Beautiful and Brutal Yard
{{redirect|Palm Tree (song)|similarly titled works|Palm tree (disambiguation)}}
{{Use British English|date=July 2023}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2023}}
{{Infobox album
| name = Beautiful and Brutal Yard
| type = studio
| artist = J Hus
| cover = J Hus - Beautiful and Brutal Yard.png
| alt =
| released = {{start date|2023|07|14|df=y}}
| recorded =
| studio =
| genre =
| length = 63:02
| label = Black Butter
| producer = EY, Maestro The Baker, TSB, Marco Bernardis, P2J, Alex Blake, iO, Levi Lennox, Scribz Riley, The Elements, Fumes, Lekaa Beats, Sammy Soso
| prev_title = Big Conspiracy
| prev_year = 2020
| next_title =
| next_year =
| misc = {{Singles
| name = Beautiful and Brutal Yard
| type = studio
| single1 = It's Crazy
| single1date = 24 May 2023
| single2 = Who Told You
| single2date = 8 June 2023
| single3 = Militerian
| single3date = 13 July 2023
}}
}}
Beautiful and Brutal Yard (also abbreviated B.A.B.Y) is the third studio album by British rapper J Hus, released on 14 July 2023 through Black Butter Records. The album includes collaborations with Drake, Naira Marley, Jorja Smith, Burna Boy, Popcaan, CB, Villz and Boss Belly.{{cite web|url=https://www.thefader.com/2023/06/29/j-hus-announces-new-album-beautiful-and-brutal-yard|title=J Hus announces new album Beautiful and Brutal Yard|website=The Fader|last=Helfand|first=Raphael|date=29 June 2023|access-date=7 July 2023}} It was preceded by the singles "It's Crazy" and "Who Told You" featuring Drake.{{cite web|url=https://grmdaily.com/j-hus-beautiful-brutal-yard-release-date-tracklist/|title=J Hus announces Beautiful & Brutal Yard album date & tracklist|website=GRM Daily|date=29 June 2023|access-date=7 July 2023}} J Hus will tour the UK and Ireland in October and November 2023 in support of the album.{{cite web|url=https://www.nme.com/news/music/j-hus-third-album-beautiful-and-brutal-yard-uk-tour-3463004|title=J Hus announces third album Beautiful and Brutal Yard and first UK tour in six years|website=NME|last=Williams|first=Kyann-Sian|date=30 June 2023|access-date=7 July 2023}} The album was shortlisted for the 2023 Mercury Prize.{{Cite news |last=Snapes |first=Laura |date=July 27, 2023 |title=Mercury Prize 2023: Arctic Monkeys tie Radiohead's record for most nominations |work=The Guardian |url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2023/jul/27/mercury-prize-nominations-arctic-monkeys |access-date=July 28, 2023}}
Background and promotion
In May 2023, Spotify-sponsored billboards appeared in London. The billboards were labelled "Don't Say Militancy" and included a phone number. When called, a voicemail would play that confirmed an upcoming J Hus album.{{Cite web |title=J Hus announces new music with mysterious billboards |url=https://dmy.co/news/j-hus-soft-launches-new-album-with-mysterious-billboards |access-date=2023-07-18 |website=dmy.co |language=en-GB}}{{Cite web |date=2023-05-24 |title=J Hus Begins His 'DON'T SAY MILITANCY' Album Roll-Out |url=https://hypebeast.com/2023/5/j-hus-begins-new-album-roll-out-across-uk |access-date=2023-07-18 |website=Hypebeast}} Shortly after, the album's lead single "It's Crazy" released.{{Cite web |title=J Hus returns with new song "It's Crazy" |url=https://www.thefader.com/2023/05/25/j-hus-its-crazy |access-date=2023-07-18 |website=The FADER |language=en}} On 8 June 2023. the second single "Who Told You" released.{{Cite web |last=DAILY |first=GRM |date=2023-06-29 |title=J Hus announces 'Beautiful & Brutal Yard' album date & tracklist |url=https://grmdaily.com/j-hus-beautiful-brutal-yard-release-date-tracklist/ |access-date=2023-07-18 |website=GRM Daily |language=en-GB}}
The album's announcement on 29 June 2023 was accompanied by a trailer in which J Hus walks through his own mansion before being delivered a vinyl copy of his album and before he is transported "in front of a beat-down neighborhood". A voiceover by Idris Elba states, "No matter what's going on around me, I'm still myself. And now my eyes are open and I can see the beauty of everything. I always calculate trying to challenge destiny and test fate. Welcome to my Beautiful and Brutal Yard, may peace be onto you."{{cite magazine|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/j-hus-announces-beautiful-and-brutal-yard-drake-featured-tracklist-1234780952/|title=J Hus Announces Beautiful and Brutal Yard Album, Featuring Drake, Burna Boy, Jorja Smith|magazine=Rolling Stone|last=Mier|first=Tomás|date=29 June 2023|access-date=7 July 2023}}
