Jack Harlow took a new direction in his career on his new album Monica, but the more soulful and R&B-centric sound isn't translating into the first week sales numbers he's enjoyed in the past. According to Kurrco on Twitter, projections for this Billboard debut are even lower than previously anticipated.
Earlier this week, reports suggested that the new LP would land outside of the top 20 on the publication's albums chart and sell less than 26.5K album-equivalent units in its first week. Right before we get the official chart, though, updated first week sales projections paint a more disappointing picture for the Kentucky native... At least, commercially.
Sadly for Jack Harlow, critics are not kinder. Many big names and publications like Pitchfork and Anthony Fantano of The Needle Drop trashed Monica upon release. What's more is that Harlow's comments also tainted the rollout process, prioritizing discourse around his "got Blacker" remarks on his New York Times "Popcast" interview rather than the actual music. While this is not the best album drop by any means, his die-hards are confident in a comeback.
Jack Harlow's First Week Sales
As for Jack Harlow's updated first week sales projections for Monica, it will reportedly debut at No. 36 on the Billboard 200 albums chart with 19.2K album-equivalent units sold. By comparison, the debut studio album That's What They All Say sold 51K units at No. 5, Come Home The Kids Miss You sold 113K units at No. 3, and Jackman sold 35.5K at No. 8.
The biggest piece of context that may have impacted this commercial performance in some way is Jack Harlow's "got Blacker" comment. He made the remark on the aforementioned "Popcast" interview in reference to the R&B direction of Monica, which was tone-deaf for many folks.
Some folks continue to criticize Harlow's cultural sensitivity and assessment, whereas others just wanted more traditional hip-hop from him. Now, he will have to think about what may have gone wrong and course-correct with whatever inspires him next. Perhaps the next album will be a more significant and appreciable release, and Monica may have been an important lesson to learn.
