Jackman Album Review: Harlow Redeems Himself When Reflecting On His Roots
Music
Jackman Album Review: Harlow Redeems Himself When Reflecting On His Roots
By Dylan Barbee
Release Date: 4/28/2023
Louisville rapper Jack Harlow has had a rapid rise to success after his breakthrough song “What’s Poppin” blew up in early 2020. Since then, Jack Harlow has collaborated with several prominent artists in the music industry such as Drake and even received a grammy nomination for best rap album with Come Home The Kids Miss You in 2022. While much of his work in the recent years has consisted of displaying his confident and smooth persona, Jackman is an album where Harlow goes back to his lyrical roots as an artist before he blew up causing him to display vulnerable storytelling over robust production styles.
Jackman has 10 songs that span across a quick but fulfilling listen of 24 minutes. Harlow announced the album just two days before its release, leaving many fans surprised. There are no features on this album which I respect due to how personal Harlow gets on many of the songs.
Similar to his earliest career albums like Gazebo and Loose, Jack Harlow takes a lyrical approach to almost every single song on Jackman. While he remains lyrical, a lot of what he is talking about has a significantly different tone than anything he has previously dropped. Harlow has portrayed himself as a cocky and charismatic rapper who made it clear a lot of women wanted him throughout these past three years, he has risen to mainstream stardom. However, the rustic but elegant production style of Jackman forces Harlow to freely flow lyrically as he gives listeners a deeper glimpse into his personal life and insecurities. His lyrics at times made me feel like I was taking a walk down memory lane with him as he reflected on his friendships and adolescent years in the city of Louisville. There are some decent tracks on this record, but the real standout songs are the ones where Harlow is at his most vulnerable.
On the song “Ambitious” Harlow tells us about the stages of his life at three different ages. 14, 19, and 24. Harlow describes how he went from a class clown who made music for fun in high school to a festival headlining artist who travels the world and finds himself in the party scene most nights. I thought Harlow took a very creative approach to this song lyrically as he clearly talks about how he felt personally while everything around him changed so much in a short amount of time.
Jack Harlow also had a lot to say about his relationships and friendships with the people he grew up with. On the song “Blame On Me” Harlow raps about his estranged relationship with his brothers and how it still breaks him down every time he talks about them. He tells this story over an exhilarating beat that contains an emotionally raw sample. “I wanna reminisce and ask you if you miss those days, but I'm terrified of broaching the subject, I'm terrified to hear your answer, so I just don't touch it, I don't say nothing,” Harlow raps. Even on the song “Gang Gang Gang Gang” Jack Harlow talks about how he had to cut ties with some of his hometown friends he grew up with because of the disgusting actions they took. However, I am not much of a fan of this song due to how unnatural Harlow’s flow is at times over the eerie and quite annoying sample.
Another song that confused me during this listen was “No Enhancers” as the first line is Harlow rapping that his friend just beat cancer and then he proceeds to talk about his admiration for a woman because of her all-natural body. This song did not need to be included in this project as it disrupts the reflective tone all the other songs have.
The best song on this album is “Denver” where Harlow raps about the negative impact fame has had on his mental health. It’s a song that illustrates Harlow’s self-awareness as an artist where he admits that although he displays himself as cocky and charismatic to the public, behind the curtains he is struggling with self-doubt and personal insecurities. “Nemo said to keep my foot on necks cuz I can’t let 'em just forget me, But the brags in my raps are getting less and less convincing…” Harlow raps.
Stylistically, Jackman is a clear improvement from his last album Come Home The Kids Miss You. Harlow’s openness to be vulnerable on most songs causes him to reflect on his roots as a young artist who came out of the city of Louisville. Harlow recognizes that although he got to where he wanted to be career wise, the lifestyle of an artist still comes with a lot of baggage.
Rating: 7/10
Comments
Post a Comment