Arts

Jack Harlow’s experimental debut album ‘That’s What They All Say’ worth invested listen

Jake Gersh ’21, Staff Writer|December 23, 2020

Jack Harlow was named a 2020 Freshman by the newspaper XXL, which is high prestige for any rapper.

Jack Harlow has been advertising and hyping his recent album, “That’s What They All Say,” since Dec. 2 for a Dec. 10 release date. After it’s first week, the album sold just over 52,000 units, a huge jump from his previous album “Sweet Action,” which sold just 15,400 units in week one.

Harlow is new to the game. At just 22 years old, the Generation Now rapper has picked up a lot of popularity from hit singles like “What’s Poppin” and “Tyler Herro.” He even managed to get Dababy, Tory Lanez, and Lil Wayne on the remix for the “What’s Poppin” track prior to releasing this album.

People who had listened to those songs before the new album knew Harlow for heavy 808s and powerful flow over an aggressive beat. While that brought the Louisville native rapper a lot of success, he decided to go more experimental on this album, which is something I am definitely here for.

In an album touted with features including Lil Baby, Big Sean, Adam Levine, Bryson Tiller and Chris Brown, my favorite song came at track 7, a solo song called “Keep it Light.” I would trade all of NBA Youngboy’s music to get a first listen of this one again.

Harlow links with 37-year-old producer Harry Fraud to create a mellow and reflexive song right in the middle of the album. With lyrics like “I’m everything that I said I’d be, everything that I bet I’d be, all the kids that I grew up with, They see me out and congratulate me,” Harlow reflects on his success and what got him this far.

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With lyrics like ‘I’m everything that I said I’d be, everything that I bet I’d be, all the kids that I grew up with, They see me out and congratulate me,’ Harlow reflects on his success and what got him this far.

— Jake Gersh ’21

The song finishes with a voice message, presumably from Harlow’s mother, congratulating him on all he has done but reminding him to stay true to his roots; this was a cherry on top of an awesome, feel-good song with great lyrics.

While Harlow featured many different artists in this album, none were bigger than the three-time Grammy-nominated Lil Baby. This was Harlow and Baby’s first link, and they certainly took advantage.

With both of them on a hubris based track, we see those notorious 808s and smooth transitions from Harlow’s voice to Baby’s. Both put together lyrical verses with a catchy chorus rapped by Harlow.

Harlow goes deep into his bag to find flows that we had never seen before. Songs like “21C/Delta”, “Creme” and “Baxter Avenue” highlight the new-sound Jack with melodic beats and soothing flows. Harlow seems to dedicate this album to his childhood, speaking on everything that made him who he is today.

Overall, I was extremely impressed with Harlow’s ability to switch up his sound, removing himself from the repetitive trap many new artists are caught in. There were a few that didn’t send me to the moon, such as “Same Guy” and “Love is Dro,” but for the most part these songs met my ear and were sent directly to my playlist.

Even if you aren’t a fan of Harlow, or maybe you haven’t heard his stuff yet, I highly recommend this album and I’ll give it an 86/100.