Jack Harlow Calls Out the ‘Totally Inappropriate’ Reaction to Lil Nas X’s Queerness

Jack Harlow is having his moment. Between scoring his first solo No. 1 hit with “First Class” and unveiling his sophomore album Come Home the Kids Miss You, the 24-year-old rapper is taking the spotlight.

But in a new interview, Harlow wants to make sure that the people who supported him throughout his rise aren’t being mistreated. In a new article from The Guardian published on Friday (May 6), Harlow spoke about his chart-topping collaboration with Lil Nas X on”Industry Baby,” and how he was surprised to see such a loud negative reaction from conservatives when the pair released the video in which they’re scantily clad.

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“The totally inappropriate reaction to him lets you know that we still have some progress to be made,” Harlow said in the interview, referring to Lil Nas’s sexuality. “And you hear it in passing; there’s still some homophobia going on. But he’s taking the hit that artists won’t have to take in the future. That’s what makes him a hero.”

This is not the first time Harlow has spoken about the ongoing taboo surrounding queerness in hip-hop. In an interview with British GQ back in October, the rapper said that there were a number of people who didn’t want him working with Lil Nas X.

“But I just realize there is a fundamental difference with how the world is seen by some people. Some people think certain things are wrong,” he said of those who warned him about working with the “That’s What I Want” rapper. “There are some people, at the root level – although they don’t want to hurt any gays; they don’t hate gays – they think it is wrong, whether it’s religion or whatever reason it is. But for me, I have never been this way.”

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Elsewhere in his Guardian interview, Harlow spoke about his struggle to make sense of his slow-burn rise to global success in the industry, saying that he still struggles with an imposter syndrome mentality. “There was a mix of that chip on my shoulder and insecurity from impostor syndrome,” he said of his early work. “I don’t think that ever completely leaves. Without a doubt, early on, I was walking into every room knowing what the general assumptions about me would be. But you can play those to your advantage.”

Harlow’s new album Come Home the Kids Miss You is out now. Watch his new video for “First Class” below:

Click here to read the full article.