Beautiful and Brutal Yard

Last updated

Beautiful and Brutal Yard
J Hus - Beautiful and Brutal Yard.png
Studio album by
J Hus
Released14 July 2023 (2023-07-14)
Genre
Length63:02
Label Black Butter
Producer EY, Maestro The Baker, TSB, Marco Bernardis, P2J, Alex Blake, iO, Levi Lennox, Scribz Riley, The Elements, Fumes, Lekaa Beats, Sammy Soso
J Hus chronology
Big Conspiracy
(2020)		Beautiful and Brutal Yard
(2023)
Singles from Beautiful and Brutal Yard
  1. "It's Crazy"
    Released: 24 May 2023
  2. "Who Told You"
    Released: 8 June 2023
  3. "Militerian"
    Released: 13 July 2023

Beautiful and Brutal Yard (also abbreviated B.A.B.Y [2] [3] ) is the third studio album by British rapper J Hus, released on 14 July 2023 through Black Butter Records. The album includes collaborations with Drake, Naira Marley, Jorja Smith, Burna Boy, Popcaan, CB, Villz and Boss Belly. [4] It was preceded by the singles "It's Crazy" and "Who Told You" featuring Drake. [5] J Hus will tour the UK and Ireland in October and November 2023 in support of the album. [6] The album was shortlisted for the 2023 Mercury Prize. [7]

Contents

Background and promotion

In May 2023, Spotify-sponsored billboards appeared in London. The billboards were labelled "Don't Say Militancy" and included a phone number. When called, a voicemail would play that confirmed an upcoming J Hus album. [8] [9] Shortly after, the album's lead single "It's Crazy" released. [10] On 8 June 2023. the second single "Who Told You" released. [11]

The album's announcement on 29 June 2023 was accompanied by a trailer in which J Hus walks through his own mansion before being delivered a vinyl copy of his album and before he is transported "in front of a beat-down neighborhood". A voiceover by Idris Elba states, "No matter what's going on around me, I'm still myself. And now my eyes are open and I can see the beauty of everything. I always calculate trying to challenge destiny and test fate. Welcome to my Beautiful and Brutal Yard, may peace be onto you." [12]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic 83/100 [13]
Review scores
SourceRating
Clash 8/10 [2]
The Guardian Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [3]
The Line of Best Fit 8/10 [14]
Mixtape Madness 4/5 [15]
NME Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [1]
Pitchfork 8.1/10 [16]
The Telegraph Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [17]

Beautiful and Brutal Yard received a score of 83 out of 100 on review aggregator Metacritic based on seven critics' reviews, indicating "universal acclaim". [13] Alexis Petridis of The Guardian named it his album of the week and noted, "that its polarities hold together for more than an hour is partly down to J Hus's famed adaptability, his facility to ride any beat thrown his way". [3] NME 's Niall Smith described it as "a scattershot burst of brilliance" as well as "an elongated, yet joyous return from J Hus", who "channels his lyrical potency, struggles and romantic pursuits into one unified portrait". [1] Hayley Milross of The Line of Best Fit stated that the album "shows Hus display his greatest quality – his music" and "displays both the beauty and brutality of the world", calling it "an album that connotes the essence of home, and his home is his music". [14] Clash 's Dwayne Wilks wrote that while the album "remind[s] us why [J Hus is] so adored", he found that there is "less of his story" and it does not reach the heights of J Hus's previous two albums, but concluded "no other artist commands rhythm and rhyme like Hus, and it's patently clear that the Stratford rapper is enjoying making music again, which is a blessing for the rest of us". [2] Will Pritchard, reviewing the album for The Telegraph , called it "the record of the summer" along with "thrilling, hip-twisting, [and] unsettling", on which "Hus still leads the pack with his pitless charisma, linguistic inventiveness, and musical curiosity". [17] Pritchard, writing for Pitchfork , described it a "carnal and philosophical investigation of masculinity against lush, robust beats that evoke a distinctly Black British take on G-funk". [16]

Year-end lists

Select year-end rankings of Beautiful and Brutal Yard
PublicationListRankRef.
Complex UK Complex UK's Best Albums of 20233 [18]
The Line of Best Fit The Best Albums of 202332 [19]

Commercial performance

In the United Kingdom, Beautiful and Brutal Yard debuted at number one on the UK Albums Chart, with first-week sales of 17,260 album-equivalent units. [20] The sales consisted of 1,722 CDs, 557 vinyls, 294 cassettes, 305 digital downloads, and 14,383 sales-equivalent streams. [20]

