Jack Harlow, Come Home the Kids Miss You | Album Review 💿

Despite an exorbitant amount of hype behind him, Jack Harlow delivers a lukewarm effort (at best) on his sophomore LP, Come Home the Kids Miss You.

Sometimes, the hype is too much! For whatever reason, 🏆 Grammy-nominated rapper 🎙 Jack Harlow came into his sophomore album, 💿 Come Home the Kids Miss You, with an exorbitant amount of hype.  Harlow has blown up, quickly, which is amazing, of course.  Unfortunately, Come Home the Kids Miss You doesn’t necessarily show growth artistically. The album has some great moments.  It also has entertaining ones that aren’t ‘great’ but are not bad.  And then, there are misses – fillers that’ll make you hit skip and perhaps, roll your eyes.  Let’s just dive into it, shall we?

“Talk of the Town”

Jack Harlow kicks off Come Home the Kids Miss You with 🎵 “Talk of the Town.”  He keeps the opener short, spitting over lush piano set in a minor key.  Notably, portions of the record sample the 🎙 Destiny’s Child classic, 🎵 “No, No, No (Part II)”, which he alludes to while rapping.  As usual, Harlow keeps things cool, never getting too high.  “Talk of the Town” is an okay start but doesn’t provide much of a bang and certainly NOT a knockout punch.

Perhaps the more intriguing number early on is 🎵 “Young Harleezy.” In the beginning, Harlow’s flow is relatively agile, riding a smooth beat, well, smoothly – that’s what he does.  A change of pace occurs, led by a beat switch and a 🎙 Snoop Dogg interlude hyping him up (“Ayy, Jack, I mean, Mack, ‘cause Jack is the Mack, and he’s back, believe that”).  Jack follows with an agile, yet low-key performance emulating a mix of 🎙 Drake and 🎙 Lil Wayne.  The idea is cool but also a missed opportunity; you’d like more bite, oomph, and punch from Jack.

“I’d do anything to make you smile, bitch.” Charming! 🎵 “I’d Do Anything to Make You Smile” begins deceptively – it sounds like Jack Harlow is going to deliver a ballad.  Instead, the balladry of the introduction transforms into a mid-tempo, looped, minor-key groove.  Harlow’s approach is Drake-esque, keeping things light and firmly planted in pop-rap.  Early on, it’s clear that Harlow tries to emulate Drizzy way too much, something that makes you question, what is Jack’s own, distinct identity. He does drop some intriguing lyrics whether its “You know that the bread keep coming, Golden Corral, bitch,” “And then I sing ‘em like an Ed Sheeran song to you, ‘Cause I love the ‘shape of you’,” and my personal favorite, “Hotels five star like they play for Coach Cal / But they call me Young Pitino ‘cause I’m good in both towns.” Woo!

“First Class”

“I been a (G), throw up the (L), sex in the (A.M.), uh-huh / (O-R-O-U-S, yeah).” Say what you will about Jack Harlow but he has the ability to make a no. 1 hit!  🤩 🎵 “First Class”, the second single from Come Home the Kids Miss You, is generally a winning moment from him. His delivery remains chill and laid back; casual, if you will. He rides a 🎙 Fergie sample (🎵 “Glamorous”) like a boss though in the chorus, lets Fergie do the heavy lifting 💪! Still, he gets his point across, involving S-E-X.  Furthermore, there’s surefire confidence and drip (“Uh, I got plaques in thе mail, peak season”). Harlow missteps, however, when he goes ‘below the belt’ (“Pineapple juice, I give her sweet, sweet, semen”).  I’m just not sure that semen should ever be mentioned in a song – any song! Of course, this is a prime example of a song intended for all those ladies who are ‘in love with him,’ so, he totally plays it off. “First Class” features production from 🎛 Angel López, 🎛 Charlie Handsome, 🎛 Jasper Harris, 🎛 Nickie Jono Pabón, and 🎛 Rogét Chahayed. Ultimately, Jack is cool as a cucumber and potent enough.

