Jack Harlow’s family thought he was on SNL, too
The rapper, whose recent turn to neo-soul has garnered mixed responses online, revealed on Instagram that his aunt was fooled by Ben Marshall’s impression of him on Weekend Update.
Photos by Aurore Marechal/Getty Images & NBC
Jack Harlow’s aunt is proud of the rapper for “going on Saturday Night Live and addressing everything” last weekend. The only problem is: Harlow wasn’t on SNL’s most recent episode. No, that was Ben Marshall in a Kangol hat impersonating the “Industry Baby” rapper on Weekend Update. But Harlow and Marshall do have one key thing in common: they’re both white, an identity that many internet denizens have accused Harlow of trying to shed in recent weeks.
Following the release of his fourth studio album Monica last month, Harlow has been speaking with Awkwafina levels of blaccent in promotional materials and interviews. He even told the New York Times’ Popcast in mid-March that he “got Blacker” when crafting the album, though Marshall quipped to Weekend Update co-anchor Michael Che that calling his new persona “LL Cool Whip” might be more appropriate.
Online commentary about Harlow’s new appearance hit a fever pitch last week when he released a music video for his song “Say Hello.” In it, the rapper can be seen wearing a sack-shaped hat the likes of which humankind has never before seen. Social media users pounced on the offending headwear, with some accusing the artist of parodying Black culture and fashion in order to cash in on its cultural capital. Others had more immediate questions. Did Harlow rob Common? Play in Erykah Badu’s costume chest? Is it true that the hat costs $560? (We can answer the last question with a definitive yes.)
SNL itself mined the moment for its costume potential (which, to be fair, was quite high), putting Ben Marshall in a scruffy beard, tiny eyeglasses, and a Kangol to play Harlow. Who knew Marshall was this good at pretending to be a guy pretending to be Black? His performance was so convincing that Harlow’s own aunt thought it was the rapper making a sincere apology, as he recently shared on his Instagram story. I suppose that’s as good a co-sign as ever for Marshall, whose performance was pretty spot-on. How Harlow will address continued critiques of his new stage persona remains to be seen, but one thing’s for certain: that is one really, really bad hat.
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