Jack Harlow is a rapper who seemingly blew up out of nowhere. From his 2018 track, “SUNDOWN” which put him on many people’s radar, to his most recent “WHATS POPPIN,” which debuted at No. 9 on the Billboard Hot 100’s Bubbling Under chart, Jack Harlow has garnered 514k followers on Instagram, and over 44 million combined views on his YouTube page. Despite a promising single, one question remains for his 7 track EP project SWEET ACTION: Is It Good?
Let’s start with the positives: Jack’s flow is very versatile. This, along with the fact that most of the songs fall under two minutes, is a very impressive feat that not many rappers can achieve (yes, I am looking at you Dababy).
Speaking of Dababy, JetSonMade, one of Dababy’s main producers who is responsible for the double-platinum hit Suge, along with the chart-topping bangers Bop, and Vibes, is attributed producing credits on both WHATS POPPIN and I WANNA SEE SOME A**. These are arguably the best tracks on the project, and they help prove that Jack is best when he is rapping over fast-moving 808-heavy instrumentals.
However, this is as far as positives go for me. Despite each song running under three minutes, Harlow somehow manages to produce some of the most cringe-inducing bars of 2020. From “Said she wants my kids but they grounded” on 2STYLISH, to the laughable “Me and my friend just like twins/Same nutsack and the same d*ckhead,” line he raps on HEY BIGHEAD, Jack Harlow comes off as a great value Lil Dicky.
Harlow offers very little lyrical substance as well. Most tracks can be summed up as braggadocious rap songs where Harlow also lusts over women, but on the instance where he tries to offer more lyrical substance such as on ONCE MAY COMES, he throws the potential out the window by literally repeating the first verse. Although the lack of lyrical substance Jack offers in his music can be found in a lot of popular rap songs, what separates them is that they are able to do so in a way that many people (excluding myself) find enjoyable. Jack, however, does not, and attempts to make up for his lackluster verses by offering strong conclusions, such as on the track 2STYLISH.
In conclusion, SWEET ACTION is a project that does well in the first half, then drastically decreases in quality on the latter. Despite having a lot of potential, Harlow never fully utilizes it, thus resulting in a very low-level project. So, Is It Good? The answer is no, it is mediocre. This project has some very good songs, then very bad songs, with no in-between. If you find yourself very bored during the quarantine (which is inevitable), and you’ve already listened to The Weeknd’s amazing After Hours album, then maybe this project’s standout tracks will produce add-ons for your playlists.
Standout Tracks: WHATS POPPIN, I WANNA SEE SOME A**, & OUT FRONT
Worst Tracks: SMELLS LIKE INCENSE, HEY BIG HEAD, & ONCE MAY COMES.
Rate: 5/10