Track listing

Beautiful and Brutal Yard track listing
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."Intro (The GOAT)"
  • E.Y.
  • Maestro The Baker
  • TobiShyBoy
2:13
2."Massacre"
  • Marco Bernardis
  • P2J
3:31
3."Who Told You" (featuring Drake)
  • E.Y.
  • Gaetan Judd
  • P2J
3:28
4."Militerian" (featuring Naira Marley)
  • P2J
  • Stuart Hawkes
3:13
5."Palm Tree"
  • Jallow
  • Alex Blake
  • Ayodele Oyadare
  • Levi Malundama
  • Oladigbolu
  • Alex Blake
  • iO
  • Levi Lennox
  • TobiShyBoy
2:38
6."Nice Body" (featuring Jorja Smith)
  • Jallow
  • Jorja Smith
  • Malundama
  • Paul Goller
  • Keven Wolfsohn
  • Oladigbolu
  • Levi Lennox
  • The Elements
  • TobiShyBoy
3:34
7."Masculine" (featuring Burna Boy)
  • Levi Lennox
  • TobiShyBoy
3:24
8."Come Look"
  • Jallow
  • Oyadare
  • Oladigbolu
  • iO
  • TobiShyBoy
3:00
9."Cream" (featuring CB)
  • Jallow
  • Lekan Akinsoji
  • Karan Behl
  • Goller
  • Wolfsohn
  • Fumes Beats
  • The Elements
3:23
10."Comeback" (featuring Villz)
  • Jallow
  • Joel Currie
  • Oyadare
  • Oladigbolu
TobiShyBoy3:50
11."Alien Girl"
  • Jallow
  • Behl
  • Oyadare
  • Oladigbolu
  • Fumes Beats
  • iO
  • TobiShyBoy
3:11
12."Fresh Water/Safa Kara"
  • Jallow
  • Getachew
  • Malundama
  • Oladigbolu
  • Judd
  • Cole Ostrin
  • E.Y.
  • Levi Lennox
  • TobiShyBoy
3:57
13."My Baby"
  • Jallow
  • Getachew
  • Oladigbolu
  • E.Y.
  • TobiShyBoy
3:56
14."Problem Fixer"
  • Jallow
  • Babatope Bello
  • Isong
  • Oladigbolu
  • Lekaa Beats
  • P2J
  • TobiShyBoy
2:50
15."Killy" (featuring Popcaan)
  • Levi Lennox
  • TobiShyBoy
3:03
16."It's Crazy"
  • Jallow
  • Behl
  • Goller
  • Wolfsohn
  • Fumes Beats
  • The Elements
3:46
17."Bim Bim"
  • Jallow
  • Behl
  • Goller
  • Wolfsohn
  • Fumes Beats
  • The Elements
2:53
18."Come Gully Bun (Gambian President)" (featuring Boss Belly)
  • Jallow
  • Boss Belly
  • Oyadare
  • Oladigbolu
TobiShyBoy3:08
19."Playing Chess"
  • Jallow
  • Isong
  • Samuel Awuku
  • P2J
  • Sammy Soso
4:04
Total length:63:02

Charts

Chart performance for Beautiful and Brutal Yard
Chart (2023)Peak
position
Australian Hitseekers Albums (ARIA) [21] 2
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders) [22] 70
Canadian Albums (Billboard) [23] 87
Danish Albums (Hitlisten) [24] 38
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100) [25] 19
French Albums (SNEP) [26] 169
Irish Albums (IRMA) [27] 14
Norwegian Albums (VG-lista) [28] 21
Scottish Albums (OCC) [29] 19
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade) [30] 41
UK Albums (OCC) [31] 1
UK R&B Albums (OCC) [32] 1

Certifications

RegionCertification Certified units/sales
United Kingdom (BPI) [33] Silver60,000‡

‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

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References

  1. 1 2 3 Smith, Niall (14 July 2023). "J Hus – Beautiful and Brutal Yard review: a triumphant summer blast". NME . Retrieved 15 July 2023.
  2. 1 2 3 Wilks, Dwayne (14 July 2023). "J Hus – Beautiful and Brutal Yard | Reviews". Clash . Retrieved 15 July 2023.
  3. 1 2 3 Petridis, Alexis (14 July 2023). "J Hus: Beautiful and Brutal Yard review – still Britain's most adaptable, charismatic MC". The Guardian . Retrieved 15 July 2023.
  4. ↑ Helfand, Raphael (29 June 2023). "J Hus announces new album Beautiful and Brutal Yard". The Fader . Retrieved 7 July 2023.
  5. ↑ "J Hus announces Beautiful & Brutal Yard album date & tracklist". GRM Daily . 29 June 2023. Retrieved 7 July 2023.
  6. ↑ Williams, Kyann-Sian (30 June 2023). "J Hus announces third album Beautiful and Brutal Yard and first UK tour in six years". NME . Retrieved 7 July 2023.
  7. ↑ Snapes, Laura (27 July 2023). "Mercury Prize 2023: Arctic Monkeys tie Radiohead's record for most nominations". The Guardian . Retrieved 28 July 2023.
  8. ↑ "J Hus announces new music with mysterious billboards". dmy.co. Retrieved 18 July 2023.
  9. ↑ "J Hus Begins His 'DON'T SAY MILITANCY' Album Roll-Out". Hypebeast. 24 May 2023. Retrieved 18 July 2023.
  10. ↑ "J Hus returns with new song "It's Crazy"". The FADER. Retrieved 18 July 2023.
  11. ↑ DAILY, GRM (29 June 2023). "J Hus announces 'Beautiful & Brutal Yard' album date & tracklist". GRM Daily. Retrieved 18 July 2023.
  12. ↑ Mier, Tomás (29 June 2023). "J Hus Announces Beautiful and Brutal Yard Album, Featuring Drake, Burna Boy, Jorja Smith". Rolling Stone . Retrieved 7 July 2023.
  13. 1 2 "Beautiful & Brutal Yard by J Hus Reviews and Tracks". Metacritic . Retrieved 22 July 2023.
  14. 1 2 Milross, Hayley (14 July 2023). "J Hus: Beautiful and Brutal Yard Review – respect and power collide". The Line of Best Fit . Retrieved 15 July 2023.
  15. ↑ Simpson, Joe (14 July 2023). "Album Review: J Hus solidifies his sound on Beautiful and Brutal Yard". Mixtape Madness . Retrieved 15 July 2023.
  16. 1 2 Pritchard, Will (17 July 2023). "J Hus: Beautiful and Brutal Yard Album Review". Pitchfork . Retrieved 17 July 2023.
  17. 1 2 Pritchard, Will (14 July 2023). "Rita Ora masters the ballad, Mahalia is the voice of British RnB – the week's best albums". The Telegraph . Retrieved 15 July 2023.
  18. ↑ Patterson, Joseph JP; Keith, James; Cagna, Claudia (15 December 2023). "Complex UK's Best Albums Of 2023". Complex UK . Retrieved 31 May 2024.
  19. ↑ "The Best Albums of 2023 Ranked". The Line of Best Fit. Retrieved 27 December 2023.
  20. 1 2 Jones, Alan (21 July 2023). "Charts analysis: J Hus lands second No.1 album". Music Week . Retrieved 15 October 2023.
  21. ↑ "The ARIA Report: Week Commencing 24 July 2023". The ARIA Report. No. 1742. Australian Recording Industry Association. 24 July 2023. p. 25.
  22. ↑ "Ultratop.be – J Hus – Beautiful and Brutal Yard" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 23 July 2023.
  23. ↑ "J Hus Chart History (Canadian Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved 25 July 2023.
  24. ↑ "Hitlisten.NU – Album Top-40 Uge 29, 2023". Hitlisten . Retrieved 26 July 2023.
  25. ↑ "Dutchcharts.nl – J Hus – Beautiful and Brutal Yard" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 24 July 2023.
  26. ↑ "Top Albums (Week 29, 2023)". Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique. Retrieved 24 July 2023.
  27. ↑ "Irish Albums Chart: 21 July 2023". Irish Recorded Music Association . Retrieved 21 July 2023.
  28. ↑ "Album 2023 uke 29". VG-lista . Retrieved 22 July 2023.
  29. ↑ "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 22 July 2023.
  30. ↑ "Swisscharts.com – J Hus – Beautiful and Brutal Yard". Hung Medien. Retrieved 23 July 2023.
  31. ↑ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 21 July 2023.
  32. ↑ "Official R&B Albums Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 22 July 2023.
  33. ↑ "British album certifications – J Hus – Beautiful And Brutal Yard". British Phonographic Industry . Retrieved 19 January 2024.
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