Critical reception
{{Music ratings
| MC = 83/100{{cite web|url=https://www.metacritic.com/music/beautiful-brutal-yard/j-hus|title=Beautiful & Brutal Yard by J Hus Reviews and Tracks|website=Metacritic|access-date=22 July 2023}}
| rev1 = Clash
| rev1score = 8/10{{cite magazine|url=https://www.clashmusic.com/reviews/j-hus-beautiful-and-brutal-yard/|title=J Hus – Beautiful and Brutal Yard {{!}} Reviews|magazine=Clash|last=Wilks|first=Dwayne|date=14 July 2023|access-date=15 July 2023}}
| rev2 = The Guardian
| rev2score = {{Rating|4|5}}{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2023/jul/14/j-hus-beautiful-and-brutal-yard-review-still-britains-most-adaptable-charismatic-mc|title=J Hus: Beautiful and Brutal Yard review – still Britain's most adaptable, charismatic MC|newspaper=The Guardian|last=Petridis|first=Alexis|author-link=Alexis Petridis|date=14 July 2023|access-date=15 July 2023}}
| rev3 = The Line of Best Fit
| rev3score = 8/10{{cite web|url=https://www.thelineofbestfit.com/albums/j-hus-beautiful-and-brutal-yard-further-asserts-power|title=J Hus: Beautiful and Brutal Yard Review – respect and power collide|website=The Line of Best Fit|last=Milross|first=Hayley|date=14 July 2023|access-date=15 July 2023}}
| rev4 = Mixtape Madness
| rev4score = 4/5{{cite web|url=https://www.mixtapemadness.com/blog/reviews/j-hus-beautiful-and-brutal-yard-review|title=Album Review: J Hus solidifies his sound on Beautiful and Brutal Yard|website=Mixtape Madness|last=Simpson|first=Joe|date=14 July 2023|access-date=15 July 2023}}
| rev5 = NME
| rev5score = {{Rating|4|5}}{{cite web|url=https://www.nme.com/reviews/album/j-hus-beautiful-and-brutal-yard-review-3468251|title=J Hus – Beautiful and Brutal Yard review: a triumphant summer blast|website=NME|last=Smith|first=Niall|date=14 July 2023|access-date=15 July 2023}}
| rev6 = Pitchfork
| rev6score = 8.1/10{{cite web|url=https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/j-hus-beautiful-and-brutal-yard/|title=J Hus: Beautiful and Brutal Yard Album Review|website=Pitchfork|last=Pritchard|first=Will|date=17 July 2023|access-date=17 July 2023}}
| rev7 = The Telegraph
| rev7score = {{Rating|4|5}}{{cite news|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/music/what-to-listen-to/albums-of-the-week-rita-ora-mahalia/|title=Rita Ora masters the ballad, Mahalia is the voice of British RnB – the week's best albums|newspaper=The Telegraph|last=Pritchard|first=Will|date=14 July 2023|access-date=15 July 2023}}
}}
Beautiful and Brutal Yard received a score of 83 out of 100 on review aggregator Metacritic based on seven critics' reviews, indicating "universal acclaim". Alexis Petridis of The Guardian named it his album of the week and noted, "that its polarities hold together for more than an hour is partly down to J Hus's famed adaptability, his facility to ride any beat thrown his way". NME{{'}}s Niall Smith described it as "a scattershot burst of brilliance" as well as "an elongated, yet joyous return from J Hus", who "channels his lyrical potency, struggles and romantic pursuits into one unified portrait". Hayley Milross of The Line of Best Fit stated that the album "shows Hus display his greatest quality – his music" and "displays both the beauty and brutality of the world", calling it "an album that connotes the essence of home, and his home is his music". Clash{{'}}s Dwayne Wilks wrote that while the album "remind[s] us why [J Hus is] so adored", he found that there is "less of his story" and it does not reach the heights of J Hus's previous two albums, but concluded "no other artist commands rhythm and rhyme like Hus, and it's patently clear that the Stratford rapper is enjoying making music again, which is a blessing for the rest of us". Will Pritchard, reviewing the album for The Telegraph, called it "the record of the summer" along with "thrilling, hip-twisting, [and] unsettling", on which "Hus still leads the pack with his pitless charisma, linguistic inventiveness, and musical curiosity". Pritchard, writing for Pitchfork, described it a "carnal and philosophical investigation of masculinity against lush, robust beats that evoke a distinctly Black British take on G-funk".
