Jack Harlow is back and apparently “Blacker” than ever before with his latest album, Monica. Harlow recently discussed the R&B-inspired project with the New York Times‘ Popcast podcast. At one point in the conversation, it turned to race and how white rappers are positioned in the music industry. One of the interviewers pointed out that Harlow’s white peers—like Post Malone, MGK, and Jelly Roll— have the ability to retreat into other genres, such as Country and Rock, whereas Black rappers don’t. However, it appears that Harlow dove deeper into his Black influences with his latest project— a sentiment he agrees with, saying he got “Blacker.”
“I love Black music. I love the sound of Black music. And of course, I’m hyper-aware of the politics of today, that safer landing spot that a lot of my white contemporaries have found,” Harlow says. “And of course, it appealed to me to do something that I felt, at a time when there’s certainly people that expect me to take the routes y’all are taking, to take the route that not only might not be expected but is also the route that I genuinely want to take. So all the stars aligned in that way for me, to be honest.”
