Jack Harlow, “Come Home the Kids Miss You.”

Kentucky rapper Jack Harlow didn’t just make a statement on his sophomore album. He brought in an all-star cast along for the ride. Harlow gets contributions from hip-hop A-listers like Snoop Dogg, Pharrell Williams and Drake. Even Justin Timberlake makes an appearance on Come Home the Kids Miss You. Dua Lipa makes a cameo on the record; well, sort of.

Harlow followed a similar path on his debut album, That’s What They All Say, tapping into some of the biggest stars in pop and hip-hop for collaborations.

The new album is an expansive offering, spanning 16 tracks varying from two-minute firecrackers to five-minute odysseys. Harlow has already developed a signature laidback delivery, laying down controlled and focused verses. He’s established himself as one of the breakout hip-hop stars of the Gen-Z era; the 24-year-old found massive success on the first single, “First Class.” But he kept the majority of the album under wraps right up until it dropped.

The album references his contemporaries, including a certain U.K. singer-songwriter on “I’d Do Anything to Make You Smile.”

“Get these lyrics off of you/ And then I sing ’em like an Ed Sheeran song to you/ Because I love the shape of you,” Harlow raps.

Sheeran isn’t the only English singer on Harlow’s mind. “Dua Lipa” is Harlow’s very public attempt at collaborating with the pop songstress in the form of a song—a bold move. Pharrell drops in on the bass-heavy “Movie Star,” an unusual track that really isn’t built on a beat but is more of a combination of synth and and fuzzy bass, until the loops finally kick in toward the end. Harlow mixes in some interesting elements into this song, dialing back on the big bass beats and trading them for pianos, synths and strings—like a pop song.

Some of the collaborations arrive as surprise. Snoop Dogg wasn’t announced for “Young Harleezy,” but he’s right there. Harlow trades verses with Drake on “Churchill Downs,” a fitting track given the proximity of the album’s release to the Kentucky Derby in Harlow’s home state. “Like a Blade of Grass” is a stellar track that mixes in a nuanced Spanish-guitar-influenced track that sits lightly over a restrained backbeat.

Timberlake checks in on the chorus of “Parent Trap,” a smooth and soulful track that expertly crosses Timberlake’s slick melodies with Harlow’s rhymes. It’s a standout that hits the mark. Lil Wayne offers up his unique Auto-Tune-infused cadence on “Poison,” another laidback number that sees Jack Harlow singing more than rapping.

“Nail Tech” offers more of a diversion from the rest of the album. With bigger beats and more instrumentation, the song is a little more percussion-forward. The album concludes with the experimental and jazzy “State Fair,” which gets an organ into the mix.

Jack Harlow proves he’s deserving of the hype, and these collaborations lend an added layer of credibility to the Kentucky rapper’s sound. It feels fresh and different—willing to stray from today’s hip-hop—and offers up an exciting precursor of things to come.

Follow writer Mike DeWald at Twitter.com/mike_dewald.