Rapper Jack Harlow has been making all sorts of headlines ahead of his new album, Come Home the Kids Miss You. Before he surfaced looking dapper in a suit for the recent Met Gala event, several videos from an NBA Playoffs game went viral.
In one video, NBA referees are trying to figure out who Jack Harlow is, while he’s clearly up to no good in another video, prompting some backlash from online critics.
Luckily, Harlow’s a good enough guy that he hasn’t let it get to him, even offering a camera operator something after messing with her camera at the game.
Jack Harlow goes viral at Celtics’ playoff game
This past Sunday featured the first game of the NBA playoffs’ second round, as the Boston Celtics hosted the defending champion, Milwaukee Bucks. NBA games typically bring the stars out to enjoy some live hoops, with Jack Harlow among the celebs attending the game in Boston.
Often, celebrities are shown on the big screen, so fans know who’s in the house. Harlow appeared on the screen, with his hit song, First Class, playing over the arena’s speakers. However, two of the game’s referees, Scott Foster and Ed Malloy, had no idea who he was, as they hilariously questioned, “Who’s Jack Harlow?”
A video clip, in ESPN SportsCenter’s tweet below, captures the moment which went viral on social media.
“Clearly these mfs have never seen Narnia,” Harlow tweeted, joking about his resemblance to a movie character, in his reaction to the SportsCenter clip on Twitter.
Critics blasted Harlow for antics at game, camerawoman reacts
On Sunday, the Overtime Twitter shared another viral clip. This one came from Jack Harlow’s IG Story, showing him modifying some settings on the back of a camerawoman’s camera during the game. At one point, the camerawoman turned the camera away, possibly noticing something was off.
“Jack Harlow bouta get someone fired,” @overtime wrote with their video tweet.
While many fans came to Jack’s defense in the comments section, more than a few critics blasted him for what he did. One individual indicated in his tweet that he’s a cameraman and said it was time to “#cancelJackHarlow.”
“This ain’t cute/quirky/funny,” another critic tweeted about Jack’s antics during the game.
Another individual asked if it would still be funny if the camera operator got fired because Jack Harlow messed things up. However, another tweet shared by that camera operator, Tami Nguyen, let people know Harlow’s “team” apologized after, and there was “no bad blood.”
Apparently, Harlow is making up for the moment too. After Tami tweeted that Jack owed her some chicken fingers, he tweeted, “I got you Tami.”
Harlow brings out the stars for new album
Just days after his viral moments from the NBA Playoffs game, Harlow was in full promotion mode for his upcoming album. On Monday, he released a teaser video starring actress Danielle Fishel, best known as Topanga in Boy Meets World.
There’s under a minute of footage showing what could be some kids trick or treating before the camera zooms in on an SUV. Fishel’s in the driver’s seat and two kids in alien masks are in the back seat.
Jack didn’t keep fans waiting long for more details about his release, as he unveiled the official tracklist for Come Home the Kids Miss You on Tuesday. Even though the referees don’t know who he is, some of music’s top stars are familiar.
His upcoming album will bring out stars including Justin Timberlake, Drake, Pharrell, and Lil Wayne, as guests on the project. In addition, he’s named a track after singer Dua Lipa.
Harlow’s no stranger to using people’s names as titles of his tracks, as he released the catchy hit Tyler Herro based on the Miami Heat star.
Herro’s currently playing with the No. 1 seed Heat in the Eastern Conference, so anyone working cameras for their second-round playoff games may want to be on full alert, just in case Jack goes to see Herro in action.
Jack Harlow’s Come Home the Kids Miss You drops on Friday, May 6, on various music platforms.