Beautiful and Brutal Yard

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Beautiful and Brutal Yard
Studio album by
J Hus
Released14 July 2023 (2023-07-14)
Genre
Length63:02
LabelBlack Butter
ProducerEY, 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]

Background and promotion[edit]

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[edit]

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic83/100[13]
Review scores
SourceRating
Clash8/10[2]
The Guardian[3]
The Line of Best Fit8/10[14]
Mixtape Madness4/5[15]
NME[1]
Pitchfork8.1/10[16]
The Telegraph[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]

Commercial performance[edit]

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.[18] The sales consisted of 1,722 CDs, 557 vinyls, 294 cassettes, 305 digital downloads, and 14,383 sales-equivalent streams.[18]

Track listing[edit]

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[edit]

Chart performance for Beautiful and Brutal Yard
Chart (2023) Peak
position
Australian Hitseekers Albums (ARIA)[19] 2
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[20] 70
Canadian Albums (Billboard)[21] 87
Danish Albums (Hitlisten)[22] 38
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[23] 19
French Albums (SNEP)[24] 169
Irish Albums (IRMA)[25] 14
Norwegian Albums (VG-lista)[26] 21
Scottish Albums (OCC)[27] 19
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[28] 41
UK Albums (OCC)[29] 1
UK R&B Albums (OCC)[30] 1

Certifications[edit]

Region Certification Certified units/sales
United Kingdom (BPI)[31] Silver 60,000‡

‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b c Smith, Niall (14 July 2023). "J Hus – Beautiful and Brutal Yard review: a triumphant summer blast". NME. Retrieved 15 July 2023.
  2. ^ a b c Wilks, Dwayne (14 July 2023). "J Hus – Beautiful and Brutal Yard | Reviews". Clash. Retrieved 15 July 2023.
  3. ^ a b c 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. ^ a b "Beautiful & Brutal Yard by J Hus Reviews and Tracks". Metacritic. Retrieved 22 July 2023.
  14. ^ a b 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. ^ a b Pritchard, Will (17 July 2023). "J Hus: Beautiful and Brutal Yard Album Review". Pitchfork. Retrieved 17 July 2023.
  17. ^ a b 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. ^ a b Jones, Alan (21 July 2023). "Charts analysis: J Hus lands second No.1 album". Music Week. Retrieved 15 October 2023.
  19. ^ "The ARIA Report: Week Commencing 24 July 2023". The ARIA Report. No. 1742. Australian Recording Industry Association. 24 July 2023. p. 25.
  20. ^ "Ultratop.be – J Hus – Beautiful and Brutal Yard" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 23 July 2023.
  21. ^ "J Hus Chart History (Canadian Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved 25 July 2023.
  22. ^ "Hitlisten.NU – Album Top-40 Uge 29, 2023". Hitlisten. Retrieved 26 July 2023.
  23. ^ "Dutchcharts.nl – J Hus – Beautiful and Brutal Yard" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 24 July 2023.
  24. ^ "Top Albums (Week 29, 2023)". Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique. Retrieved 24 July 2023.
  25. ^ "Irish Albums Chart: 21 July 2023". Irish Recorded Music Association. Retrieved 21 July 2023.
  26. ^ "Album 2023 uke 29". VG-lista. Retrieved 22 July 2023.
  27. ^ "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 22 July 2023.
  28. ^ "Swisscharts.com – J Hus – Beautiful and Brutal Yard". Hung Medien. Retrieved 23 July 2023.
  29. ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 21 July 2023.
  30. ^ "Official R&B Albums Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 22 July 2023.
  31. ^ "British album certifications – J Hus – Beautiful And Brutal Yard". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 19 January 2024.
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