Beautiful and Brutal Yard | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | 14 July 2023 | |||
Genre | ||||
Length | 63:02 | |||
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 | ||||
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Singles from Beautiful and Brutal Yard | ||||
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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]
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]
Aggregate scores | |
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Source | Rating |
Metacritic | 83/100 [13] |
Review scores | |
Source | Rating |
Clash | 8/10 [2] |
The Guardian | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
The Line of Best Fit | 8/10 [14] |
Mixtape Madness | 4/5 [15] |
NME | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Pitchfork | 8.1/10 [16] |
The Telegraph | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
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]
Publication | List | Rank | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|
Complex UK | Complex UK's Best Albums of 2023 | 3 | [18] |
The Line of Best Fit | The Best Albums of 2023 | 32 | [19] |
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] [21]
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
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1. | "Intro (The GOAT)" |
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| 2:13 |
2. | "Massacre" |
|
| 3:31 |
3. | "Who Told You" (featuring Drake) |
|
| 3:28 |
4. | "Militerian" (featuring Naira Marley) |
|
| 3:13 |
5. | "Palm Tree" |
|
| 2:38 |
6. | "Nice Body" (featuring Jorja Smith) |
|
| 3:34 |
7. | "Masculine" (featuring Burna Boy) |
|
| 3:24 |
8. | "Come Look" |
|
| 3:00 |
9. | "Cream" (featuring CB) |
|
| 3:23 |
10. | "Comeback" (featuring Villz) |
| TobiShyBoy | 3:50 |
11. | "Alien Girl" |
|
| 3:11 |
12. | "Fresh Water/Safa Kara" |
|
| 3:57 |
13. | "My Baby" |
|
| 3:56 |
14. | "Problem Fixer" |
|
| 2:50 |
15. | "Killy" (featuring Popcaan) |
|
| 3:03 |
16. | "It's Crazy" |
|
| 3:46 |
17. | "Bim Bim" |
|
| 2:53 |
18. | "Come Gully Bun (Gambian President)" (featuring Boss Belly) |
| TobiShyBoy | 3:08 |
19. | "Playing Chess" |
|
| 4:04 |
Total length: | 63:02 |
Chart (2023) | Peak position |
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Australian Hitseekers Albums (ARIA) [22] | 2 |
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders) [23] | 70 |
Canadian Albums (Billboard) [24] | 87 |
Danish Albums (Hitlisten) [25] | 38 |
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100) [26] | 19 |
French Albums (SNEP) [27] | 169 |
Irish Albums (IRMA) [28] | 14 |
Norwegian Albums (VG-lista) [29] | 21 |
Scottish Albums (OCC) [30] | 19 |
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade) [31] | 41 |
UK Albums (OCC) [32] | 1 |
UK R&B Albums (OCC) [33] | 1 |
Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
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United Kingdom (BPI) [34] | Silver | 60,000‡ |
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone. |