The Jackman Cometh: Jack Harlow’s new album

[NARRATION]: AS MANY OF YOU MAY KNOW, AND MANY MORE OF YOU WON’T KNOW, THE RAPPER JACK HARLOW RELEASED HIS NEWEST ALBUM LAST FRIDAY. THE LOUISVILLE NATIVE ROSE TO FAME THROUGH VIRAL TIKTOK HITS, I THOUGHT I WOULD ATTEMPT TO REVIEW HIS ALBUM. BUT I FELT UNQUALIFIED, HAVING LISTENED TO LITTLE OF HARLOW’S MUSIC BEFORE, SO I SPOKE WITH SOME OF MY PEERS TO GET A BETTER IMPRESSION OF THE RAPPER. 

[KATIE]:JACK HARLOW WAS JUST LIKE A VERY QUINTESSENTIAL PART OF THE LOUISVILLE EXPERIENCE. 

[NARRATION]: THATS KATIE CUMMINS, A SECOND-YEAR WHO GREW UP IN HARLOW’S HOMETOWN OF LOUISVILLE, AND CLAIMS TO HAVE PERSONAL TIES TO THE ARTIST

[KATIE]:  I GUESS LIKE I FIRST HEARD OF HIM IN MIDDLE SCHOOL. HE WENT TO HIGH SCHOOL WITH LIKE, MY BEST FRIEND’S OLDER SISTER. AND YOU KNOW, HE’S LIKE THIS RAPPER, YOU KNOW, LIKE MY DAD’S GOLFING BUDDIES. STEPDAUGHTER WENT TO PROM WITH HIM, YOU KNOW, AND LIKE, HE WOULD LIKE MAKE LIKE RANDOM MUSIC VIDEOS AND PUT THEM ON YOUTUBE AND HE WAS REALLY UGLY.

HEY, THE MUSIC’S OKAY, LIKE, SOME OF ITS GOOD SOME OF ITS LIKE REALLY BAD. BUT HE’S JUST LIKE, HAS SUCH A PERSONALITY TO THEM, AND I LOVE THE WAY THAT HE LIKE CHERISHES LEVEL AND ALL HAVE LIKE EVERYTHING THAT HE DOES.

[LUCAS]: HE’S GOT MAD RIZZ

NARRATOR: THIS IS ANITA LI, A SELF DESCRIBED JACK HARLOW FAN, TALKING ABOUT HIS MUSIC:

[ANITA]: I THINK IT’S CATCHY. LIKE IT HAS GOOD RHYTHMS. BUT ALSO I THINK HE’S SMART. HE’S A SMART LYRICIST. 

THERE’S NOT A LOT OF PEOPLE WHO ARE TALENTED AND HAVE A PERSONALITY. SO I FEEL LIKE IT’S REALLY COOL THAT JACK HAS BOTH.

[INTERVIEWER] WHAT’S YOUR REACTION TO HEARING THE NEWS THAT HE JUST DROPPED A NEW ALBUM

EXCITED, YO, THAT’S AWESOME. I’M ALWAYS EXCITED TO HEAR WHEN HE HAS NEW MUSIC. I FEEL LIKE HE’S GONNA BRING SOMETHING DIFFERENT.

[JAY]: I HAVEN’T LISTENED TO HIS NEW ALBUM BUT I DID LISTEN TO A LOT OF HIS OLDER SONGS ESPECIALLY LIKE THE ONES THAT KIND OF LIKE YOU SAY MADE HIM FAMOUS.

[NARRATOR]: THAT’S JAY, AN AVID RAP FAN WHO IS NOT A HARLOW FAN

[JAY]: I WOULD ONLY LISTEN TO IT. IF SOMEONE JUST CONSTANTLY TALKED TO ME, BUT I WAS LIKE, DUDE, YOU HAVE TO LISTEN TO THAT. WE’LL BE HAPPY TO LISTEN TO THIS. I’LL BE HAPPY LIKE THAT. THAT’D BE THE ONLY CASE I’D EVER LISTENED TO IT. AND I DON’T SEE THAT REACTION FROM ANYONE AROUND ME. SO I’M NOT NECESSARILY LIKE INCLINED. I LIKE I WOULD NOT GO LISTEN TO THE ALBUM OUT OF MY OWN FREEWILL. 

[NARRATOR]: I ALSO ASKED THEM WHAT I CAN EXPECT AS A NOVICE JACK HARLOW LISTENER.

[ANITA]: CHILL VIBES, RECENTLY I FEEL LIKE IT’S BEEN MORE HE’S KIND OF MELLOWING OUT, A HUMBLE BRAG.

