J Hus - Big Conspiracy (Album Review)

J Hus is back with his new album 'Big Conspiracy'. The Afroswing artist is a UK rapper who's produced numerous bangers over the years such as 'Did You See' & 'Friendly' while releasing the critically acclaimed album in 2017 'Common Sense'. He has had a roller-coaster of a time since - including spending 8 months in prison for weapon charges to being brought out on stage by none other than Drake upon his release. All these events have lead to the release of his 2nd studio album 'Big Conspiracy'.

Firstly, we'll start at production. The production on this album is good but it doesn't blow your socks off. It helps some songs while on other occasions makes a song boring - generally at the start as you'll learn about (DISCLAIMER: A lot of the criticism relates to the first 3 tracks of the album). It's very hit and miss but there are more hits. He's trying to make party music for the majority of the album which leads to the stereotypical topics of girls, guns & street violence - which is fine based off what he's going for which is beats and bangers over lyricism. However, just because you're making club music doesn't mean the lyrics are bad - you just don't have much content or meaning. In respect to that, J Hus has a lot of filler bars on this album - but does occasionally come up with a great bar such as "You can avoid the feds but not the karma" on the track 'Fight for Your Right'. Overall though, I'm quite disappointed with the lyrics.

Juju's flow can get repetitive at times (mainly at the start) but when he started to switch his flows up mid-verse was when the best of him came out. Likewise with his delivery, it wasn't great to begin with but when he worked with his strengths the songs improved. His strengths are when he delivers lines with such venom that even if a bar isn't necessarily great - the way he says it can convince you it's a banger of a line. His hooks are very hit and miss. There is a melodic touch to his hooks that can keep things enjoyable but at other times they all sound too similar. Everything I mentioned I like about this album - is the exact opposite of what he does in the first 3 tracks - however it does pick up as it goes along so give it a chance.

Into the track listing we start with the title track 'Big Conspiracy' which introduces the majority of the albums subject matter. iceè tgm has a nice chorus which is catchy but J Hus' verses get tedious due to using the same flow for both verses - the entire time. 'Helicopter' is just boring. J Hus sounds dull, the hook is nice but not groundbreaking and the beat is bland bar that swooshing element to it - not feeling this one at all. The next track in the tracklist is 'Fight for Your Right' and at this point it really isn't going well. The production again is dull and uninspiring while J Hus' hook just sounds like the other two. The verses drag again with the same flow and lyrically he isn't doing anything special. I'm a fan of J Hus but this isn't it so far. Finally on track 4 we start seeing improvements with 'Triumph'. The flow finally switches up in the verses and despite the hook being similar again - layed over the beat that has actual life it hits the ear cleaner. His delivery is much better when he is not being melodic because he sounds too watered down - while not an amazing song it's a definite improvement on what we've had so far.

'Play Play' is J Hus in his prime. His verses have that unaccented, hard delivery which is refreshing to hear. The song is a nice party song about a girl, over a tropical beat which sounds brilliant. Burna Boy on the hook is always a win - his melodies are top tier. 'Cucumber' is next up and really confirms we're in the stride of things. The beat creates an absolute vibe as does J Hus with his melodic hook. Lyrically he incorporates some clever lines such as "I'm looking at her neck and I saw a choker". As for content, well, cucumber is another word for his dick...

'Repeat' features a sonically enjoyable verse or two from Koffee who I can't lie I'm unfamiliar with (just seen she won a Grammy yesterday so congratulations to her). She uses her voice to keep things nice over a good beat which has like a triangle or something in the background that stands out too me and the drums play a big part in the song too. J Hus is the least interesting part of the song though - his hook isn't exactly bad but it's easily forgotten past this track. On 'Fortune Teller' we get an occasion where the beat is great with that menacing piano and them drums which kick in during the hook complimenting Hus' style so well it makes it a really catchy hook. The verses are an example of that venomous delivery and overall it's a great track. 'Reckless' is an alright song at the most - the beat does it's job but it's not a crazy beat. J Hus has the correct delivery for the song but it just doesn't have much replay value to it. The next track is one of two singles released in the build up to this album which is titled 'No Denying'. The 808's are insane in this song and the verses come with such fury. His flow is smooth and he rides the beat effortlessly partnered with some hard lyrics. "Coulda took that gyal dere to my room//But I took that gyal dere to the moon". The hook is nice and so are the verses - but it's the hook that steals the show.

On the second released single, 'Must Be' he discusses his prison sentence and his opps which is good content I suppose. The hook is simplistic yet catchy and the jazz-inspired beat sits well but my only complaint is the verses can get quite stiff. 'Love, Peace and Prosperity' has an old school UK rap vibe to it as well as coming across as a summer song. The instrumental is very tame, and them light drums in the background come across smooth. J Hus kills the hook on this one too with hos melodic vocals and his accent is warranted here. We reach the final song on the album, 'Deeper Than Rap' which is Hus and his most vulnerable. The beat is simplistic and the flow slow for the correct reasons - it's a song where we need to focus on the lyrics, "I'm just a roadman so why am I preachin'?//God made you sexy, so why you bleachin'?". Despite J Hus getting deep and discussing what's on his mind - the song does get tedious, although I can appreciate the path J Hus took on this one.

Overall J Hus' new album is a mixed bag - but there's more positives than negatives. It doesn't quite live it up to it's predecessor 'Common Sense' but there are a few good tracks on here. I'm still excited to see what the future holds for J Hus.

FAVOURITE TRACKS: Big Conspiracy, Triumph, Play Play, Cucumber, Repeat, Fortune Teller, Reckless, No Denying, Must Be, Love, Peace and Prosperity, Deeper Than Rap

LEAST FAVOURITE TRACK: Fight for Your Right

OVERALL RATING: Solid 7.5/10