You don’t know Jack Harlow? Here are fast facts about Kentucky’s rising star.
READ MORE
Previewing the 2022 Kentucky Derby
Click below to view more content from the Lexington Herald-Leader and Kentucky.com previewing the 148th Kentucky Derby to be held May 7 at Churchill Downs in Louisville.
Expand All
Jack Harlow at this year’s Kentucky Derby is set to make the “Riders Up!” call, the indicator for jockeys to mount their horses ahead of the big race.
If you’re in the demographic most likely to watch the race — that is, people 45 and older — you might be asking yourself, “Who is Jack Harlow?” Here’s a crash course.
The one-sentence version
Jack Harlow is a 24-year-old, Grammy-nominated rapper from Louisville.
More background
Harlow began rapping when he was 12, releasing his first mixtape, “Extra Credit,” in June 2011. He graduated from Atherton High School in 2016 and started touring around the country. In 2018, he moved to Atlanta, where he began working at a Chick Fil-A on the campus of Georgia State University to supplement his music income.
Between the release “Extra Credit” and his first breakthrough single, “What’s Poppin,” Harlow released seven additional mixtapes and EPs.
“What’s Poppin”
Harlow’s first commercially successful single was the first from the EP “Sweet Action,” which came out in March 2020. “What’s Poppin” dropped two months earlier and became a popular song in videos produced on TikTok. A remix featuring fellow artists DaBaby, Tory Lanez, and Lil Wayne was released in June 2020 and helped propel the song to No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100. The song earned Harlow his first Grammy Award nomination, for Best Rap Performance, and four Billboard Music Award nominations in 2021.
Since 2020
“That’s What They All Say,” Harlow’s first studio album, was released in December 2020, and produced two charting singles in “Tyler Herro,” named after the former University of Kentucky player and reigning Sixth Man of the Year in the NBA, and “Way Out,” which features rapper Big Sean.
Harlow was a co-artist on the Lil Nas X track “Industry Baby,” which was released in July 2021 as the third single from the former’s debut album, “Montero.” It went on to become the first No. 1 hit of Harlow’s career, and his contributions to the album garnered two additional Grammy nominations.
On Friday, Harlow released his second studio album, “Come Home the Kids Miss You.” His first single from that album, “First Class,” debuted at number one on the Billboard Hot 100. He collaborated with Drake on “Churchill Downs,” one of the tracks on the album.
Why is he involved in the Derby?
Starting with the 2012 iteration, Derby organizers have invited known public figures to make the ceremonial “Riders Up!” call. UK basketball coach John Calipari was the first to do so, and he’s since been followed by NFL quarterback Teddy Bridgewater, actor Jeff Bridges and boxer Laila Ali, among others.
Harlow actually was supposed to make the call before last year’s Derby, but the night prior he was at the scene of a nightclub shooting. His DJ, Ronnie Luciano, was charged with the murder of a woman, Kasmira Nash. No charges were made against Harlow, but he has been named in three lawsuits that have since been filed. (Thoroughbred trainer D. Wayne Lukas made the ceremonial call in Harlow’s absence.)
Other quick facts
▪ Harlow has 1.88 million subscribers on YouTube. His channel has accumulated more than 800 million views.
▪ Jack’s parents, Brian and Maggie Harlow, since 2003 have managed a Louisville location of Signarama, an international sign and advertising business.
▪ He is a fan of the Louisville Cardinals. In 2020, Harlow told Kentucky Sports Radio the following: “There was a window, there was an opportunity for me to be a Kentucky fan. My dad went to UK. I grew up going to Freedom Hall games, my grandfather would take me to those games. I’m from Louisville specifically so I always thought there was something special about representing the specific city I’m from.”
▪ John Calipari and Rick Pitino are both name-dropped in the same sentence on a track included on his new album. In “I’d Do Anything To Make You Smile,” Harlow sings: “Hotels five-star like they play for Coach Cal, but they call me young Pitino cause I’m good in both towns.” It’s the last verse of a very NSFW song.
▪ Harlow has been cast as the lead in a forthcoming remake of “White Men Can’t Jump.” The original 1992 film starred Woody Harrelson. “I tried to be egoless during the audition, take notes, do what I had to do,” Harlow said on The Zane Lowe Show this week. “I just want to kill it. I just want to be good and I want to do everything I can to make it good.”
This story was originally published May 6, 2022 at 12:51 PM with the headline "You don’t know Jack Harlow? Here are fast facts about Kentucky’s rising star.."
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
