So I say no to drugs like Ronald Reagan

Continuing my trip up The Guardian's Best Albums of 2020 list...

#8 : Big Conspiracy - J Hus


Pushing into new introspective territory, J Hus’s second album would become oddly fitting for a year where carnival was swapped for dancing alone. The lithe buoyancy of Hus’s vocals remained, accompanied by flourishes of sax, piano, guitar and strings. And his swaggering libido was still apparent – you can hear his grin on the icy slickness of Cucumber as he implores: “Say ah J Hus make your pum-pum sore.” But dig deeper and you hear a young man navigating self-doubt in a world made to exclude him: “No blacks, no dogs, we were segregated,” he reflects on Deeper Than Rap. “They took our history then they went and erased it.” As the year progressed, the exquisite Big Conspiracy came to reflect more of 2020, mapping out his personal journey within the wider context of being young, Black and British.

I wasn't aware that I was aware of J Hus, but I had heard "Must Be" quite a few times on the old wireless and I liked it.  But from the description above, I wasn't entirely convinced I was going to like the album - but it's a fine album with plenty to say, and it says it well.  It's in the same vein as Psychodrama by Dave for me - lots of well put together tracks worth digging into.  "Must Be" was the stand out for me, but that's probably because I recognised it beforehand!

My one issue (and it's my issue, not the album's) is that I don't understand a lot of the vocab. It's all very well him telling me that if it walks, talks, looks and smells like an opp, then it must be an opp - but that's not going to help me recognise an opp if I don't have the faintest clue what one is.  However, that didn't stop me enjoying the album - I'm just left with a vague sense that I don't really know what's going on whilst I'm enjoying it.

The Wikipedia entry for the album is far too short - I can't believe no-one has something more to say about it - and it's a shame his entry is far more interested in his various legal difficulties than his music.  "Customers also listened to" Dave (yay - I got one!) and Burna Boy (who I've struggled to like so far).  But this is another album well worth a listen if you haven't come across it yet (although I think they could have tried harder with the album cover).

#9 - Much better than I was expecting
#7 - In the top 3 of the year for me

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