kids Miss You and the entirely solo Jackman in 2023, the latter arriving just as he made his screen debut in the White Men Can’t Jump remake. He also claimed Hot 100 number ones with “Lovin On Me” in 2023 and “Hello Miss Johnson” in 2024.

Born in Louisville in 1998, Harlow began writing rhymes at age twelve. During high school he immersed himself in the city’s underground rap community, performing locally and posting tracks that focused on youthful escapades and lighthearted themes. Handsome Harlow appeared in 2015, followed in 2016 by the mixtape 18. Clear artistic development surfaced on the subsequent Gazebo mixtape, highlighted by the urgent single “Dark Knight.” Local recognition and live shows drew attention from major labels, leading to his signing with Generation Now, which released the 2018 mixtape Loose containing guest verses from K Camp and CyHi the Prynce. Confetti followed on the same imprint in 2019.

Harlow returned in 2020 with the EP Sweet Action, produced in part by CuBeatz, Jetsonmade, Pooh Beatz, Puand, and 2forwOyNE. Its standout track “What’s Poppin” reached the top of the Billboard Hot R&B Songs chart. Additional singles “Tyler Herro” and “Way Out” surfaced later that year and appeared on his debut full-length, That’s What They All Say. Boasting contributions from Lil Baby, Bryson Tiller, and Lil Wayne, the album delivered an array of laid-back trap tracks, nearly topping the hip-hop albums chart while peaking at number five on the Billboard 200.

Throughout 2021 Harlow issued multiple singles, among them the chart-topping, Grammy-nominated “Industry Baby” with Lil Nas X and the Pooh Shiesty collaboration “SUV’s (Black on Black).” His second studio album, Come Home the Kids Miss You, arrived in May 2022 and leaned further into polished, high-impact production with appearances by Pharrell Williams, Drake, Justin Timberlake, and Lil Wayne; it also yielded his second Hot 100 number one, “First Class.”

For his third album, Jackman, Harlow chose a starkly different path: ten tracks devoid of guest features, delivered entirely by the rapper himself as he confronted issues of celebrity, his standing within hip-hop, and intimate personal matters. Announced only two days prior to its April 2023 release, the project coincided with his acting debut in the White Men Can’t Jump remake. It reached number eight on the Billboard 200 and number two on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart. Later that year the non-album single “Lovin On Me” became another Hot 100 success, and in November 2024 he followed with “Hello Miss Johnson.”