The Grammy-nominated Louisville rapper Jack Harlow took center spread as one of Vogue magazine’s three June cover choices.
Harlow expressed his love for hip hop, his rise to fame and the support he has received from his fans, specifically Black women.
“Black women are such a massive part of my career,” he said.
“I was telling The New York Times how it’s not a massive phenomenon to me because it’s just a continuation of how my life was before I was famous,” Harlow continued. “They’ll never have to worry about not being credited by me…. I mean, I look out at my shows and I see them. It’s one thing when you see the memes and you hear people talking about it, but it’s another when you travel the country and you see them all over the place. I love Black women. I’ve loved Black women my whole life.”
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Recently, the “First Class” rapper was under scrutiny for his latest stint — not knowing Ray J and Brandy were siblings and unable to recognize her singing voice.
Harlow’s lack of R&B knowledge led people to go into a social media uproar.
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Many argue that because the rapper makes Black music, he should know who Brandy is, while others argue that Harlow is a Gen Z, a white kid from Louisville who shouldn’t be expected to know the truth about Brandy and Ray J‘s family ties.
“The era we live in has forced you, as a public figure, to be hyperaware of the decisions you’re making,” Harlow said. “Not everything can be, ‘What a charming guy who knows exactly what to say.’ It’s not human. Sometimes you put your foot in your mouth… Everything you say is really liable to affect your career in a crazy way,” he says.
“That’s just the nature of where we’re at. But it’s also dependent on your integrity, which is something I feel I have a lot of,” Harlow added.
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Harlow also felt the mixed reviews on his latest project, Come Home Kids Miss You were necessary to his growth as an artist and helped him better understand that the world will switch up on you.
“I’ve been so validated by the world over the last year and just put on a pedestal and loved. To experience a taste of the opposite, I think it’s good for my growth,” Harlow said.
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“It teaches you not to put too much stock in either because the world is finicky. But I’m proud to say my confidence and my thoughts on my trajectory haven’t been shaken. A lot of it has been a big surprise to me, after I caught wind of some of it. I’ve been able to do a good job of stepping away,” Harlow said.
