Jack Harlow Previews New Music Alongside Babyface After R&B Turn

Jack Harlow previewed new music alongside Babyface, putting the rapper next to an R&B veteran after he traded rap verses for singing on Monica.

The singer, songwriter and producer has remained part of R&B’s current sound and its history. His work on SZA’s “Snooze” earned him a Grammy for Best R&B Song in 2024.

For Harlow, the preview followed a much broader change in how he made music. His fourth album, Monica, arrived March 13 with songs built around love and relationships. He recorded it at Electric Lady Studios in New York’s Greenwich Village after moving from Kentucky to New York City.

Harlow had explained his shift toward R&B on “Popcast,” where he talked about setting aside some of the habits that came with rapping.

“Part of the reason I love rap music is the braggadocio of it,” he said.

He wanted to find a way to write with less boasting. That meant changing the rules before he got to the microphone: no rapping and no cursing. He also ruled out digital instruments apart from drums, requiring the other instruments to be played live.

Those limits were meant to challenge his writing and stop him from relying on familiar shortcuts. His listening had changed, too. After the move to New York, softer, more melodic music helped shape what he wanted to make.

The album also brought in musicians from across R&B and jazz. Ravyn Lenae contributed vocals to “Prague,” “My Winter,” and “All Of My Friends.”

Jermaine Paul and Omar Apollo also contributed vocals, while Robert Glasper played piano on the closing song, “Say Hello.”

That approach carried into his live sets. He had signaled the ambition behind the change well before the album arrived.

“I’m trying to transcend,” Harlow told Apple Music in March 2025. On the time needed to make something different, he said, “I’m just slowly starting to accept that it is going to take me longer than any of my past projects.”