Overview
- Harlow told The New York Times' Popcast he "got Blacker" making Monica and described avoiding what he called a safer path taken by some white peers.
- X/Twitter users flooded feeds with mocking nicknames such as "Talcum X," "Charlie Kirk Franklin," "Stevie Wonderbread" and "Mos Definitely Not."
- Charlamagne tha God criticized the phrasing on The Breakfast Club, saying the album "made him whiter" and calling Monica "not that dope."
- Coverage highlights ongoing debate over race, authenticity and appropriation surrounding a white artist leaning into styles rooted in Black music.
- Monica arrived March 13 as a nine-track, feature-free move into neo-soul and R&B that has surprised parts of Harlow's audience.