Jack Harlow has got social media talking once again, and this time it’s because of the floppy hat he wears in his “Say Hello” music video — check it out below.
In the visual for the Monica single, Harlow walks down a busy New York street while singing along to to the track, but the star of the show appears to be his olive utility hat that’s a quizzical mix of fitted and scrunchy.
Just like the reaction he got when hopping into his neo-soul bag, social media users didn’t know whether to laugh or cringe at Harlow’s fashion decision.
Popular social media personalities like actor-comedian KevOnStage reacted to the look by telling his followers on X that he’s never seen a hat like Harlow’s in his “natural life.”
A second person hilariously called Harlow’s garb a “woke chef hat,” while other comparisons were made to 2000s era Common. “He saw Common in 2000 and said…MORE fabric!” someone wrote.
Another X user aired out their frustration with the music industry, claiming that Harlow and his hat are taking up room that could be occupied by talent Black artists.
“This can’t be serious fr… like he done jumped straight into his neo-soul Jill Scott era this is way too deep in that Black cosplay lane. Labels really be shelving actually talented Black artists but approving this?? I’m irritated,” they wrote.
Harlow was hit with the meme treatment last month upon the release of his fourth studio album, when fans edited him — and his array of hats — on the artwork of albums by neo-soul artists Lauryn Hill, Maxwell and Erykah Badu.
Whether being memed or receiving mixed reactions to Monica, Harlow is likely embracing the attention towards his new musical era. Last month, he told The New York Times’ Popcast that he “got Blacker” on his new album.
“I knew that there were multiple things appealing about this route, but I also came to the decision, I’m proud to say, off of what feels good in my ear,” Harlow said on the podcast. “I love R&B music. I love the sound of soft, intimate, melodic music. I want to be understood. I want to write melodies that invite people to sing along.”
Harlow takes Monica on the road in late summer for a 17-date tour, which begins August 4 in Brooklyn.