Kanye West, Drake, A$AP Rocky, and Kendrick Lamar — all household names in today’s rap scene and each rapper from a different place: Chicago, Toronto, New York, L.A. Notice a trend?

Each of these world-famous MCs came from a big market for entertainment and rap. A place lesser known for its rap scene is Louisville. But that may be subject to change very soon. Jack Harlow, a 17-year-old Atherton High School senior, is making himself known for “honest and authentic” rhymes.

Harlow is on the come up in the rap industry. He frequently plays shows locally and even performed at Louisville’s very own Forecastle Festival in 2015 — at just 16 years old. How did Harlow make this happen?

He said, “We just thought rap was the coolest thing ever. It started off as something we wanted to do in a funny way, something that we thought would be humorous because we didn’t come from traditional hip-hop backgrounds. It expanded into something I always wanted to do because I’ve always liked writing in general. I’ve been doing it since — just been taking it more serious.”

A young white kid from Louisville, Harlow surprises most people when they find out he’s a rapper.

He said, “A lot of people, I tell them I’m involved in music and they’re like ‘Oh, what instrument do you play?’ It’s never like ‘Oh, you must be a rapper.’ It’s like ‘I thought you worked at GameStop.’ I know what I look like.”

Like many people who achieve success, the starting point is often small.  “It’s gone from Windows Recorder to a mic in my bedroom to studios, and I just kind of took off,” Harlow said.

As someone who does not come from a traditional rap background, influence and inspiration are shaped by creativity, according to Harlow.

“I think I’m influenced by everything that’s creative. I don’t really idolize a lot of artists,” Harlow said. “I think I did in the beginning as I was still learning everything and learning about rap, but now it’s more of a focus on setting myself apart and learning about myself. I’ve had a lot of inspirations from everybody. Everything inspires me — life in general.”

Staying true to himself is important to Harlow.

Harlow said, “When I got into this, it wasn’t like ‘All right, how am I marketable? What do I have to say to get people to like me?’ It’s like I’m just going to rap about my life. I’m just going to talk about me.”  

Staying true to himself is what ultimately makes Harlow unique as an artist.    

He said, “I’d like to think what sets me apart is – from the very beginning it’s been about being honest and authentic to what I’m doing. It was never any facade or front that I was trying to put on. Honestly, authenticity is what I think shines through and intrigues a lot of people. They realize ‘Wow, he’s just being honest.’”

Harlow likes the fact he is from Louisville because it’s a rather small market for rap. According to Harlow, living in a big market like Chicago or L.A., for example, makes it more difficult to be successful in the music industry because the scene is so crowded. Louisville’s smaller market makes it more likely for someone like Harlow to blow up and become successful.

“Being from Louisville, it’s unique,” he said. “I’m just proud to be from here more than anything. It’s something to identify with for me. This is where I came from. I’m proud to be from here and the same way I identify with rapping, I identify with being from here.”

Harlow recently released “The Handsome Harlow” EP, his first studio EP, this past November. Harlow’s debut came on a mixtape entitled “Finally Handsome” back in November of 2014. Harlow feels like he has matured as an artist since his debut release.

“I feel like my newer music has a more mature sound. It doesn’t rely on me just saying funny, ridiculous (things) for the shock value of it,” he said. “Yeah, I can do that, but I also can make music that people want to listen to. People are still banging my (songs) regardless of ‘Oh, he’s a white guy who says ridiculous things in his songs.’ People like that I want to be different. It sets me apart, but I also want to show I can make bangers, too.”

Harlow’s biggest performance thus far came in July of this year at Louisville’s annual Forecastle Festival. Harlow described the experience as “surreal.”

He said, “It was insane. I was looking out off the stage. When you look back and you can’t see the end of the crowd, that was the craziest part. It was like as far as the horizon. It was so many people. It was crazy; it was cool.”

Harlow wants to blow up and continue to represent Louisville. With the growing popularity of music streaming sites like SoundCloud and Spotify, the likelihood of a song becoming extremely popular is higher than ever.

“The thing about the Internet age is it can happen any time in the next 365 days,” he said. “You know, SoundCloud, YouTube, Twitter, Instagram, everything…. I love Louisville, and I want to put Louisville on the map. I’m proud to be from here, and you can make it from here if you push it the right way on the Internet.”

As Harlow looks to the future, his sights are locked on branching out and broadening his audience outside the Louisville area.   

“My plan of attack from here on is just to consistently release quality music, and people will continue to build it,” he said. “The local thing, it’s on lock at this point. People are coming to my shows, I’m selling out shows, they’re buying my music, people are aware of me here. Now it’s about spreading it from there.”

Harlow has received loads of positive feedback and exudes confidence about his success potential.

“My progression from 14 to 17, people will tell me all the time it’s insane where I came from when I was a freshman to when I’m a senior now. By the time I’m 21… the sky’s the limit. I’m just going to keep working, and I have full faith that it will happen,” Harlow said.

When asked what rapper he would compare himself to today, Harlow said he wouldn’t compare himself to anyone. This is not because of his ego, but because of Harlow’s drive to stay unique and original.

He said, “If I had someone on my mind, I would be mad at myself because it’s always about setting yourself apart. People tell me all the time like ‘Wow you’re going to be the next Eminem, man! You’re the next Mac Miller!’ And you’re always going to hear that. You can’t (stop) that if you’re white. That’s the only thing they can compare you to. It’s like ‘Thank you, that’s a compliment, but I want to be the next Jack Harlow.’”

Harlow’s music goes beyond good beats and hard-hitting rhymes. His status as an artist can serve as an inspiration to young people.

He said, “I think that a lot of kids that look like me or are traditionally in the same social circle as someone that might look like me take inspiration from me for sure, because it’s like (it) doesn’t matter what I look like or what people think of me. You can be confident no matter what. Confidence is a decision. That’s something I’ve always lived by. You decide if you want to be confident even if you’re not. You choose to be and you eventually will be, so I think a lot of kids see my confidence and listen to my music, and they’re like ‘It’s possible for me.’

“I’ve had tons of kids tell me, ‘I want to start rapping now.’ Not everyone can be a rapper, but the fact that I’m motivating people to want to do something they might have been scared to do before, that’s good to me.”