‘The First Time’ With Jack Harlow

Louisville rapper Jack Harlow discusses everything from the first album he ever loved to being tongue-tied upon meeting Tyler, the Creator on the latest installment of Rolling Stone’s The First Time.

Harlow credits his mom for introducing him to his first favorite record, Gwen Stefani’s The Sweet Escape, citing the title track, “Wind It Up,” and “4 in the Morning” as some of his favorites from the 2006 album. The rapper later recalled the first time his mom heard his music: Harlow was still in high school at the time and working on some music at a local studio when his mom came to pick him up and popped inside the studio.

“They played the song and I was talking about, something with, like, wanting to have sex with my teacher, something like that,” Harlow remembers. “And my mom was distraught. Cringe moment, for sure.”

Elsewhere in the clip, Harlow discusses going viral with “Dark Knight,” the similarities between waiting nervously all day to perform at a middle school talent show and Saturday Night Live, being recognized on the street, and the time his brother locked him in a box when they were kids. He also spoke about seeing Louisville legends Nappy Roots for his first concert and the time DJ Drama unexpectedly put him on FaceTime with Tyler, the Creator.

“It was a hell of a moment,” Harlow says. “He caught me. I was tongue-tied. Because I love Tyler. I grew up watching him, and what he is culturally. It was wild.”