Show I write about sneakers, mostly. Apr 21, 2022Jack Harlow performs at the opening of The Track at New Balance in Boston. Image via BFA When Jack Harlow asks if there are any real Jack Harlow fans in attendance for his performance here at The Track at New Balance, a giant new multisport facility and event space in the sneaker brand’s native Boston, it feels a bit like a rhetorical question. Harlow, a tall man of charming Kentucky drawl and cherub curls, gets his response anyway. The crowd cheers, weaving along with him through the deeper cuts and leaning in as close as they can for the hits from the setlist. He has more fans on the perimeter of the venue, where footwear execs watch the show, Harlow still looking huge at that remove thanks to a set of jumbo screens broadcasting the concert from high on the walls. It’s easy to interpret this phase in the rapper’s career as a leveling up, between the brand deal with New Balance, the recent Donda 2 feature, and his upcoming sophomore album, Come Home the Kids Miss You. But Harlow believes any perceived shift is more external than internal. “Maybe in the eyes of people,” Harlow says when asked whether he’s reached a new plateau in recent months. “There’s just been some confirmation, some validating moments. I’ve seen it for myself. Now I think people are like, ‘Maybe he’s for real.’” Beyond the packed bleachers of screaming fans at this brand event, there is plenty of evidence that Harlow is, in fact, for real. It’s there, across the street, at New Balance headquarters, where he recently signed a deal; it’s out in Hollywood, where he’s landed a leading role in the reboot of White Men Can’t Jump; and it’s on the Billboard chart that he’s currently topping with “First Class.” He and his team felt that song was going to be special, but didn’t anticipate it setting records like it did. The Fergie-sampling “First Class” has given him his first Hot 100 No. 1 as a solo artist and also a different outlook on dropping snippets before letting full songs go—something he was previously averse to. “I just like the element of surprise,” Harlow says. “I like for people to feel it the first time it comes out. I don’t want people to have any idea what it’s going to sound like.” The rapper has not completely abandoned that inclination to keep work guarded until it’s ready for the world. When discussing New Balance, he offers no hints in terms of a possible Jack Harlow sneaker collaboration and asks that mention of another project he has coming with the brand be kept off the record. He’s loyal to the brand, wearing New Balance 550s while being showered with slime on Nickelodeon, donning the same shoe on the cover of his upcoming album, and putting on a 990V5 for his Steve Jobs cosplay in the “Nail Tech” video. Before his show, we talk in a suite above the indoor track while a soundcheck in the background threatens to keep the whole interview off the record, the blaring Drake tunes bouncing around the facility rendering regular conversation not so fluent. He’s affable, but there’s a sense that he’s conserving his energy for the concert ahead. Still, Harlow shares what he can on his relationship with New Balance, his newly established connection with its biggest endorser in the NBA, and more. We followed up that conversation from last Wednesday’s event with another brief one over email; the two have been spliced together here and edited down a bit for length and clarity. It seems like a good time to be Jack Harlow. Do you feel like things changed in the past couple of months for you? In terms of trajectory and your career, where you’re at? Stuff
you’ve been working out for a long time and now the public realizes? It seems like you have a lot more things going on though, too. Especially with the New Balance deal. You’ve been involved with New Balance for a few years now, but now you’re officially signed to them. How did that change? Harlow with New Balance CMO and SVP of merchandising Chris Davis. Image via BFA Do you feel like there’s a responsibility now that you’re officially signed to the brand? Are you doing your homework in terms of learning more, the history of certain sneaker silhouettes, and things like that? New Balance has factories for assembling sneakers here in the US. Have you gotten a chance to visit those facilities and see how the shoes are put together? Does Jack Harlow bring a lot of sneakers on tour? How many wears for a single pair do you
put in before moving on to the next one? Have you noticed your fans starting to wear New Balances because of you? Do you look out into an audience and pay attention to that? Have you seen New Balance have a resurgence in Kentucky specifically now that you’re putting on for it? Or is that something that you haven’t been able to notice just yet? I feel like you’ve got a big opportunity too on the sneaker tip to do something with New Balance when it comes to White Men Can’t Jump, because that’s such a sneaker movie. There’s so much sneaker history connected to that. So when you come back with that, if you have the right shoes on, that’s a moment. How was the audition for that? Are you nervous about that, though? Because it seems like a totally different skill set from rapping and being onstage. You’re a
student of the school of Woody Harrelson? Natural Born Killers? When you come here to the New Balance headquarters, are you paying attention to what’s coming out a year, 18 months down the line? Are you asking to see what’s going on with that? What else do you like to do here in Boston? How did you turn into a Celtics fan? What about Kawhi? Did you guys talk basketball,
sneakers? You getting some pointers from Kawhi for White Men Can’t Jump? Is that legitimately going to be part of your preparation for the movie? Basketball drills and stuff
like that? There are a lot of moments recently that feel like they’ll be milestones when you look back on them—meeting Kawhi, that album cover shoot for Come Home the Kids Miss You. Do you keep the sneakers from those times as mementos? Sign up for Complex notifications for breaking news and stories. How much is Jack Harlow's New Balance deal?Nike Issues Statement on Kyrie Irving
In his most recent Instagram post, Harlow is wearing the New Balance 550 'White Vibrant Orange. ' The shoes were released on June 1, 2022, for $120.
Is Jack Harlow sponsored by New Balance?Harlow is one of New Balance's newest brand ambassadors, joining the brand in February.
What is Jack harlows net worth?Jackman Thomas Harlow, popularly known as Jack Harlow, is an American rapper whose current net worth is around $4-5 million with an estimated $900,000-1.5 million annual salary as per different reports as of 2022.
Why does Jack Harlow love New Balance?In interviews, the Private Garden-frontman has shared that his interest in “N”-branded footwear began in high school, as he wanted to go against the grain. While initially ridiculed, Harlow became known among his peers as “the New Balance guy,” making his signing with the brand as an ambassador a full-circle moment.
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