Wikipedia

Beautiful and Brutal Yard

"Palm Tree (song)" redirects here. For similarly titled works, see Palm tree (disambiguation).

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]

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

Background and promotion

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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

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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]

Year-end lists

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Select year-end rankings of Beautiful and Brutal Yard
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]

Commercial performance

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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]

Track listing

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

| writer1 =

| extra1 =

  • E.Y.
  • Maestro The Baker
  • TobiShyBoy

| length1 = 2:13 | title2 = Massacre

| writer2 =

| extra2 =

  • Marco Bernardis
  • P2J

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

| writer3 =

Charts

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Chart performance for Beautiful and Brutal Yard
Chart (2023) Peak
position
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

Certifications

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Region Certification Certified units/sales
United Kingdom (BPI)[34] Silver 60,000‡

‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

References

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  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. ^ 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. ^ a b 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.
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