Jack Harlow knows who to thank for much of his success.
The Louisville spitter appeared as one of Teen Vogue’s three June cover stars, and spoke about what the support of Black women means to him, noting they’re “such a massive part” of his career. The piece’s author, Tess Garcia, writes that Black women are the “fanbase he most directly credits with his success.”
“They’ll never have to worry about not being credited by me,” Harlow said. “I mean, I look out at my shows and I see them. It’s one thing when you see the memes and you hear people talking about it, but it’s another when you travel the country and you see them all over the place. I love Black women. I’ve loved Black women my whole life.”
Harlow also touched on what it was like to see reviews for his Come Home the Kids Miss You album, especially those that were critical.
“I’ve been so validated by the world over the last year and just put on a pedestal and loved. To experience a taste of the opposite, I think it’s good for my growth,” Harlow said. “It teaches you not to put too much stock in either because the world is finicky. But I’m proud to say my confidence and my thoughts on my trajectory haven’t been shaken. A lot of it has been a big surprise to me, after I caught wind of some of it. I’ve been able to do a good job of stepping away.”
As he explained, he hadn’t seen “a lot of good points” picking apart his album, because he believes “most of the noise isn’t written eloquently.” Jack thinks he’s only getting better with time, regardless of what critics say. “Some of my earlier stuff, since I wasn’t in the position that I’m in [now], it was easier to be like, ‘Yeah, slide him his props.’ But once you’re up there, it’s a saltier feeling in your mouth,” he said. “It’s seasonal, I’m telling you. It’s fashion.”
Harlow trended around the album release for a variety of reasons, not all good, like when he had two men carry him at the Kentucky Derby or when he admitted he didn’t know Brandy and Ray J were siblings. But as he now sees it, sometimes “put your foot in your mouth,” and it’s all about how you handle it.
“Everything you say is really liable to affect your career in a crazy way,” he said. “That’s just the nature of where we’re at. But it’s also dependent on your integrity, which is something I feel I have a lot of.”
Next up for Harlow, fans are eager to see how he pulls off his role in the remake of the 1992 comedy classic White Men Can’t Jump. And he’s prepared, even tapping an acting coach in the process. “She’s just so brilliant and pushes me in ways I didn’t expect,” he said. “I’ve spent so much of my life trying to be taken seriously as an artist, gaining respect, and I think I avoided embarrassment. This movie’s a good opportunity for me to feel embarrassed, I think.”
