Jack Harlow’s aunt thought Ben Marshall’s impression on “Saturday Night Live” was him, and the guess proved too accurate.
Ben Marshall turned “Saturday Night Live” into a hype show, channeling Jack Harlow for a perfect “Weekend Update” impression that Michael Che struggled to sustain.
The “Saturday Night Live” actor not only shaped Harlow’s mannerisms and voice, but also his character. He hit the nail right on the head with content that has been plaguing rappers for weeks.
Wearing a Kangol hat, Marshall also joked about Harlow’s controversial “I’m getting black” comments when he turned to R&B on the Monica album.
That impression includes a series of hilarious nicknames the internet has been bestowing on Harlow since he made borderline insensitive comments about his musical direction.
Marshall rattled off great songs like “Mos Def-initely Not,” “LL Cool Whip,” “D’Angelo,” “Jay-ZZ-Top,” “Lil’ Wayne’s World” and “Kan-Yay, It’s Friday” while Che sat there barely able to compose himself.
The skit also attacks what R&B actually means, with Marshall’s version citing “growing up around (but not with) black people” as one of the definitions.
This statement was so convincing that it fooled anyone who actually knew Harlow.
The real Jack Harlow confirmed how accurate that impression was when he shared his reaction on Instagram.
“My aunt texted me and told me how proud she was of me being on SNL and fixing all the problems. My aunt who is related to me actually thought it was me,” Harlow said.
That his own family couldn’t tell the difference between the real rapper and Marshall’s version speaks volumes about how accurate the imitation actually is.
The bake-off comes at a difficult time for Harlow, who is already receiving attention from multiple angles.
In addition to the backlash for “going darker,” he was mocked for the oversized utility hat he wore in the “Say Hello” music video, which sparked a viral hit on social media.
Between controversial comments about his musical evolution and questionable headwear decisions, Harlow has been the subject of online ridicule.
“Saturday Night Live” was viewed more than 400,000 times on YouTube within 20 hours of its broadcast, proving that viewers were hungry for someone to talk to the elephant in the room.
Harlow’s “Monica” album sales forecasts were unimpressive compared to his previous work, suggesting the backlash could affect his commercial performance.
