Come Home The Kids Miss You - Jack Harlow

Intro:

Kentucky rap star Jack Harlow is dominating the charts after breaking out with his first hit single Whats Poppin. Jack is signed to Don Cannon and DJ Drama's record label Generation Now alongside artists like the iconic Lil Uzi Vert. The 24-year-old rapper was putting in work for years both while under contract & before he was even signed. Since releasing his sophomore project that’s being reviewed today below, there’s been both positive & negative reception from listeners online. Is Come Home The Kids Miss You really that mixed of an album?

Strengths:

The first thing many people will notice is Jack’s signature smooth/laidback flow & delivery. He sounds nonchalant while finding very catchy pockets for his lyrics. In a way, elements of his style remind me of some of Drake’s work (Ex: his flow on “Dua Lipa”). It does work well in his favor at its best. There were moments on some songs where he got melodic & sounded decent (Ex: I Got A Shot & Like A Blade Of Grass).

He gives some insight into where he’s at in life now that he’s successful, rich & famous. Most notably his lyrics are mostly focused on relationships, sex & women. Amid the glamour, Jack does miss time/moments with his loved ones back home. He occasionally comes up with clever lines, but even some of the cheesier moments add humor. Songs like “Little Secret” showcase his storytelling ability as well.

The beats on this album vary in different styles of Pop rap but still carry the same chill vibey aesthetics of his vocal style (Ex: State Fair & Young Harleezy). Most have bouncy 808s & rattling hi-hats over a smooth melody/sample. I appreciate the numerous amount of beat switches across the tracklist as well. Feature-wise, all four guests body their contributions. Both Lil Wayne & Drake sound like vintage versions of themselves.

Weaknesses:

There are some clear negatives about Jack’s new album. There are still moments where he raps some bad/cringe lines or just keeps it dumbed down for a wider audience. And while I do like his chill voice, it rarely varies on the album & can make certain songs back background music. All his features do great, but they all outshine him (except Pharrell). Drake especially out raps Jack & truly showcases the skill gap between the two.

Thematically, his content about sex & women gets old, repetitive & even cheesy at times. I wish there was more we could’ve learned about his persona deeper than the surface level (this is very subjective though). I don’t really have an issue with the production like many other fans & critics by the way, but there were still some that were generic or didn’t stick out.

Overall:

I think Jack Harlow dropped a better album than some harsh critics are giving it credit for. It’s not great, but it’s at least above average compared to other newer Hip-Hop releases. I do think that Come Home The Kids Miss You is a mixed bag & was dumbed down a lot to appeal to a wide audience. With that said, it’ll be interesting to see if Jack can bounce back & improve on his flaws with the next album. Thank you all for reading and be sure to listen to Jack Harlow’s new album with the link below.