"They Don't Love It" is a song by American rapper Jack Harlow. It was sent to Italian

contemporary hit radio Contemporary hit radio (also known as CHR, contemporary hits, hit list, current hits, hit music, top 40, or pop radio) is a radio format that is common in many countries that focuses on playing current and recurrent popular music as determined by ...

through Generation Now and

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as the lead single from his self-titled third studio album, '' Jackman'', on April 28, 2023, along with the album. Harlow wrote the song with producer Kameron Cole. The song prominently samples "Can't Live Without You" by Connie Laverne, and as a result, its songwriter, gospel singer

Timothy Wright Timothy Wright (June 17, 1947 – April 24, 2009), generally credited as Rev. Timothy Wright or Reverend Timothy Wright on recordings, was an American gospel singer and pastor. Biography Reverend Timothy Wright started on piano at age 12, and ...

, is also credited.

Composition and lyrics

The song mainly received attention for Harlow saying that he is the "hardest white boy" since previous collaborator, fellow American rapper

Eminem Marshall Bruce Mathers III (born October 17, 1972), known professionally as Eminem (; often stylized as EMINƎM), is an American rapper and record producer. He is credited with popularizing hip hop in middle America and is critically acclai ...

. He subtly compares himself to the rapper in the lines: "Ya boy's strivin' to be the most dominant ever / The hardest white boy since the one who rapped about vomit and sweaters". The lines refer to Eminem rapping about vomiting after eating spaghetti that his mother made due to nervousness before participating in a rap battle on stage. The lyrics received generally negative reviews from fans on social media, who felt that the late

Mac Miller Malcolm James McCormick (January 19, 1992 – September 7, 2018), known professionally as Mac Miller, was an American rapper and record producer. Miller began his career in Pittsburgh's hip hop scene in 2007, at the age of fifteen. In 2010, h ...

was more deserving of the title that Harlow gave himself. Aaron Williams of

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defended Harlow by saying: "And while, truthfully, 'best white rapper' is very much subjective, you have to admire the moxy Jack shows in making such a claim — and the smarts. There's no better promotion than some good, old-fashioned water cooler talk". Other than the incident, the song "bursts out of the traps, the high-pitched vocal distortions aligned to free-flowing rhymes from the Kentucky artist". Fellow white rapper Machine Gun Kelly responded to the Eminem lyrics a few days later, stating that Harlow "jacked man's whole swag" and "Give Drake his flow back".

Music video

The official music video for "They Don't Love It", directed by Eliel Ford, was released on May 1, 2023. Harlow takes viewers through his hometown of Louisville,

Kentucky Kentucky ( , ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States and one of the states of the Upper South. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north; West Virginia and Virginia to ...

as he visits his old schools (Bloom Elementary, Highland Middle School, and Atherton High School), plays soccer, and barbecues with his family and friends. He also visits a local bookstore and sets fireworks in the field that he is playing at with his friends, while others warmly welcome him to the city. Harlow also raps in a parking lot of a strip mall and hugs thrift store owners. He sports a Kentucky Boy Tyler jacket as he rides in the back of a truck.

Charts

References

{{Jack Harlow 2023 songs 2023 singles Atlantic Records singles Jack Harlow songs Songs written by Jack Harlow