Harriet Lander – Chelsea FC / Jack Harlow
Jack Harlow has been walking the fine line between being labeled a “culture vulture” and being respectful to Black music, but his latest comments might have pushed him over that line.
Last week, Harlow stopped by the New York Times “Popcast” to discuss his new album, Monica, and emphasized to the hosts that he chose to draw on his love of R&B music when crafting his latest project, rather than other genres like country or pop-rock.
That’s all good and all, but the interview went off the rails when Harlow, who is a white man, said this:
“I got Blacker, love Black music. I love the sound of Black music. And, of course, I’m hyper-aware of the politics of today — the safer landing spot that a lot of my white contemporaries have found.”
It didn’t take long for social media to pounce on the six-time Grammy nominee because of his “I got Blacker” quote. TDE’s Terrence “Punch” Henderson Jr. wrote on X (formerly Twitter), “Got Blacker is wild. How exactly does one get ‘Blacker’?”
Social media has been roasting Harlow by giving him hilarious nicknames that would make Shaun King blush, like Ghostface Vanillah, Chaka Klan, and Chance the Cracker, to name a few.
LOL.
Do we think Harlow is on the level of other culture vultures like Machine Gun Kelly or Post Malone, who both came into the game rapping before completely switching genres? No, but his comments were wild, and he’s gonna get these jokes.
You can see more reactions below.
