Big Conspiracy＜Black & White Vinyl＞

London rapper J Hus broke through with 2017s Common Sense, his gold-selling debut full-length that helped define the Afro-swing style. Moving from that albums mix of aggressive rhymes and Auto-Tuned melodic hooks, 2020 follow-up Big Conspiracy is significantly more mature, largely skipping the more aggressive posturing of the emcees debut in favor of more introspective lyrics. He sounds far more comfortable behind the mic this time around -- his glamorous boasts sound just as unforced and effortless as his tales of grinding and hustling. The albums fresh, organic-sounding production is remarkable, with detailed beats and warm guitars leaving ample room for the vocals. Nigerian icon Burna Boy makes a return appearance on Play Play, and the tropical-isms are much more smoothly integrated here than they were on Common Sense. Koffee, 2020s reigning dancehall queen, swings by for a brief but stirring verse on Repeat, easily one of the albums highlights. The stunning No Denying is the records hardest, most left-field track, with spaghetti Western horns spiraling around an angular grime beat. J Hus saves some of his most personal songs for the end of the album, from the heartfelt, Ella Mai-assisted love rap One and Only to the soul-searching conclusion Deeper Than Rap, which ends with the emcee seeking spiritual refuge in Africa. A major step up for J Hus, and the first notable British rap album of the 2020s, Big Conspiracy was a well-deserved success, debuting at number one on the U.K. album chart and spawning several Top 40 hits. ~ Paul Simpson