Jack Harlow is facing some serious allegations from LA rapper and crip-affiliate Glasses Malone. On Monday (Mar.16), Glasses Malone hopped on X, sharing a photo of the album cover to Harlow’s latest project, Monica. According to the outspoken rapper, Harlow’s new Soulquarian-inspired aesthetic is a form of “modern blackface.” On the cover, Harlow dons a brown newsboy cap, shades, and a brown, corduroy sweater.
Monica and its surrounding rollout have sparked a lot of discussion online. The rapper seems to have entered a new phase. Unlike his previous work, Harlow made a bold shift by adopting a more early 2000s Neo-Soul-inspired sound. Similarly, with his style, he’s swapped out his sneakers and designer T-shirts for a more relaxed look—think Common in the early 2000s—complete with a flat cap and oversized jeans.
Harlow Claims He Got ‘Blacker’ With Latest Album
Apart from the memes and jokes, Harlow’s shift has sparked deep discussions about cultural appropriation. The Kentucky native’s comments during a recent interview with the NYT’s Popcast podcast only further added to the controversy. When asked about his reasoning behind the album’s direction, Harlow claimed that he’d gotten “Blacker.”
“I love Black music. I love the sound of Black music. And of course, I’m hyper-aware of the politics of today, that safer landing spot that a lot of my white contemporaries have found,” Harlow says. “And of course, it appealed to me to do something that I felt, at a time when there’s certainly people that expect me to take the routes y’all are taking, to take the route that not only might not be expected but is also the route that I genuinely want to take. So all the stars aligned in that way for me, to be honest.”
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