Jack Harlow Biography. Jackman Thomas Harlow, a rapper, singer, songwriter, and record producer from Louisville, Kentucky, was born on March 13, 1998. He began his career in 2015 and put out a number of EPs and mixtapes before signing with Atlantic Records imprint Generation Now, which is run by Don Cannon and DJ Drama.
With the release of his track “Whats Poppin” in 2020, Harlow experienced his first significant success. Its success on TikTok[3] helped it reach number two on the US Billboard Hot 100, and after a remix including the rappers DaBaby, Tory Lanez, and Lil Wayne, it was nominated for a Grammy Award. Before releasing Thats What They All Say (2020), which was certified platinum in the US, Harlow was on XXL magazine’s “2020 Freshman Class”[3]. In 2021, Harlow released a song with Lil Nas X called “Industry Baby,” which became his first hit single and peaked at number one on the Hot 100. The song from Harlow’s second album, Come Home the Kids Miss You, “First Class,” which was released in 2022,
Harlow has been nominated for a number of honors by several organizations, including Top New Artist at the 2021 Billboard Music Awards. [5] He was named Variety’s “Hitmaker of the Year” that same year, and Forbes 30 Under 30 listed him. It was revealed that Harlow will make his acting debut in a 2022 remake of the Calmatic-helmed 1992 movie White Men Can’t Jump.
Jack Harlow Early life
When he was twelve years old, Harlow and his family relocated from Shelbyville to Louisville. To record rhymes and songs, he and his friend Copelan Garvey utilized a Guitar Hero microphone and a laptop. They created the CD Rippin’ and Rappin’ and offered it for sale at Highland Middle School, where they attended. In the seventh grade, Harlow bought a professional microphone and released his first mixtape under the name “Mr. Harlow,” entitled Extra Credit. Together with several buddies, he established a collective named “Moose Gang,” and it was at this time that he worked on the mixtapes “Moose Gang” and “Music for the Deaf,” both of which were eventually never released. He participated in the boys varsity soccer squad at Atherton High School.
The Handsome Harlow, an EP, was the first commercially available record by Harlow. It was published by the sona BLAST! record company, run by Gill Holland. He frequently performed to packed houses at Louisville venues like Mercury Ballroom, Headliners, and the Haymarket Whiskey Bar throughout his senior year. He served as Vince Staples’ opening act in Louisville in March 2016.
He released the mixtape 18 in June 2016, less than a month after earning his high school diploma from Atherton. This was the debut album on his label and music collective, Private Garden. The Homies, which consists of Louisville rappers and producers Ace Pro, 2forWoyne, Shloob, Quiiso, and Ronnie Lucciano, are another group that frequently works with Harlow. Harlow gave performances at South by Southwest, Bonnaroo Music Festival, and Forecastle Festival over the course of the next year.
Jack Harlow Artistry
Critics have described Harlow’s craft as fusing lighthearted self-assurance with emotional authenticity in both his music and lyrics, which frequently cover subjects like sexuality, partying, and drug use. Harlow’s music has been broadly defined as hip hop. His music has additionally been described in publications as combining trap beats with pianos and uilleann pipes.
According to Kate Hutchinson of The Guardian in 2020, Harlow’s songs that are more introspective and deal with issues like his discomfort with his success and his white privilege are his most engaging songs. Another Guardian contributor, Thomas Hobbs, claimed that Harlow enjoys “being a nerdy outsider” and has “enough appeal” to get away with “using language that is often cringeworthy coming from suburban white folks.” He has said of his own music that it has a strong emphasis on rhythm and that his lyrics is “personal yet fun” and aimed at “connecting with people.” Following Harlow’s meteoric rise to fame in 2022, Terry Nguyen of Vox characterized his music as breezy and compared it to Drake. Nguyen appreciated the lyrics of Harlow for its clever language and its reflective subject matter.
Jack Harlow Philanthropy and activism
Harlow is a supporter of the Black Lives Matter political movement and recently participated in a protest in his hometown over the shooting of Breonna Taylor. According to Harlow, it is his duty as a white rapper to approach his art with the understanding that he “can never genuinely know what [the experience of racism] is like” due to his race.
AMPED, the Center for Women and Families, the Grace M. James Academy of Excellence, the Louisville Urban League, and Metro United Way were the five Louisville-based organizations to which Harlow made donations in October 2021. When announcing his donation plans, Harlow referred to the energy and pride he has for his city and said, “People need hope, they need love.” KFC and Instagram agreed to match up to $50,000 of the funds raised by Harlow using Instagram’s fundraising feature.
In order to help those affected by a terrible tornado in the western part of Kentucky, Harlow collaborated with KFC and its parent business Yum! Brands to contribute a combined $250,000 to the American Red Cross in December 2021.
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