Jack Harlow talks about meeting Kendrick Lamar and other influences.
Jack Harlow is one of the top growing rappers and the Kentucky rapper recently earned a Grammy nomination for his Lil Nas X collaboration “Industry Baby”. The “What’s Poppin” rapper sat down with Variety recently, as he became their latest cover star.
During the interview, The 23-year-old recalled meeting one of his idols, Kendrick Lamar. “Ed Sheeran has this pizza spot in Brooklyn, it’s a little spot that he wanted to take me to. He said it was the best pizza in the world,” he said. “So we went up there and we walk in and Kendrick Lamar and Baby Keem are sitting there eating.
He continues, “I met Keem, I know Keem, so I was happy to see him. But I was thrilled to finally meet one of my idols, Kendrick Lamar. It was a warm embrace, he showed me a lot of love. I knew he was aware of me because he liked something of mine online before, but it meant a lot to me to finally be able to say I did that. I texted my mom right away.”
Jack Harlow on meeting his idol Kendrick Lamar 🙏 pic.twitter.com/DQhdELyLM0
— don’t bore us 🎧 (@DontBoreUs) December 28, 2021
Earlier this year, Jack Harlow obtained Kendrick Lamar’s co-sign. The Compton King’s first action on the social networking platform in more than a year was to “like” a video of himself rapping from when he was younger. What the heck, Harlow wrote, before joking, “So this is what it takes for the great ones to recognise my work?” Harlow enthusiastically posted his response on his Instagram Stories.
The something that Kendrick Lamar liked was one of Harlow’s childhood clips where the rapper was showing his rapping skills. In the interview, Jack Harlow also talked about meeting his other rap inspirations. “I met Drake a few times now. I met Cole a couple of times. Spoken on the phone with Eminem,” he said. “All people that kinda shaped how I looked at rap, and those are some of the guys that changed everything for me.”
During his interview, the 23-year-old rapper also talked about the follow-up to his first album “Thats What They All Say”, which is set to be released in 2020, according to Variety “has been quietly in the works for months and is likely to drop early next year.” “Before, I wanted to show off my subtlety, but now I feel like my tone is more commanding — there’s more presence, more personality,” he said. “This one has a lot more of my DNA all over it: I’m acting as a producer for the first time. I know my venues are about to get bigger, and I want my music to connect out there. I wanna turn up!”
Last month, Jack Harlow also honoured the Toronto Rap Star after he surprised him at his concert.
Watch the complete Variety interview with Jack Harlow below, in which he also discusses crowd safety at his gigs, his friendship with Lil Nas X, and running into Lil Uzi Vert, Erykah Badu, and Pete Davidson in a restroom during the Met Gala.
