Jack Harlow is ending 2024 by setting the record straight: “I ain’t lookin’ for no hip-hop credibility.” On Monday, the Kentucky rapper dropped a new single, “Tranquility,” an introspective track about his place in rap culture and why he thinks the best is yet to come.
“My prime’s in full swing like a Callaway/I need a dime every dollar New Balance makes,” he raps. “Ain’t ’bout to let the world takе my smile away.” (He later admits, “The hate got to me, but I had to act straight, like I’m tryna seem hetero.”)
The video captures Harlow walking through a gloomy city in a coat, beanie, and scarf as he drops self-reflective bars about his career to this point over a softer, slower beat.
“I’m proud of what we done, but I’m tryna be better though/’Cause I don’t think I’ve really made nothin’ incredible,” he raps. “Lot of hard verses and a couple regrettable/As far as big records go, yeah, I got a few of those.”
Later in the song, he admits to losing “a few Ms” on his Louisville-hosted Gazebo fest before promising that on his next album, he’ll “be giving you exceptional.” (Harlow headlined his own festival and promised, on “Tranquility,” to bring it back next year.) He also gave a look at his mindset these days: He’s “less of a people pleaser” and “more simplistic, soulful, less technical.”
Harlow marked his return from a months-long hiatus with “Miss Johnson” last month, on which he raps to an ex’s mom. Harlow performed a couple of shows throughout the year but kept a low profile online. He addressed his absence on “Tranquility,” too. “I just left the old me’s funeral/I would turn the camera on and give you more of me like I used to do,” he raps. “But somethin’ ’bout it don’t seem suitable/Somethin’ ’bout selling myself feels so juvenile.”
Harlow’s last album came in 2023 with Jackman, and he followed it up with the viral “Lovin’ On Me” at the end of that year.