The beginning of 2023 was a bit lacklustre in terms of releases, but it has quickly heated up. With the likes of D Block Europe, J Hus, Central Cee, Stormzy & Dave all putting out music at the same time; it certainly feels like a great time to be a fan of UK music. Of all the aforementioned names, we’ve waited the longest to get something long form from J Hus, aside from his often bizarre but captivating posts on social media, we’ve had little else from the Gambian superstar. Fleeting appearances on Burna Boy’s album Love, Damini in the shape of “Cloak & Dagger” is the most we’ve gotten musically from The Hustler.
After months of teasing snippets on Instagram live, and after Billboards began appearing across the capital, J Hus finally announced his third studio album Beautiful and Brutal Yard – with heavyweight features in the shape of Naira Marley, Jorja Smith, Burna Boy and CB. Dropping on the 14th of July with a drill single in tow, and a coveted Drake feature J Hus is surely heading for his second number one with this release.
In anticipation for the release, we’ve somehow whittled down J Hus’ incredible discography to just 11 essential tracks. Take in the list below, and let us know your favourites on the socials.
“I’m Coming”
The opening track from J Hus’ debut mixtape The 15th Day. Released back in July 2015, the mixtape really put J Hus’ unique brand of music on the map. Whether it was the cadence, or his effortlessly blending of catchy afropop with hard rhyme schemes, J Hus really proved he was different.
“Lean & Bop”
J Hus shows he’s capable of leaning towards his pop sensibilities on this classic track from 2015. This release also serves as further proof of the indelible mark Jamal Edwards has left on the scene, as it was featured on SBTV, many years before J Hus reached the dizzying heights he’s reached today. Hus also proved how ahead of his time he was, by incorporating a dance as a central part of the song; something which would certainly spawn thousands of TikTok imitators if it was released today.
“Friendly”
This track arguably features one of the most iconic J Hus lyrics to date: “Posted on the block like a low life, I like my Fanta with no hice”. It also captures the brilliance that Hus has seemingly mastered over the years, his ability to make something that is mundane and pedestrian so entertaining. These non sequiturs will go on to become a mainstay throughout the J Hus discography, and really earmark him as one of the most exciting artists in the country.
“Dem Boy Paigon”
Another staple from the early Hus years. “Dem Boy Paigon” also featured one of the J Hus calling cards with his distinctive “Nyaaahhhaaa”, which was used to great effect on this particular track.
“Bouff Daddy”
The budgets have increased by this point, and major labels have finally cottoned onto J Hus’ greatness. The visuals are starting to match the lyrical excellence and The Hustler certainly doesn’t disappoint in one of his early outings in a big budget video. Eagle eyed fans will notice Jae5 jumping into the pool mid way through the video, replicating the splash him and Hus were about to make on British music in the coming months.
“Did You See”
J Hus proves that he really has a penchant for writing catchy lines and it most certainly wasn’t a fluke. “Did You see what I done, came in the black Benz left in the white one” – another inescapable earworm from the East Londoner that is most certainly still be quoted today, six years after it dropped. Again proving that J Hus simply has a knack for making anything he says sound cool.
“Fisherman” Featuring Mist & MoStack
The debut album Common Sense was a no skips project from top to bottom, a real travesty that it never achieved the number one spot when it was released. “Fisherman” was most certainly one of the fan favourite album cuts, and many were upset that we never got fully fledged visuals for this one.
“Samantha” – Featuring Dave
Two young musical prodigies came together to create magic on this one. All you need is Dave’s flourish on the keys to be played to send any crowd in the country into a frenzy. The two would team up again on Dave’s debut with “Disaster” and many were sad to not see the pair together again on Hus’ third album. Here’s hoping we can see them team up together again in the near future.
“Helicopter”
A strong candidate for the greatest track 2 in UK music history. A TSB production, which is lit up by J Hus and his sister iceè tgm in epic fashion. A listening party meme of Lippy’s reaction to the track was born and it instantly became one of the standout tracks from Big Conspiracy.
“Must Be”
Another masterstroke in production from Jae5. This track sees one of the UK greatest duos working in perfect harmony. Big Conspiracy would go number one against all possible odds, no music videos, little to no promo and the album was leaked a week prior to its release. This alone is proof of the strength of J Hus’ music. The album was also a departure stylistically perhaps what most fans were expecting from Hus, it was much more of a pure rap album than any of his previous offerings.
“Who Told You” Featuring Drake
The second single from the third album is a Drake feature. Although opinions regarding the feature itself remain divided online, there can be no doubt in anyone’s mind the cache that comes with a Drake feature. Drake of course has a storied history with many of the top artists in the UK scene, but not all of them have been lucky enough to get a verse from him. After J Hus’ brief stint in prison, Drake famously brought him out at one of his 02 dates, so the track has been a long time coming.