jack harlow toronto nardwuar

Fans puzzled after Jack Harlow tells Drake that he likes Calgary more than Toronto

American rapper Jack Harlow is no stranger to the great white north, having played a few shows in some of Canada's biggest cities during his brief career.

But while one could assume that Harlow's favourite city in the country is Toronto, the centre of hip-hop culture north of the border, it turns out he feels most at home 2,700 kilometres to the west, in Calgary (?!).

Harlow was recently interviewed on the sunny shores of Malibu, CA by Canadian legend Nardwuar (the Human Serviette), a prominent voice in music media known for his wacky, one-of-a-kind interviewing style, iconic attire, and otherworldly research abilities.

During the roughly 20-minute interview, Nardwuar covers Harlow's brief tour history in Canada, most recently taking the stage at Drake's new Toronto venue, History, headlining his De La Crème Tour. Harlow also performed at the Sled Island Music & Arts Festival 2019, hosted in Calgary, and the 2018 Osheaga Festival in Montreal.

But it was Calgary that the artist really fell in love with, lighting up when Nardwuar mentioned his 2019 appearance. "The neighbourhood festival, the block party down there," says Harlow. "Yeah, and definitely no one there knew who I was; my Calgary fan base was not up."

Despite not feeling any recognition, Harlow says, "I remember taking a mental note before I went up on stage in Calgary and I was like, you know what, 'Jack just be an entertainer, it's not about you just give the people that energy,' and I just caught my vibe."

"Gave it everything I got, and the people were feeling me. There were kids out there. There were older people. There were middle-aged people. It was nice."

For seemingly this reason alone, Harlow says, "I always tell Drake Toronto's cool, but they ain't Calgary. I'm a big Calgary fan."

Harlow's choice of the third most-populous city in Canada over Toronto has lots of fans talking, with one even suggesting he take a page out of his idol Drake's book and do an album cover posing atop the Calgary Tower.

Basing your important life decisions on the travel preferences of a rapper might not be the most sound strategy, but hey, you do you.

Others aren't quite convinced, questioning Harlow for choosing Toronto over Calgary for a recent tour date.

Still, fans in Calgary are much happier about the revelation than those in Toronto, who are pretty used to being rated #1 among celebs.

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