“Girl, them Russian twists is working out, now just put your butt into it…” Oh, Jack! 🤩 🎵 “Dua Lipa” is brief (2:15) but gives Harlow a respectable banger.  I’m not sure that he separates himself from Drake, but there’s enough bite to make this one fun.  The chorus is entertaining as Jack makes it clear how he feels about the British pop star:

“Dua Lipa, I’m tryna do more with her than do a feature (Do it)

I checked the web, they out here chewin’ me up, fuck it.”

Still, I’m not sure why “Dua Lipa” required six producers – seems excessive and expensive for such a short record. Follow up 🎵 “Side Piece” is eye-roll-worthy in my opinion. More than “Dua Lipa,” Harlow tries to play off the Drake vibe – remember his 🎵 “Side Pieces” song from hosting The ESPYs – and of course, Drizzy did it much better.  This is a prime example of fuckboy rap, as Harlow asserts in the chorus, “I already got a song for my main chick / So let me do a record or my side piece.” Again, it’s eye-roll-worthy and it only gets worse with dumb cliches: “I liked them girls that was in the Abercrombie / I like them girls that was in the Aeropostale.” I won’t even get into the second verse, which finds Harlow getting stopped in Argentina…

“Movie Star” 

You know when that four count starts off a track it’s the production work of the one and only 🎛 Pharrell Williams.  Producing alongside the legend on 🎵 “Movie Star” is Harlow, 🎛 Angel López, and 🎛 Rogét Chahayed.  The sounds of “Movie Star” are interesting with its odd, spacy backdrop and a surprising beat switch, which occurs over the course of less than two-and-a-half minutes.  The lucky seventh track from Come Home the Kids Miss You lacks substance.  Harlow admits in the first verse, “I’m done fakin’ humble, actin’ like I ain’t conceited / ‘Cause, bitch, I am conceited.” Of course, the big takeaway is that he’s “With a movie star,” citing “young Cameron Diaz” and “young Angelina.” Pharrell, also a featured artist, lent those high-pitched vocals in the chorus.  We’ve heard this from Skateboard P many times, though his pipes sound a bit diminished compared to the past.  We get another verse of Jack, where he awkwardly lands the lyric, “But I’m just so inspired by the way you wear that thong / You know I like to dictate things, Kim Jong.” Yikes, man!  Then there’s that beat switch following the second chorus, initiated by the lyrical question, “Mmm, but do it jiggle though? I mean, I get the concept that it’s bigger though.” “Movie Star” is, umm, something else.

Appears in 🔻:

• Movie: 3 or 4 BOPS No. 10 (2022)

🎵 “Lil Secret” seems to be a record that others feel deserves more love than the multitude of Come Home The Kids Miss You.  While I’m not as ‘in love’ with the record, I see a more genuine Jack Harlow.  There’s more authenticity and potential than the fuckboy ways he embraces on 🎵 “Side Piece.” Essentially, this girl is special – more than a fling – but Young Harleezy “needs more time” before she becomes more than “my little secret.” If he has a moment on “Lil Secret,” he goes back to his old ways on 🎵 “I Got a Shot.”  This reggae-tinged pop-rap joint just doesn’t woo me.  It’s too chill, too shallow, and among the most skippable moments from the album.  Enough said.

“Churchill Downs”

Thankfully, Jack Harlow atones for the missteps of 🎵 “I Got a Shot” with 🤩 🎵 “Churchill Downs”.  Yes, he gets his idol, 🎙 Drake onboard for this five-minute-plus joint.  For Harlow, it marks one of his better moments.  Essentially, given the reflective theme and vibe, and the lack of hook, he has to stretch himself.  No, Harlow doesn’t deliver a K.O. necessarily, but he hits much harder compared to most of the LP.  Of course, the best performance arrives courtesy of Drake who is in his zone, doing what he does.  Among the most memorable moments is when Drizzy raps, “When I say ‘Bitch,’ I’m very rarely referrin’ to women / Most of the bitches I know are niggas, they not even women / I know that sounds like I’m bein’ funny, I’m not even kidding / Same ones that say they run the game when they not even in it.”  Woo! Shout out the production, which, unsurprisingly, features a team of six including 🎛 Boi-1da. 

