Jack Harlow Thinks His Music “Got Blacker” After He Recorded An R&B Album

If August Wilson were still alive, he’d probably say Jack Harlow was pretending. His new neo-soul album Monica is a departure from another black incarnation, hip hop from which he spawned a career.

Some supporters are supporters no more. They’re focused on the idea that this white boy is championing their music, their genres.

At least Eminem admits that he’a the modern day Elvis Presley.

Harlow maintains that he wanted a “softer” sound. That R&B infusion truly drove his ambition to sing on this record as opposed to rapping. His willingness to try out something novel should be respected but not liked.

In a world where whole styles have been jacked by outsiders, he has charted a course for creativity. He has been able to bring together the entirety of the genre of Rhythm and Blues and make it personalized. For him, he’s been castigated and even shunned for his choice in making music the way he sees fit.

By choosing a genre dominated by blacks, he struck out in business despite the naysayers.

This white boy had the audacity to make music that few other whites have embraced.

In his way of dealing with the amount of hate coming his way, he should just remind people that he laid down tracks for his own enjoyment.

It’s not even about his skin color when it comes to quality sounds. Everyone from Darryl Hall and John Oates to Michael McDonald and Justin Timberlake have used “black music.” But what isn’t black music? The blues is the template for all forms of modern music. It extends even further back to Negro Spirituals.

Harlow shouldn’t worry himself over the divide. He’s just trying to bring in something new and what he loves to the fore. It is so important for him to become a legend in his own right than to be swept away like a clump of dust.

To consider his prowess on the mic as an MC and then as a crooner should show the positioning of the industry and how it equated with the various forms of entertainment.

This has been an ongoing problem for him and those alike. Will you be held up by people of your own racial background or will you be held to a different standard because you chose to let your talents shine in anything byt rock & roll or country? (Both of which are expressions of black music.) When it comes down to the case of Harlow being “down” it shouldn’t even be something to consider.

Jack Harlow is a proponent of black culture regardless of what critics and supporters (or former supporters) say, he has made it possible for others to display their talents on the microphone. As we see the way the two worlds interact, hip hop and R&B, we must remember that rap has largely taken over for the latter.

If there is any doubt as to the skills and fortitude of Mr. Harlow, one shoukd be reminded that he is doing all of this to line his pockets, yes but this feels like a true passion project. He poured his soul into this project with every ounce of strength and power he has within his frame.

By recognizing his greatness singing or rapping, the salute is there for the rank but not the man. He has shown that he can cover new ground no matter what. With just a few strokes of his pen and some lyrics spit into a mic, he’s hip hop. With some light crooning, he becomes a singer of black music. Just don’t confuse it with trying to be something that he’s not.