One of the songs that helped build Jack Harlow's massive success was "Tyler Herro," a cut from his debut album, "Thats What They All Say." It's an ode to the Miami Heat rookie who made his own splash, serving as a scoring machine for the Eastern Conference champs and becoming the youngest player to start in the NBA Finals when he did so in October.
In Vevo's Footnotes series, the young spitter breaks down the making of the "Tyler Herro" video, which was directed by Ace Pro. We learn about Harlow's friendship with comedian Druski, who plays the bus driver, that the kids chasing him out of the limo are a nod to Eminem's "The Real Slim Shady" and that he features his real stylist and friends in the video.
In regards to Herro's appearance, Harlow flew out the rising star from Miami to Atlanta on a private jet. The basketball court used in the video belongs to NBA vet Lou Williams. We also learn that this friendly video isn't exactly reflective of how the two first met.
"Tyler didn't remember, but we had met in Kentucky at a club called 8UP during Derby 2019," Harlow shares. "A-Trak was DJing and my crew actually got into it with Tyler's over something petty."
The incident turned out to be no big deal as a year later, Herro DM'd the rapper to give him props on his lyrical skills. They hit it off and started texting each other. Then, after Harlow recorded the song in his closet in one take (he picked the beat out of a batch Boi-1da sent him), he sent it to the rising basketball star.
"He loved it, and by the time we shot the video, he knew every word," Harlow recalls.
Herro gives his own behind-the-scenes perspective, too. He remembers that when he was first sent the song, it was called "N'Sync" and there weren't any solidified plans for it to be a hit.
"For me, it was just cool to hear the name drop," he says. "... Jack told me he was thinking about releasing the song as his single, and also renaming it 'Tyler Herro.' That's how I ended up doing the video with him and then getting the chance to watch it all roll out — it was great to be a part of."
"Tyler Herro" is now certified Gold by the RIAA and is still on the Hot 100 chart after 20 weeks. Its peak position was No.34. Not too shabby for a kid out of Louisville.
The VEVO Footnotes series also features slowthai's "MAZZA" with A$AP Rocky, which reveals how a water bed and rope pulley system helped create the effect of a woozy psychedelic trip.