His debut album, That’s What They All Say, released in 2020 on the burgeoning Atlantic imprint Generation Now, spawned three other charting hits and was recently certified platinum, proving that he not only had a gift for wordplay but also a heartfelt perspective as he rapped about topics like imposter syndrome ( “Keep It Light”) and white privilege ( “Baxter Avenue”). But since the June 2020 release of “Whats Poppin” - a Grammy Award-nominated showcase for his quick-witted lyrical prowess that jumped from TikTok to No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 thanks to a star-studded remix featuring Lil Wayne, DaBaby and Tory Lanez - Harlow has hardly slowed down. Harlow could be forgiven if he let himself simply enjoy this moment. I think I go extra hard, the extra mile, because it’s like I have this fear in the back of my mind of losing them. I’m desperate to keep my fans’ attention during shows because it all feels so fragile to me. I appreciate it more because I know what it felt like when it wasn’t there. “It gives so much meaning to the entire journey. “These moments… they just keep happening,” says a still-awestruck Harlow on Zoom days after the show. (Appropriately, the trek is called the Créme de la Créme Tour.) The other night, Drake came to one of his shows - the ultimate co-sign for a 23-year-old from Louisville, Ky., who came up idolizing him - but just as exciting for Harlow was the moment he recognized a fan in the crowd from that 2018 concert.
Harlow himself is now a platinum-selling rap star who has evolved from a scraggly, glasses-wearing MC to a debonair showman and one of the buzziest names in hip-hop. Jack Harlow: Photos From the Billboard Shootįlash forward to November, and Harlow is back in Birmingham, at the same venue - in front of a sold-out crowd of 1,300.