Favorite tracks: "Repeat," "Love, Peace and Prosperity," "Deeper Than Rap"
British rapper and singer J Hus does things his own way, combining sounds and styles with consummate ease to make some of the most vibrant, vital, and compelling music that's out now. His album rollout was pretty unique too, announcing Big Conspiracy on social medial the day before it came out, releasing no music videos, and doing no press. Nonetheless, the album went No. 1 in the UK, an achievement realized without even a hint of compromise.
Big Conspiracy tackles topics like race, poverty, mental health, personal growth, colonialism, relationships, and much more, over stellar production (frequent collaborator Jae5 handles nine of the album's 14 tracks) that feels unique and fresh from start to finish. Breaking down J Hus's new album in terms of genres is to miss its magic. Certainly, you will hear elements of hip-hop, grime, afrobeats, dancehall, jazz, funk, and R&B, but this is music that is far more than the sum of its parts.—Alex Gardner