Kentucky’s Jack Harlow is one of the most hyped new rappers of this year, with a No 2 single and a Grammy nod for the same song, Whats Poppin. He’s also been called derivative and criticised for tracing over hard-edged rap styles with a frat-boyish freehand. On his debut album, the 22-year-old attempts to mark out his USP: “something ’bout your aura”, says the voice on Kendrick-ish opener Rendezvous. His breezy, poppy confessionals are indeed charismatic, and coast along – to use a word that’s often deployed to describe him – effortlessly.
But there are few surprises here: the usual shouts to his home town (Louisville, on Face of the City), crass bro-isms (pre-cum gets a mention on Way Out, featuring Big Sean, ladies), Auto-Tuned crooning and a Chris Brown feature. Though to be fair, Creme must be the first song to blend trap with the uilleann pipes. His most interesting songs are the more introspective ones, where he addresses being uncomfortable about his acclaim (Keep It Light) and his white privilege (Baxter Avenue). Beyond the fronting, these songs hint that there might be more to come from Harlow than everything you’ve already heard before.
