Jack Harlow - Thats What They All Say (LP)

Jack Harlow’s debut studio album, Thats What They All Say, landed in December 2020 through Generation Now and Atlantic, right as his rise went from hometown hero to chart fixture. It’s the moment he set out to prove that the easygoing charisma of Whats Poppin wasn’t a fluke, that there was a full record in him with breadth, colour and a sense of place. He mostly pulls it off, and in a way that makes you want to spin it again just to hang out in its world a little longer.

The obvious anchor is Whats Poppin, the single that went viral, then went even bigger with a remix featuring DaBaby, Tory Lanez and Lil Wayne. It shot up the Billboard Hot 100 and earned a Grammy nomination for Best Rap Performance, which is no small thing for a newcomer. On the album it plays like a calling card, a quick flex and a wink. But the record opens up once you drift past it. Tyler Herro is cheeky and confident, named for the Miami Heat guard and dressed in punchline-heavy couplets that stick. Way Out with Big Sean glides on a springy beat, two voices trading polished bravado without getting bogged down in grit for grit’s sake.

What makes the album interesting is how quickly Harlow pivots from victory laps to something more self-aware. Same Guy with Adam Levine leans into doubt and mixed feelings about fame, with a soft hook that gives him space to reflect rather than posture. Luv Is Dro, with Bryson Tiller and a posthumous turn from Static Major, is a warm tribute to Louisville lineage, lifting from Playa’s late 90s R&B while stitching Harlow into the city’s wider musical thread. You can feel the pride without it turning into a lecture. Route 66 brings in EST Gee, another Louisville figure, and the energy tightens. It’s muttered, street-level confidence, and Harlow holds his own.

Already Best Friends, with Chris Brown, tilts toward R&B and poolside fantasy. It’s glossy, maybe a touch too smooth, but it underlines Harlow’s instincts for hooks that land in the middle of the party. Face of My City with Lil Baby is the flip side, a harder swing with sharp drums and no wasted bars. There’s some balancing act going on across the tracklist, and while not every experiment is essential, the sequencing keeps you moving. The polished radio cuts never sit too far away from the songs where he lifts the curtain a bit.

Part of the charm is his voice. He rides the pocket with patience, rarely forcing syllables just to sound busy. The jokes are sly, the boasts often delivered with a grin rather than a snarl, and that makes the personal moments stand out more. He talks about friends and family in ways that feel lived in, not dropped in to tick the authenticity box. You can hear a kid who studied mixtape-era wordplay and local heroes in equal measure.

Critics clocked the record as a confident debut with headroom to grow, and that feels right. It debuted in the US top five, which tells you the broader audience was already primed, but the album earns its keep beyond the singles. There’s intention in the collaborations, especially the Louisville-heavy ones, and enough stylistic range to keep repeat plays interesting. If anything, the album is a snapshot of a fast-rising artist learning how to edit. When he keeps it tight, it pops.

On vinyl, the bounce and low-end thump of tracks like Way Out and Face of My City really breathe, which makes a strong case for hunting down Thats What They All Say vinyl if you see it in the wild. If you’re crate digging in a Melbourne record store or scrolling through vinyl records Australia late at night, this is the sort of pop-rap LP that earns a spot next to your party starters and Sunday afternoon favourites. Fans who want to buy Jack Harlow records online will find that Jack Harlow albums on vinyl suit the room whether you’re hosting or just tidying the house with a coffee. For collectors building out a modern hip-hop shelf, Jack Harlow vinyl sits comfortably alongside the big crossover names, but with a particular Louisville tilt that keeps it personal.