Jack Harlow "Trade Places"

Louisville Slugger.

Louisville artist Jack Harlow is best known for making pop-rap radio hits. But on his latest album Monica, which just dropped yesterday, he takes a left turn into a new—dare I say—neo-soul lane?

My pal Al from the PICKS POSSE hit me about the album yesterday, giving it a strong co-sign while also noting that he previously wasn’t “a big Jack Harlow guy.”

And I saw a trusted blog-era buddy of mine post on his IG story that he was “pleasantly surprised” by the album, too. This was enough for me to peep it—but to be honest, I was already intrigued and would’ve checked it out regardless.

I pressed play on the first song “Trade Places” early this morning and was immediately struck by how cool the track was. It’s got a clean, Kentucky strut to it, and Harlow’s keeping it ultra-smooth with the walk-and-talk flow, which the music video brings to life beautifully.

IP’S PICK OF THE DAY 3/14/26: Jack Harlow “Trade Places”

It’s not really blues music, but this feels like some shit that could be playing inside the Kandy Bar from Weird Science—circa 2026. Wait, is Jack Harlow the grown-up version of Gary from Weird Science?!

I let the rest of the album ride, and it was nice—but nothing else really popped out at me as something I’d come back to. Maybe I’ll give it a second spin though, just in case I slept on anything.

Either way, “Trade Places” is legit dope in my book. And I give Jack props for staying true to what he feels and pushing the boundaries of his artistry. Salute.