[JAY]:  I DON’T KNOW IF HE’S LIKE CHANGED GEARS WITH THIS NEW ONE. BUT WHEN PEOPLE TALK ABOUT JACK HARLOW, THEY’RE LIKE OH MY GOODNESS. HIS PERSONALITY IS SO CUTE IN THE SENSE THAT HE’S LIKE THIS KIND OF LIKE A NARCISSISTIC, OBNOXIOUS KIND OF DUDE. THAT’S WHAT YOU’RE KIND OF IN FOR, BUT LIKE, THAT’S WHAT MAKES ME COOL, YOU KNOW, THINGS LIKE THAT.

 I AM HONESTLY GONNA COMPARE HIM TO A ANOTHER RAPPER LOGIC IN A SENSE BECAUSE I FEEL LIKE OVER TIME JACK HARLOW HAS BECOME MORE AND MORE LIKE LOGIC

[KATIE]: YEAH, I LISTENED TO IT. I LISTENED TO IT ALL THE WAY THROUGH A COUPLE DAYS AGO. I THOUGHT IT WAS GOOD. I MEAN, I DON’T KNOW LIKE I JUST I’M KIND OF APATHETIC TO HIS LIKE MORE RECENT MUSIC.

[NARRATOR]: AFTER ALL THAT, I FELT READY TO EMBARK ON THIS JOURNEY THROUGH JACK HARLOW’S MOST RECENT ALBUM, “JACKMAN”. HERE ARE MY THOUGHTS AS I LISTEN THROUGH THE ALBUM: 

[DANIEL]:   IT’S 2:25 AM. I’VE JUST DONE A BUNCH OF INTERVIEWS. AND I’M READY TO LISTEN TO THIS ALBUM. EVEN IF SOME OF THE COMMENTS WEREN’T THE MOST POSITIVE, I’M ACTUALLY GETTING VERY EXCITED TO LISTEN TO THIS. SO I’M GOING TO START NOW.

I JUST FINISHED LISTENING TO IT. THERE’S A LOT OF INTERESTING THINGS IN HIS ALBUM THAT I WASN’T EXPECTING

VERY DIFFERENT FROM THE SOUND THAT I WAS EXPECTING FROM HIM. NOT VERY TRAPPY AND MUCH MORE SERIOUS SUBJECT MATTER OF HIS LYRICS, OBVIOUSLY, IT’S JACK HARLOW, SO THERE WAS SOME QUANTITY OF BRAGGADOCIOUSNESS BUT OVERALL HE AT LEAST ATTEMPTED SOME VERY SERIOUS SUBJECT MATTERS.

IT FELT LIKE HE WAS TRYING TO MIMIC JAY COLE IN A WAY BUT IT ENDED UP SOUNDING A LITTLE BIT LIKE LOGIC. I KNOW JAY MENTIONED EARLIER THAT HE REMINDS HIM OF LOGIC, BUT MAYBE IT WAS JUST THAT COMMENT THAT GOT ME THINKING THAT BUT THIS ALBUM DEFINITELY FELT LIKE THAT IN ITS OWN WAY.

IT’S VERY COMPELLING I THINK AFTER THIS, THEY DEFINITELY HAVE MORE RESPECT FOR JACK HARLOW. AM I A JACK HARLOW FAN? NO. PROBABLY NOT GONNA SAVE ANY OF THESE SONGS EITHER. BUT BUT NOW IF SOMEONE SAYS THAT THEY ARE A FAN. I DON’T THINK I’M GOING TO LOOK AT THEM WEIRD ANYMORE. I THINK I HAVE MORE RESPECT FOR THE MUSIC THAT HE MAKES BECAUSE THERE WAS A LOT OF VERY COMPELLING CONCEPTS IN HERE.

[NARRATOR] AFTER THINKING ABOUT IT MORE, I THINK I WOULD GIVE THIS ALBUM A 6 OUT OF 10 MOMS, WHICH IS PROBABLY JACK HARLOW’S FAVORITE UNIT OF MEASUREMENT. THERE ARE SOME STRONG MUSICAL AND LYRICAL CONCEPTS, BUT THE INSTRUMENTALS ARE AT TIME BLAND AND THE LYRICS CAN LACK SOME SELF AWARENESS. IN ANY CASE, I DID NOT SUFFER THROUGH THE ALBUM, AND ACTUALLY ENJOYED SOME PARTS, SO I WOULD CONSIDER THAT A WIN. 

[KATIE]: HE’S JUST SOMEONE YOU CAN JUST TELL HE WAS UGLY IN HIGH SCHOOL, YOU KNOW? AND LIKE, I THINK PEOPLE REALLY ADMIRE THAT IN HIM BECAUSE HE WAS REALLY UGLY IN HIGH SCHOOL

[NARRATOR]: FOR WNUR NEWS, I’M DANIEL GROSS.