A landmark in Jack Harlow’s body of work, the 2022 album Come Home the Kids Miss You, marks a peak moment in his maturation as an artist: from a rising star to a full-fledged hip-hop artist. This effort finds Harlow maturing into a more stable period within his artistry as he presents an album that is graven deep in personal as well as professional growth. The name itself, Come Home, the Kids Miss You, is nostalgic and reminds one of their roots, and the music is full of the evolution of his sound, lyrical content, and perspective.
Even the progression that has come through the album is drawn from really polished production and a reflective and introspective nature that can be found running throughout. In tracks like “Talk of the Town” and “Young Harleezy,” you can really feel him struggling with the reality of fame and the stress of the public eye. The braggadocious swagger that defined his early work is still there, but now it’s all laid out against vulnerability and self-reflection. Harlow is rapping about success, but more importantly, reflecting on what it means, how it’s changed him, and what it’s cost him.
Some of the strong themes in Come Home, the Kids Miss You are the relationship of Harlow towards fame and its impact on his personal life. On songs like “First Class,” which samples Fergie’s hit “Glamorous,” he talks about the highs and lows of living in the limelight as he celebrates living the glamorous lifestyle while confessing to getting alienated from his past. This duality reflects upon the growth, which Harlow knows brings this modicum with problems since he is now taking on a life of better success and troubles that accompany it.
The sound is sonically old-school hip-hop influences blended with the contemporary production; it’s nostalgic and forward-thinking all at once. Smooth and laid-back, Harlow’s flow goes with jazz-inflected production on tracks like “Churchill Downs,” featuring Drake, as well as more trap-inspired beats like “Nail Tech.” That versatility shows that he can assimilate, learn, and grow, yet still not depart too far from his roots—hence the strong testimony of his artistic development.
Lyrically, it’s more profound in matters of identity, relationships, and self-discovery. “Side Piece” and “Poison,” among other cuts, talk very directly about love, commitment, and being more inwardly introspective with his own identity. Such songs show Harlow coming to terms with personal development with the temptations of his new fame and wanting to ensure meaningful connection with others.
In the album Come Home, the Kids Miss You, Jack Harlow doesn’t only boast about success; he sings about growth as an artist but also as a human being. The whole album suggests maturation in his sound and perspective, with that celebration being of whatever personal development is at the heart of his journey—where he’s been, where he’s going, and what he learnt on the way.
