Here we have the 3rd extended play from Louisville, Kentucky rapper, singer/songwriter, producer & actor Jack Harlow. Breaking through when the pandemic started off the single “What’s Poppin’?”, this resulted in DJ Drama & Don Cannon signing him to their Atlantic Recordsimprint Generation Now Entertainment as well as them putting out a mediocre full-length debut with That’s What They All Say that same winter & who could forget the arduous listen of a sophomore effort Come Home the Kids Miss You in 2023. Coming off Jackman. & Monica, he’s dropping off a sequel to Sweet Action.
“Signora” begins the EP sampling “Ideally Yours” by Ideal responding to a woman wondering why he’s acting so laid back whereas “Too Soon” shifts towards an acoustic trap vibe instrumentally to pose the question of whether or not it’s untimely for him to fuck another bitch. “She Gets Me” confesses that he’s been seeing another woman & feeling like she understands him better than his old chick did while “610 Magnolia” talks about wanting to show her who he really is.
The song “Hold Back” produced by Rogét Chahayed might have my favorite beat here because of the way he samples “Hold N’ Back” by Marques Houston even if bars like “I can tell you must think I just wanna paint your face, Cirque du Soleil” feel grossly tacky while “Pressure” flips “ego talkin’” by Saint Harison acknowledges his imperfections. “Move On” ruins “That Was Then” by Lalah Hathaway to end Sweet Action II wining over an ex-girlfriend.
It was pretty great seeing Jack Harlow getting clowned for the neo-soul direction Monica went for when he dropped it back in March & regardless of the pop rap elements from the original Sweet Action being retained, the trap influences being swapped out in favor of Monica’s neo-soul sound & contemporary R&B makes Sweet Action II feel like a collection of outtakes that were originally meant for his latest album whether it’s the obnoxious usage of R&B samples or Jack’s corny songwriting.
Score: 1.5/5
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