Jack Harlow finally made it to Baltimore. His first show in the city was supposed to be in 2020 at The Ottobar, an intimate Charles Village venue. But that gig was canceled by the COVID-19 pandemic, the rapper told a much bigger audience at Pimlico Race Course on Saturday night.
He was scheduled to perform at the Preakness Stakes in 2021, but dropped out after his DJ was charged with murder. Harlow’s first Charm City appearance ultimately came Saturday as the headliner of Preakness LIVE, the daylong music festival that runs parallel to the Preakness Stakes. “Today is my first day in Baltimore, Maryland, ever,” he confessed.
“This is my first time setting foot in this city, and I’ve heard a lot of great things.” The 26-year-old rapper from Louisville, Kentucky, worked in shoutouts to Baltimore throughout his 18-song set, which capped a rainy day of music and horse racing at Pimlico. The sun began to peek through the crowds shortly before he took the stage.
Harlow changed a line in the hit song “What’s Poppin’” to incorporate a nod to Baltimore’s baseball team: “I’m in the club with the baseball team, me and the Orioles sharing a section.” He praised Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson, and the team’s Super Bowl chances: “I saw the MVP was on the track today..
. It might be your year this year.” He even asked the question many city natives ask when trying to gauge whether someone is truly Baltimore born-and-raised: “Who’s from Baltimore here? L.
