“It Can’t Be” by Jack Harlow

“It Can’t Be” is amongst the songs found on Jack Harlow’s project “Jackman”, which, despite only being 10 tracks in length, is being defined as a studio album. This LP, which will undoubtedly have additional songs added to it later down the line, was issued through Atlantic Records and one of its sub-entities, Generation Now, on 28 April 2023. 

And Harlow wrote this particular song alongside its producer, Rashad Thomas, with the late, great Bill Withers (1938-2020) also being acknowledged as a co-author for some unspecified reason.

Lyrics of “It Can’t Be”

This is another song from Jackman, similar to Common Ground, in which Harlow tackles the controversy of White people benefitting from hip-hop. The fact of the matter is that Caucasians, such as Rick Rubin for example, have been heavily involved in the rap scene pretty much since day one. But that said, no one would deny that hip-hop is by and large a Black art. 

So in recent years, given the fact that Eminem, who is indeed Caucasian, has soundly proven to be the best-selling rapper in industry history, many people have attributed that high level success to his skin color, and accordingly other White rappers have been caught up in this matter also.

In other words, the argument goes that such emcees naturally have a commercial advantage over their Black peers, which, all things considered, can be counted as true. But that said, it isn’t like there’s a bunch of high-selling White rappers floating around out there.

And that’s sorta the point that Harlow sets out to make, albeit sarcastically. As it currently stands, he can be considered the trendiest White rapper in the game. And in this song Jack sorta plays the devil advocate if you will, siding with those who believe that his come-up is attributable to his skin color. 

“It must be my skin, I can’t think of any other reason I win (Ooh)
I can’t think of an explanation, it can’t be the years of work I put in
It can’t be the way that I stuck with the same friends
It can’t be the swag I got when I walk in, it can’t be”

In other words, the vocalist agrees that his success isn’t attributable to his hard work ethic, his loyalty to the people around him, the fact that he grew up on hip-hop, etc., i.e. doing everything right as an artist.  Instead, Jack sides with those who perceive him as some sort of ‘industry plant’ or a musician who has made it big off of his Whiteness.

So in reality, the point being made here is that such arguments are asinine. Or let’s say that from Harlow’s perspective, he has more than paid his dues to get to where he’s currently at, besides possessing the talent to be a successful rapper. And in support of his argument, it should be reiterated that most industry rappers who are White don’t prove nearly as successful as he has.

So obviously, Harlow isn’t the type of rapper who’s directly confrontational. But this can be taken as his own kiss-my-ass song towards those who believe his come-up is solely the result of White privilege as opposed to his dedication to and integrity within the game.

SHOUTOUT TO GOVERNOR ANDY BERSHEAR

In the second verse, Jack mentions “having dinner in Frankfort with Andy”. Frankfort is the capital city of Kentucky, Harlow’s home state. And the “Andy” he’s referring to is actually the Governor of Kentucky, Andy Beshear. 

And to note, Beshear’s office did verify that “the governor and his family… had dinner with Jack Harlow in Frankfort”. Furthermore, they were so impressed by the young musician that now “the governor is… considering launching a rap career after his second term”, which we will take as a comedic statement.