Wednesday 10/28: Jack Harlow—"Tyler Herro"
Today, we share our thoughts on a new song by the Kentucky rapper Jack Harlow.
Welcome to Endless Scroll, the brainchild of Eli Enis (he/him) and Eric Bennett (they/them). Since Feb. 2019, we’ve been a weekly podcast about music, the internet, and where those two things intersect. Now we’re, also a M-F newsletter about songs. Our format is simple: a link to a song and a short take from each of us about what we think of it. Each day of the week has a corresponding genre: Monday is indie, Tuesday is punk, Wednesday is hip-hop, Thursday is pop, and Friday is misc.
Today, we share our thoughts on a new song by the Louisville rapper Jack Harlow.
Jack Harlow—"Tyler Herro"
Michael Brooks:
Just who in the fuck does Jack Harlow think he is, exactly? In one of my favorite pieces of the year, Tom Breihan answers that question—well sort of. Harlow scored his first major hit with “Whats Poppin” earlier this year, a song which I unfortunately am completely enamored with. I’m not the kind of person who believes in the idea of guilty pleasures, I think you should just enjoy whatever you enjoy and everybody else can fuck off, but it probably says something about me that every time I listen to “Whats Poppin” on Spotify I make sure to switch over to a private session, as a way to keep up appearances with my much more interesting peers. I think that one of my worst qualities as someone who writes about music is that I’m an extremely agreeable person and I like “Whats Poppin” for the same reasons that I like McDonald’s and Impractical Jokers, because I’m a human—a stupid, bumbling, shame-filled mess of a human.
On “Tyler Herro,” Harlow’s first release since the star-studded remix of “Whats Poppin,” the Louisville MC addresses his detractors from the jump, rapping “The ones that hate me the most look just like me / You tell me what that means.” To be fair, it’s not just white kids with curly hair who grew up on hip-hop that are skeptical of his bonafides, but that’s neither here nor there. When it first dropped, “Whats Poppin” felt ubiquitous and exciting, but “Tyler Herro” fails to capture that same spirit and the track does absolutely nothing for me. I can imagine this song is already a smash hit with all of the 21-year-olds out there that play flip cup and line their YETI coolers with Keystone Light, but I’m a jaded 27-year-old with back pain so it makes sense that this song wouldn’t really resonate with me. Also, can we talk about that scene in the video where Harlow is surrounded by eight white dudes that look just like him and they’re all wearing the same green New Balance hoodie? I guess that shot in particular is supposed to be tongue in cheek but it actually just fucking sucks? Rap videos are supposed to be fun, but "Tyler Herro" is nothing more than a showcase of how average Harlow is.
Eli Enis:
There’s nothing particularly offensive about Jack Harlow, but I’d still like to see him get punched in the face. I also like “Whats Poppin” (specifically the remix with Lil Wayne, DaBaby, and a pre-Megan-shooting Tory Lanez) and I’m not going to pretend like his whiteness is a hindrance to his rapping ability (plenty of white people make great rap), but the dude dresses like someone who thinks he’s too cool for the frat but still joins the frat. I went to a state school and I just know this guy’s type, so watching his smug face in his corny videos just makes me angry. That being said, I honestly think I like the actual song “Tyler Herro” more than Michael does. I think the pan flute effect on the beat is played out at this point, but Harlow definitely has a smooth flow and a natural voice for rapping. I think if I heard this song come on in a playlist I would vibe along to it and maybe ask who it was out of curiosity.
I don’t think there’s anything about Harlow that’s particularly distinct, but I do think his music sounds good in single form. However, on the lyrical end. . .I’m 25-years-old and at this point in my life I don’t care for “Ha, I’m white! Get it??” punchline rap. The line about bringing a gang of five white guys to the party “but they not NSYNC” is low-hanging "only 90s kids will know” bait, and most of the other bars on here are either mindless flexes or references to his haters. It’s not a good sign to have one major hit and already be talking about haters, and since Jack Harlow doesn’t seem capable of rapping about emotional topics, and I doubt he has a life story that would resonate with anyone outside of the beer pong table, I predict that he’ll be pivoting to a defensive shtick with a miniscule half-life. Will I ever voluntarily listen to this song again? No. Will I give it a tepid nod of approval the next time I involuntarily hear it? Yeah, probably.