J Hus (pictured above) has released two studio albums, Common Sense and Big Conspiracy. He gains inspiration from many genres of music (courtesy of Wikimedia Commons).
Big Conspiracy is rapper J Hus’s second studio album and the first major release of the decade from the United Kingdom music scene, which has recently been thriving. The album comes after a long two-and-a-half year wait since his last release, which was his critically acclaimed debut album Common Sense.
During the wait, Hus experienced a short eight-month prison sentence for possession of a knife, an experience which played a role in his new album’s sound, giving it a more subdued and introspective atmosphere than his previous works. Despite the differences, Big Conspiracy lives up to expectations and proves a strong sophomore album in a hopefully long career.
Hus is a rising star in the U.K., and for good reason. His music is a unique mix of genres, with strong influences from dancehall, African pop music and hip-hop, dubbed by some as “Afroswing.” He is of Gambian descent and has embraced his heritage and culture throughout his career. Rapping plays a major part in his music, but there is also a strong focus on melody and singing.
Finding an accurate comparison to a well-known United States artist is difficult, as Hus occupies a very unique lane. He builds rich songs with his voice as the primary instrument, in a manner similar to Future. Unlike Future, however, Hus does not rely on autotune and his songs are often livelier.
On Big Conspiracy, he delivers a sonically cohesive album that avoids repetition. Hus varies his flow and lyrical content enough to avoid sounding stale. He jumps from slightly corny verses about women and sex in songs like “Play Play” and “Cucumber” to deeply introspective and mature verses, like on “Deeper than Rap” where he delves into the history of his community and the problems it faces. Each track feels polished and flows easily into the others.
There are no tracks that feel like a filler and Hus never seems lazy as a result. This is in part due to the stellar production from his long-time collaborators Jae5 and TSB, who both perfectly mesh with Hus’s melodic rapping. Even tracks that don’t necessarily make a profound statement or message still sound good. His voice just fits in perfectly with the beats the collaborators create.
Together, they manage to create infectious hooks and beautifully layered songs. Perhaps the best example of this is the song “Triumph” where Hus raps about his time on the streets over a simple punchy beat. His words are emphasized by synths and horns while the underlying drum pattern provides a steady rhythm.
Other standouts on the album are the title track “Big Conspiracy” and its follow-up “Helicopter,” where Hus and Icee tgm (an unknown artist rumored to be his sister) show off musical chemistry over a slow rhythmic beat. Her singing beautifully contrasts Hus’ deep voice. The two other feature artists on the album, Burna Boy and Koffee, also serve as a contrast to Hus, bringing more energy to the tracks and the album.
Ultimately, the album is quite good. There is no filler and each song brings something new to the table through either production or lyrics. J Hus’ strong accent may be off-putting to some, but I highly recommend giving it a chance.