Jack Harlow put a massive target on his back during the rollout of Monica when he said he felt he "got Blacker" with it. Shortly after that comment surfaced, it spread like wildfire on social media. It led to some funny and creative nicknames such as "D'Anglo," "Stevie Wonderbread," "Vanilla Rice," and more.
At the same time, the Louisville, Kentucky rapper and singer sparked backlash. For example, it really confused and irritated TDE's CEO, Punch. "Got Blacker is wild. How exactly does one get 'Blacker?'" he said on Twitter.
Overall, it was probably not the outcome Harlow wanted for this project, especially with his previous work, Jackman., dropping three years prior.
But it's the reality that he created for himself. It seems though that the 28-year-old has been a good sport about it or he's just ignoring the jokes and harsh criticisms.
However, it just got a whole lot more inescapable as Saturday Night Live decided to pile on this past weekend. During the fan-favorite "Weekend Update" segment with Colin Jost and Michael Che, "Jack Harlow" came on to discuss Monica and the conversations around it.
It's actually SNL cast member Ben Marshall. But even for those who have seen Harlow recently via interviews, his impersonation is eerily (but hilariously) spot on. It almost makes you do a double take.
Jack Harlow Monica First Week Sales
From the way he talks, to his mannerisms, and to the neo-soul-inspired outfit that Harlow dons for album cover, it's all done really well. During the "interview," Marshall acknowledges all of the nicknames, listing out some of his favorites. He also tries to freestyle, which goes hysterically wrong as all he can muster is "Boop, boop-di-boop."
But to really hammer the joke home, Marshall plays up how he thinks Harlow would act around Black people. For example, he goes in for a dap but tries to kiss Che's hand in the process. "Can never get that part right," Marshall says.
He also explains he thinks R&B stands for. "Rhymin'-N'-Boppin'. Rural-N'-Blessed. Real-Nice-Boy. Raised Near (but not with) Black people."
Then, to put a bow on it all, Che drops the N-word after he tries to get Marhsall to recognize how Monica sounds like that derogatory word when you say it slowly.
While Harlow is still getting attention during this new album cycle, it mostly hasn't been positive, of course. That's also sadly applied to the first week sales, which saw the project fail to reach 20,000 units (19,217) and debut at 36 on the Hot 200.
