Big Conspiracy
Big Conspiracy is the second studio album by British rapper J Hus. It was released on 24 January 2020 by Black Butter Records/Sony Music Uk for streaming and digital download. The album features production from frequent collaborator Jae5, alongside IO, TSB and Nana Rogues, plus guest appearances from Iceè TGM, Koffee, Burna Boy and Ella Mai. It follows the 2017 debut album, Common Sense, and the 2018 EP Big Spang.
Big Conspiracy | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | 24 January 2020 | |||
Recorded | 2017–19 | |||
Genre | Afroswing[1] | |||
Length | 44:05 | |||
Label | Black Butter | |||
Producer | ||||
J Hus chronology | ||||
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Singles from Big Conspiracy | ||||
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Two singles were released to promote the album: "Must Be" and "No Denying", both charting in the top 40 of the UK Singles Chart. The album debuted atop the UK Albums Chart, becoming J Hus' first UK number-one album.[2] It also charted in Belgium, Canada, the Netherlands, Ireland, Norway and Sweden. Big Conspiracy received widespread acclaim from critics.
Background
The album was officially announced by J Hus the day before release via social media, following several tracks being leaked online earlier in the week.[3]
Critical reception
Aggregate scores | |
---|---|
Source | Rating |
AnyDecentMusic? | 8.1/10[4] |
Metacritic | 86/100[5] |
Review scores | |
Source | Rating |
AllMusic | [6] |
Financial Times | [7] |
The Guardian | [8] |
The Independent | [9] |
The Line of Best Fit | 9/10[10] |
NME | [1] |
The Observer | [11] |
Pitchfork | 8.0/10[12] |
Q | [13] |
The Times | [14] |
Big Conspiracy received widespread acclaim from critics. On Metacritic, which assigns a normalised rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream publications, Big Conspiracy received a weighted average score of 86, based on ten reviews, indicating "universal acclaim".[5]
Granting a perfect score, Dhruva Balram of NME praised the "excellent, career-defining production" and J Hus' "range and gift for incorporating multiple genres within one album", concluding it is a "career-defining collection".[1] For The Line of Best Fit, William Rosebury wrote that Big Conspiracy "certifies J Hus as one of the most influential artists in UK music. With the expansion and growth of UK music over the past decade, many people have attempted to define what exactly UK rap or ‘underground’ music is. The truth is that it's completely undefinable – it's grime, afrobeat, soul, drill, dancehall, hip-hop, R&B, garage, jungle – it's all of them, and none of them. J Hus embodies this melting pot of sounds, and with Big Conspiracy he delivers an album that once again blazes a trail for everyone else to follow."[10]
Track listing
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|---|
1. | "Big Conspiracy" (featuring iceè tgm) | TSB | 3:39 | |
2. | "Helicopter" (featuring iceè tgm) |
| TSB | 2:34 |
3. | "Fight for Your Right" |
| IO | 3:17 |
4. | "Triumph" |
| Jae5 | 2:50 |
5. | "Play Play" (featuring Burna Boy) |
|
| 3:26 |
6. | "Cucumber" |
|
| 2:41 |
7. | "Repeat" (featuring Koffee) |
| Jae5 | 2:33 |
8. | "Fortune Teller" |
|
| 2:35 |
9. | "Reckless" |
|
| 2:28 |
10. | "No Denying" |
| TSB | 3:48 |
11. | "Must Be" |
| Jae5 | 3:28 |
12. | "One and Only" (featuring Ella Mai) |
| Jae5 | 3:29 |
13. | "Love, Peace and Prosperity" |
| Jae5 | 3:14 |
14. | "Deeper Than Rap" |
|
| 4:06 |
Total length: | 44:05 |
Notes
- The album's tracklist was updated on 4 February 2020 to include the song "One and Only".
Charts
Weekly charts
Chart (2020) | Peak position |
---|---|
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[15] | 83 |
Canadian Albums (Billboard)[16] | 92 |
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[17] | 31 |
Irish Albums (OCC)[18] | 5 |
Norwegian Albums (VG-lista)[19] | 32 |
Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)[20] | 30 |
UK Albums (OCC)[21] | 1 |
Year-end charts
Chart (2020) | Position |
---|---|
UK Albums (OCC)[22] | 32 |
Certifications
Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
---|---|---|
United Kingdom (BPI)[23] | Gold | 100,000 |
Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone. |
References
- Balram, Dhruva (24 January 2020). "J Hus – 'Big Conspiracy' review: soulful British rapper barely puts a foot wrong on introspective second album". NME. Retrieved 26 January 2020.
- Copsey, Rob (31 January 2020). "J Hus's Big Conspiracy debuts at Number 1 on the Official UK Albums Chart". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 1 February 2020.
- "J Hus will release his new album tomorrow". Crack Magazine. 23 January 2020. Retrieved 26 January 2020.
- "Big Conspiracy by J Hus reviews". AnyDecentMusic?. Retrieved 15 March 2020.
- "Big Conspiracy by J Hus Reviews and Tracks". Metacritic. Retrieved 14 August 2020.
- Simpson, Paul. "Big Conspiracy – J Hus". AllMusic. Retrieved 9 May 2020.
- Hunter-Tilney, Ludovic (24 January 2020). "J Hus: Big Conspiracy — a measured embrace of notoriety". Financial Times. Retrieved 26 January 2020.
- Petridis, Alexis (23 January 2020). "J Hus – Big Conspiracy review: British rap star lights up his own lane". The Guardian. Retrieved 26 January 2020.
- O'Connor, Roisin (5 February 2020). "J Hus review, Big Conspiracy: Rapper is weathered by experience but still playful on this seamless album". The Independent. Retrieved 15 March 2020.
- Rosebury, William (27 January 2020). "J Hus is blazing a trail for everyone else to follow". The Line of Best Fit. Retrieved 27 January 2020.
- Empire, Kitty (2 February 2020). "J Hus: Big Conspiracy review – reflective but still reckless". The Observer. Retrieved 15 March 2020.
- Pearce, Sheldon (29 January 2020). "J Hus: Big Conspiracy Album Review". Pitchfork. Retrieved 31 January 2020.
- Aroesti, Rachel (April 2020). "A League of His Own". Q. No. 409. p. 107.
- Hodgkinson, Will (31 January 2020). "J Hus: Big Conspiracy review — London rapper comes of age". The Times. Retrieved 15 March 2020.
- "Ultratop.be – J Hus – Big Conspiracy" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 1 February 2020.
- "J Hus Chart History (Canadian Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved 4 February 2020.
- "Dutchcharts.nl – J Hus – Big Conspiracy" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 1 February 2020.
- "Official Irish Albums Chart Top 50". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 1 February 2020.
- "Norwegiancharts.com – J Hus – Big Conspiracy". Hung Medien. Retrieved 1 February 2020.
- "Swedishcharts.com – J Hus – Big Conspiracy". Hung Medien. Retrieved 1 February 2020.
- "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 1 February 2020.
- "End of Year Album Chart Top 100 – 2020". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 5 January 2021.
- "British album certifications – J Hus – Big Conspiracy". British Phonographic Industry. Select albums in the Format field. Select Gold in the Certification field. Type Big Conspiracy in the "Search BPI Awards" field and then press Enter.