Beyond “Churchill Downs,” prior to 🎵 “Nail Tech”, Come Home the Kids Miss You loses some steam – an UNDERSTATEMENT.  🎵 “Like a Blade of Grass” is basic melodic rap, not to mention merely two minutes in duration.  Perhaps the most interesting aspect is he raps from the girl’s perspective in the second verse.  On 🎵 “Parent Trap”, the 🎙 Justin Timberlake feature falls flat as a pancake.  The production is blasé at best, incredibly disappointing when 🎛 Timbaland is one of seven producers on the track.  The big problem is that the record is boring, including a forgettable performance by the leading man himself – YIKES!  Adding to the woes that plague post-🎵 “Churchill Downs”, 🎵 “Poison” featuring 🎙 Lil Wayne is also a letdown.  The chorus isn’t Harlow’s finest vocal moment – merely okay at best.  As for Weezy – well – he’s done better (“I might have to jack your bitch, ‘cause I be on my Harlow shit”).

“Nail Tech”

After some questionable songs, Jack Harlow gets a much need lift with 🤩 🎵 “Nail Tech”.  “My nail tech knows how to keep a lil’ secret / I don’t wish for my success, I speak it.”  Woo! Who would’ve known that “Nail Tech” would be one, if not the best songs from Come Home the Kids Miss You.  Producing this confident three-and-a-half-minute banger is a star-studded team including 🎛 Jahaan Sweet, 🎛 Boi-1da, and 🎛 Rogét Chahayed. Harlow ‘talks his shit,’ essentially. He’s a big baller and basically, can’t nobody stop him.  Besides the standout opening lines, in the first verse, he goes on to say, “Walkin’ ‘round with my chest out, and my skin smooth, I’m healthy.” In the second, he’s humble enough to admit what he’s not: “And I’m not no fashionista, but I’m fly though.” He’s also throws in a sexual reference too, before diving back into that surefire confidence: “I told her, ‘I don’t come from head, but you can try though / I’m not on top of this shit yet, but I’m that guy though.” His flow is nice, of course, riding that production with ease.  Of course, the most memorable parts of “Nail Tech,” which has little to do with nails, are the pre-chorus and chorus (“She down low, three-point stance, I’m back there doin’ Jack dance like / Baow, baow, baow, baow”).

Appears in 🔻:

• 15 N Songs: No Rhyme or Reason, Vol. 2

Harlow concludes the LP respectably with 🎵 “State Fair.” Notably, he references the album title (“Baby, I’m comin’ home, I know the kids miss me / I need some time with my friends to sip whiskey”).  I’m not sure that I agree with “This album’s a museum, so please don’t touch a thing,” but to each his own.

Final Thoughts 💭

So, how does 💿 Come Home the Kids Miss You stack up? It’s a mixed bag at best for Jack Harlow.  He has his moments – namely the likes 🎵 “First Class”, 🎵 “Dua Lipa,” 🎵 “Churchill Downs,” and 🎵 “Nail Tech” – but struggles with delivering his own distinct style.  Furthermore, far too often, I find that Harlow doesn’t pack a significant punch or have much meaningful stuff to say.  He would’ve benefitted from distancing himself from 🎙 Drake, for example, rather than doubling down.  Also, the features are generally disappointing, particularly the 🎙 Justin Timberlake one.  Next album, it would be nice to see more from this likable rapper.

🤩 Gems 💎: “First Class”, “Dua Lipa,” “Churchill Downs” & “Nail Tech”

🎙 Jack Harlow • 💿 Come Home the Kids Miss You • 🏷 Generation Now / Atlantic • 🗓 5.6.22

[📷: Generation Now / Atlantic]