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Beautiful and Brutal Yard
Studio album by J Hus
Released	14 July 2023 (2023-07-14)
Genre	Drill dancehall Afrobeat hip hop
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
Big Conspiracy (2020) Beautiful and Brutal Yard (2023)
Singles from Beautiful and Brutal Yard
"It's Crazy" Released: 24 May 2023 "Who Told You" Released: 8 June 2023 "Militerian" Released: 13 July 2023

Beautiful and Brutal Yard (also abbreviated B.A.B.Y) 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. It was preceded by the singles "It's Crazy" and "Who Told You" featuring Drake. J Hus will tour the UK and Ireland in October and November 2023 in support of the album. The album was shortlisted for the 2023 Mercury Prize.

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. Shortly after, the album's lead single "It's Crazy" released. On 8 June 2023. the second single "Who Told You" released.

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."

Critical reception

Professional ratings

Aggregate scores
Source	Rating
Metacritic	83/100
Review scores
Source	Rating
Clash	8/10
The Guardian
The Line of Best Fit	8/10
Mixtape Madness	4/5
NME
Pitchfork	8.1/10
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". 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". 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". 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". Clash's Dwayne Wilks wrote that while the album "remind us why 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". Will Pritchard, reviewing the album for The Telegraph, called it "the record of the summer" along with "thrilling, hip-twisting, unsettling", on which "Hus still leads the pack with his pitless charisma, linguistic inventiveness, and musical curiosity". 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".

Year-end lists

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

Track listing

{{Track listing | headline = Beautiful and Brutal Yard track listing | extra_column = Producer(s) | title1 = Intro (The GOAT)

| writer1 =

• Momodou Lamin Jallow
• Eyobed Getachew
• Ifeoluwa Oladigbolu
• Tobi Oladigbolu

| extra1 =

• E.Y.
• Maestro The Baker
• TobiShyBoy

| length1 = 2:13 | title2 = Massacre

| writer2 =

• Jallow
• Marco Bernardis
• Richard Isong

| extra2 =

• Marco Bernardis
• P2J

| length2 = 3:31 | title3 = Who Told You | note3 = featuring Drake

| writer3 =

• Jallow
• Aubrey Graham
• Getachew
• Gaetan Judd
• Isong

Charts

Certifications

References

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

• 2023 albums
• Black Butter Records albums
• J Hus albums
• Albums produced by P2J
• Albums produced by Sammy Soso