ALBUM: Jack Harlow – Jackman (ZIP File)

Jack Harlow’s naysayers had their chance, but rest assured that the Louisville-bred rapper now controls the conversation. Blessed with immaculate hip-hop production, Jackman. reinforces his status as the confident and appealing artist who crushed it on Come Home the Kids Miss You. More than cognizant of the loaded “white rapper” label, “They Don’t Love It” flips the critical script in classic emcee fashion, unapologetically expressing his Eminem-sized intentions. Like others before him who faced down a sometimes less-than-enthusiastic media, he addresses any lingering skepticism with a shoulder shrug and résumé flex on “Ambitious” and “It Can’t Be”. Rising above the bullshit, “Is That Ight?” sets the terms going forward as he navigates the road to superstardom with a clear sense of self. Elsewhere, he bluntly examines accountability and the complexity of interpersonal relations on “Blame on Me” and “Gang Gang Gang”.