A Public Apology to Jack Harlow

Jack Harlow, on behalf of all Black people everywhere, I am so fucking sorry. When we were making fun of you, saying stuff like, “Watch how he becomes a country artist in five years,” we forgot about the audacity of white men. We did not understand that by making these jokes, we were paying attention to you. And because of that, we forgot that when a white person knows that Black people are paying attention to them, they lose their fucking minds. We all, collectively, forgot about that one time in college when we were hyping up lil’ White Kev ‘cause he knew all the lyrics to Back That Azz Up, and then lil’ White Kev got too excited and said the n-word.

Forgive us for what we did not understand then, but know all too well now. We go through so damn much as a people, that sometimes it’s hard to keep track of all the bullshit we have to remember. In times like that, moments like these happen. We end up blindsided at 4pm on an idle weekday, listening to you do runs. Staring at you photoshopped on the cover of Voodoo (which counts as blasphemy against the Black community, by the way). We end up, like we always do, playing catch-up with the endless onslaught against our people and culture, smacking ourselves on the head that we forgot to cover yet another base. Yet another injustice. Another sin. Another wigga.

Jack Harlow, I am so sorry. We did not mean that shit. On behalf of all of us, please pick up an acoustic guitar and a beer. No 7ths, 9ths, 11ths, or 13ths allowed. Just cowboy chords and a pure, poetic belief in the American experiment.

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