Jack Harlow recently released his new album Monica, which sold modestly but caused a much larger debate online over quality and accusations of appropriation. The R&B-centric project divided listeners, but some folks are scrutinizing earlier releases. Jozzy recently claimed he asked her to omit her credits from a collaboration of theirs from the Come Home The Kids Miss You era.
"Shout out to Jack Harlow, but I will say, I had a moment with Jack," the artist and songwriter expressed, as caught by CHILLING WITH MONIE on Twitter. "We did some great work together. He texted me a long voice note. 'I love working with you. But I don't want nobody to know we're working.' Pretty much wanted me to be a ghostwriter. That s**t hurt me... I was like... 'If the song comes out, I'm letting n***as know I wrote it.' So we never worked after that. I respect him for hitting me with what he wanted. In return, I hit him with what I wasn't gon' do."
The Kentucky rapper and singer doesn't seem to have responded to this accusation at press time.
Jack Harlow's New Video
Elsewhere, Jack Harlow's new music video for the Monica track "Say Hello" is also causing debate, albeit a smaller one that might be even more at his expense. Fans clowned the hat he wore for the visual, tying it back to his "got Blacker" comments that derailed the new project's rollout.
For those unaware, Harlow made that comment referring to how he entered R&B after working in hip-hop, embracing Black culture further rather than distancing himself from it like other white peers in the industry. But the comment didn't sit well with folks. They criticized his perspective on Black genres, called him a cosplayer, and found the remarks tone-deaf, insensitive, and privileged.
"Say Hello" Reactions
Despite the negative press around Jack Harlow these days, he has too big of a career for this to be an automatic sinker. With an artistic direction truer to his reality and position that makes for a quality listen, folks could jump back on. But these comments from Jozzy also raise questions about the collaborative process behind these releases. The music industry is always complicated in this regard, but any disagreement can result in more problems down the line.
