Jackman Thomas “Jack” Harlow (born March 13, 1998) is an American rapper and composer. He is contracted to Generation Now and Atlantic Records. He is also the co-founder of his own musical collective, Private Garden. He is best known for his track “What’s Poppin?,” which peaked at number 2 on the Billboard Hot 100.
Childhood Rapper
Harlow was born and raised in Louisville. Harlow began rapping at age 12. He and a pal used a Guitar Hero microphone and a laptop to record rhymes and songs. They developed a CD entitled “Rippin’ and Rappin'” and sold copies at their school (Highland Middle School) (Highland Middle School). When he was in seventh grade, Harlow purchased a professional microphone and created his debut mixtape, Extra Credit, adopting the alias “Mr. Harlow.”
Where did Harlow went for Graduation?
Harlow attended Atherton High School, graduating in 2016. During his freshman year, his YouTube videos garnered the attention of major labels, but he chose not to pursue any of the offers made to him at the time. In November 2014, during his junior year, he released another mixtape, Finally Handsome.
Harlow’s Commercial Album
In November 2015, Harlow released his debut commercial album, an EP entitled The Handsome Harlow. It was released through Gill Holland’s sonaBLAST! record label. Throughout high school, he routinely played sold-out gigs at Louisville venues including the Mercury Ballroom, Headliners, and the Haymarket Whiskey Bar. In early 2016, he released a single, “Never Woulda Known,” which featured Johnny Spanish and was produced by Syk Sense. In March of that year, he opened for Vince Staples in Louisville.
Jack Harlow’s Debut Album
In June 2016, less than a month after graduating high school, he released the mixtape “18,” which was the debut album on his label and music collective, Private Garden. The collective also contains Harlow’s frequent collaborators, the Homies, comprising Louisville rappers and producers Ace Pro, 2forwOyNE, Shloob, Quiiso, and Ronnie Lucciano. Harlow gave performances at major music festivals the next year, including SXSW and Bonnaroo, as well as the smaller but no less significant Forecastle Festival. He also travelled between Louisville and Atlanta to work with engineer/mixer KY Engineering.Produced by 2forwOyNE and J-Reid, he dropped “Hitchcock” in March of 2017.
Routine
In the summer of 2017, he released the track “Routine.” That year, in October, he dropped another single called “Dark Knight,” complete with a music video. He thanks CyHi the Prynce for helping him push past his writer’s block and finish the song. The song would become the lead single off Harlow’s mixtape Gazebo, which was released in November 2017. He went on a 14-city “Gazebo Tour” in support of the album. The Homies opened for Harlow, and the tour ended in January 2018. In May 2018, Harlow opened for the indie rock band Portugal. The Man on specific tour dates Next month, he was featured alongside Lil James and Sixteen on “Get Sumn” by Skeme.
DJ Drama and Don Cannon’s
In August 2018, it was revealed that Harlow had signed to DJ Drama and Don Cannon’s Atlantic Records imprint, “Generation Now.” He also published a video for his tune “Sundown” on the day of the announcement. On August 17, Harlow released his major label debut mixtape, Loose. The album features guest verses from CyHi the Prince, K Camp, 2forwOyNE, and Taylor. In September 2018, he performed at the Genius IQ/BBQ event. In November 2018, Harlow went on a North American tour in support of Loose that is slated to end in late December. That month, he also released a music video for the song “Pick Your Phone Up,” featuring K Camp. On August 21, 2019, Harlow released the track “Through the Night” featuring Bryson Tiller and launched his US tour, which started in October of the same year.
Harlow’s WHAT POPPIN?
In January 2020, he released “WHAT POPPIN,” with a music video from video director Cole Bennett, who had also filmed videos for artists such as Juice Wrld, Lil Tecca, Lil Skies, and Blueface. The music video has achieved one hundred fifty-five million views as of May 2022.
The song “Industry Baby,” which Harlow recorded with Lil Nas X in 2021, topped the Billboard Hot 100 that year, marking Harlow’s first number-one single. In 2022, Harlow released his second studio album titled “Come Home the Kids Miss You,” and the album’s lead track “First Class” climbed to the top of the Billboard Hot 100 chart.