Jack Harlow has brought about lots of controversy this past week following the release of his new album Monica. Harlow ventures into neo-soul on this record, which isn't exactly a welcome change. His execution of the genre is rough, to say the least. He doesn't have the chops, and fans are letting it be known that this was a misfire.
Furthermore, in an interview with The New York Times, Harlow says he "got blacker." This was the kind of fumble at the goal line that veteran artists should know not to make. These comments were tone deaf, and now, Harlow is facing the consequences.
With that being said, Monica is getting some pretty brutal reviews. Anthony Fantano and Pitchfork have already ripped the album to shreds. Yesterday on The Breakfast Club, Charlamagne Tha God added insult to injury with some very direct comments about Harlow's album.
While he acknowledges that Harlow's comments were probably sarcastic, he also says the album just wasn't good.
Charlamagne Tha God Gets Honest
There has been some debate about whether or not Harlow should have switched genres in the first place. Charlamagne noted that a genre shift is fine. However, there is one very simple caveat to that. The album needs to be fire. If the music isn't good, then people are going to have negative reactions.
Had Harlow delivered a truly dope project, everyone would have been a lot more charitable towards him. However, that was not the case, and the criticism has been flowing freely as a result. Harlow has mostly been quiet over the last few days, and doesn't seem to be engaging with what people have to say.
Overall, this is not the end of Harlow's career by any stretch of the imagination. He still has quite a few faithful supporters who will continue to support his new music. Having said that, one has to wonder if Harlow is going to go back to rap following this misfire.
