Jackman. Review
Jack Harlow as an artist has been very hit-or-miss with his work in the past couple of years. From his work with Lil Nas X and Pooh Shiesty to his last album Come Home The Kids Miss You, which was not heavily favored by critics, Harlow has not been the most consistent person in the rap community. But his newest album Jackman. finally shows his skills as an artist, and I believe that he has come back to relevance.
After his big-budget production of Come Home The Kids Miss You(which I will be referring to as CHTKMY), which critics argued was full of wasted rhymes and carbon-copy rhythms, Harlow realized that he needed to go back to the basics. Did it work? Most definitely. Jackman. does a fantastic job of showing his talents as a lyricist but also shows his maturity regarding his music.
A song like “They Don’t Love It” is a great example of his lyrical maturity. As an example, in the lyric “F*uck buffing my nails dawg I’m trying to get buff” he references “Nail Tech”, a song from his last album, which is a sneaky way to show he has grown from the corporate stylings of CHTKMY compared to Jackman..
Harlow also uses repetition to emphasize his lyrical maturity, as seen in the song “Is That Ight”, in which he repeats the song title in the chorus. He uses this repetition to explain that he does not want to be treated like a big-time celebrity, but still wants to live a successful life.
Rhythm wise, the album also sounds exceptional. Harlow interpolates R&B music to give the album a soulful and classic vibe. For instance, in the opening song “Common Ground”, he interpolates Jade’s 1994 intro “When Will I See You Again”, which sets the tone and feel of the album.
Another example is when Harlow samples Douglas Penn’s 1977 song, “Do You Know”, as a chorus in the 6th track, “Denver”. This sample on the other hand adds to the meaning of the song, where he shows that he has dealt with dark and depressing feelings, but knows that he has family and friends to help him get through.
Harlow also makes uses his own rhythms in the background to give off the same chill tone. As seen in the 10th and final track, “Questions”. This chill rythem matches perfectly with the lyrics and the tone of the song, where he questions his career and life and wonders why he made certain choices, and how that affected his family and friends.
One thing I also noticed was how well the songs blended together. For example, the song “Gang Gang Gang” and “Denver” connect wonderfully in tone and meaning. “Gang Gang Gang” is about Harlow going into the nature of his friendships with people who’ve done awful things. He questions how far he can go to support these friends who have done very problematic things. This excellently transitions into “Denver” where he acknowledges the dark feelings he gets from these questionable friendships.
Jackman. shows a serious side of Harlow that I don’t think anyone expected. This album does a perfect job of blending his emotional and lyrical maturity. This album showed Harlow trying something new and doing an excellent job.
Jack Harlow’s Jackman. does a very good job of showing Harlow’s strength, while giving even the casualist hip-hop fans songs to enjoy. If you indulge in rap, I believe that it’s worth your time to listen to this album, as it is only 24 minutes long. I give Jackman. 8/10.
