Jack Harlow is one of the most popular rappers in the game today, as shown by his “Industry Baby” collaboration with Lil Nas X currently sitting atop the Billboard Hot 100. However, Harlow’s ascent to the top hasn’t been without criticism from people taking him at face value.
During a recent interview with British GQ, the Louisville, Kentucky native addressed his status as a white rapper, revealing he actively avoids rapping about his skin color in order to avoid being seen as a “novelty” rapper like so many caucasian MCs before him.
“I think what has worked for me is that my music has never been about the fact that I am white,” he said. “I don’t try to lean into the, ‘Hey, I’m the white boy.’ I try not to make it a novelty. I rap from the heart, rather than trying to do a white version of the art form.”
Earlier this year, Jack Harlow spoke to HipHopDX about being a white rapper and how it feels to be the leader of Private Garden, a collective of his childhood friends who are mostly Black.
“Even though it’s something we don’t really think about that often, it is still real and present,” he said. “The fact that we’re different in that way. We’re genetically different. We’re different in general and everyone notices race and it’s real and it’s touchy and it’s something I never really talked about in my songs. Everyone sees it.”
He continued, “Everyone sees that I have a collective of guys that are mostly black, and now they’re in my videos, and they support me and stand next to me and we’re family. We’ve contributed to this together, but it’s never been something I’ve discussed. It’s almost been something that I let other people comment but I never talked about.”
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Elsewhere in his conversation with British GQ, the 23-year-old rapper defended Kanye West’s Donda antics, comparing him to historic composers Mozart and Beethoven. Harlow’s choices are right in line with Kanye’s, who has compared himself to iconic figures such as Apple CEO Steve Jobs, Walt Disney, William Shakespeare, Andy Warhol and Pablo Picasso.
He literally has a line in one of his top singles “5 white boys and they not NSYNC.”
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Yeah “a line”… one line. Go through and see how much he mentions it in the rest of the album. I only gave the album one listen because I don’t really like most of the songs but that’s the only time I remember him mentioning it.
Soooo Kendrick can make an entire album on just the fact that he’s black and a rapper but when a white dude even mentions being white once then all of a sudden he’s exactly what Harlow is saying? Get real.
“I’m vanilla baby”
Take the L
He still is the token white rapper no matter. Just by jumping on Lil Nas X song he solidified it. Adam Calhoun talked about this dude and how he Harlow is willing to dance and dress stupid to entertain black hip hop fans. Why does the white guy always gotta be a clown to get accepted in the industry ? Why cant the white rappers just rap without acting like clowns on the videos ? Adam Calhoun is right about this guy. He is the token white rapper.
You’re talking about the newer white rappers, the ones who entered Hip Hop after Eminem. MC Serch, Everlast, EC Illa, EL-P, RA the Rugged Man and a small bunch of others never had to act like clowns in the videos and in real life lol.
He actually is. He’s a white man rapping about his life.
Man.. The obsession with colour isn’t normal. Everything is black this or white that. The only thing that should matter is character. Your either good or bad.
Dude is garbage nobody from the streets or at least in my city support these guys. Harlow said himself there novelty rappers. If you ever noticed or pay attention when white rappers post videos or clips of there concerts there are literally no black spanish Arabs or any other minorities in the crowds. Not at Eminem,MGK,Yelawolf, Harlow, Caskey,post Malone or even at mac Miller’s shows when he was alive. There’s real hip hop then a side place for white rappers gay rappers mumble rappers and all the other bullshit garbage like migos Uzi trippie red young thug dudes like them. Then there’s the slap in the face real culture vulture red necks who tried and pretended to be black and for the culture and used hip hop culture to ultimately start making country wack ass hick hop or whatever you wanna call that bullshit like jelly roll struggle Jennings lil whyte and bubba sparkks. All those guys are. trash oh I forgot g eazy and Tom MacDonald ass or whatever his name it. Every artist I named are culture vultures and wannabes that used hip hop and street like to profit once foot was in the door they switched to being punk rockers pop stars and country stars. They can never be original or authentic always have to mimic steal and copy wether it be hip hop R&B rock n roll smh just jack and steal what they want and never give back or show respect
Lol Arab mad because his people are nothing but murderers and goat lovers. You have 0 rappers, none. So shut your mouth.
Your not important enough to read that bs.
Dumb take
Doing interviews on the subject is worse and even more cringy! He’d get more respect if he put the topic in his back pocket and kept moving
If he’s not rapping about what’s real to him then he’s a fraud. No you don’t have to go fill Logic and mention it every track but it will inform your music because its art of who you are. I use Hip Hop as a fan to learn about other people. As an artist I inform others from my perspective. We should celebrate our differences not hide them.
Whelp that didn’t last long. In his most popular song he says “I’m vanilla baby” in the chorus.