= Year-end lists =
| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders"
|+ Select year-end rankings of Beautiful and Brutal Yard ! scope="col"| Publication ! scope="col" class="unsortable"| List ! scope="col"| Rank ! scope="col" class="unsortable"| {{abbr|Ref.|Reference}} |
| scope="row"| Complex UK
| Complex UK's Best Albums of 2023 | style="text-align: center;"| 3 | style="text-align: center;"| {{cite magazine|url=https://www.complex.com/music/a/joseph-jp-patterson/complex-uk-best-albums-of-2023|title=Complex UK's Best Albums of 2023|magazine=Complex UK|last1=Patterson|first1=Joseph JP|last2=Keith|first2=James|last3=Cagna|first3=Claudia|date=15 December 2023|access-date=31 May 2024}} |
|---|
| scope="row"| The Line of Best Fit
| The Best Albums of 2023 | style="text-align: center;"| 32 | style="text-align: center;"| {{Cite web |title=The Best Albums of 2023 Ranked |url=https://www.thelineofbestfit.com/features/articles/2023-best-albums-ranked |access-date=27 December 2023 |website=The Line of Best Fit |language=en-GB}} |
Commercial performance
In the United Kingdom, Beautiful and Brutal Yard debuted at number one on the UK Albums Chart, with first-week sales of 17,260 album-equivalent units.{{Cite web|last=Jones|first=Alan|date=21 July 2023|title=Charts analysis: J Hus lands second No.1 album|url=https://www.musicweek.com/analysis/read/charts-analysis-j-hus-lands-second-no-1-album/088239|access-date=October 15, 2023|website=Music Week}} The sales consisted of 1,722 CDs, 557 vinyls, 294 cassettes, 305 digital downloads, and 14,383 sales-equivalent streams.{{Cite web|last=Brandle|first=Lars|date=24 July 2023|title=J Hus Crowned on U.K. Albums Chart With ‘Beautiful and Brutal Yard’|url=https://www.billboard.com/music/chart-beat/j-hus-uk-albums-chart-beautiful-and-brutal-yard-1235377081/|access-date=3 August 2024|website=Billboard|language=en-US|archive-date=24 July 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230724070801/https://www.billboard.com/music/chart-beat/j-hus-uk-albums-chart-beautiful-and-brutal-yard-1235377081/|url-status=live}}
Track listing
{{Track listing
| headline = Beautiful and Brutal Yard track listing
| extra_column = Producer(s)
| title1 = Intro (The GOAT)
| writer1 = {{hlist|Momodou Lamin Jallow|Eyobed Getachew|Ifeoluwa Oladigbolu|Tobi Oladigbolu}}
| extra1 = {{hlist|E.Y.|Maestro The Baker|TobiShyBoy}}
| length1 = 2:13
| title2 = Massacre
| writer2 = {{hlist|Jallow|Marco Bernardis|Richard Isong}}
| extra2 = {{hlist|Marco Bernardis|P2J}}
| length2 = 3:31
| title3 = Who Told You
| note3 = featuring Drake
| writer3 = {{hlist|Jallow|Aubrey Graham|Getachew|Gaetan Judd|Isong|Jonathan Awote-Mensah}}
| extra3 = {{hlist|E.Y.|Gaetan Judd|P2J}}
| length3 = 3:28
| title4 = Militerian
| note4 = featuring Naira Marley
| writer4 = {{hlist|Jallow|Azeez Fashola|Isong}}
| extra4 = {{hlist|P2J|Stuart Hawkes}}
| length4 = 3:13
| title5 = Palm Tree
| writer5 = {{hlist|Jallow|Alex Blake|Ayodele Oyadare|Levi Malundama|Oladigbolu}}
| extra5 = {{hlist|Alex Blake|iO|Levi Lennox|TobiShyBoy}}
| length5 = 2:38
| title6 = Nice Body
| note6 = featuring Jorja Smith
| writer6 = {{hlist|Jallow|Jorja Smith|Malundama|Paul Goller|Keven Wolfsohn|Oladigbolu}}
| extra6 = {{hlist|Levi Lennox|The Elements|TobiShyBoy}}
| length6 = 3:34
| title7 = Masculine
| note7 = featuring Burna Boy
| writer7 = {{hlist|Jallow|Damini Ogulu|Malundama|Oladigbolu}}
| extra7 = {{hlist|Levi Lennox|TobiShyBoy}}
| length7 = 3:24
| title8 = Come Look
| writer8 = {{hlist|Jallow|Oyadare|Oladigbolu}}
| extra8 = {{hlist|iO|TobiShyBoy}}
| length8 = 3:00
| title9 = Cream
| note9 = featuring CB
| writer9 = {{hlist|Jallow|Lekan Akinsoji|Karan Behl|Goller|Wolfsohn}}
| extra9 = {{hlist|Fumes Beats|The Elements}}
| length9 = 3:23
| title10 = Comeback
| note10 = featuring Villz
| writer10 = {{hlist|Jallow|Joel Currie|Oyadare|Oladigbolu}}
| extra10 = TobiShyBoy
| length10 = 3:50
| title11 = Alien Girl
| writer11 = {{hlist|Jallow|Behl|Oyadare|Oladigbolu}}
| extra11= {{hlist|Fumes Beats|iO|TobiShyBoy}}
| length11 = 3:11
| title12 = Fresh Water/Safa Kara
| writer12 = {{hlist|Jallow|Getachew|Malundama|Oladigbolu|Judd|Cole Ostrin}}
| extra12 = {{hlist|E.Y.|Levi Lennox|TobiShyBoy}}
| length12 = 3:57
| title13 = My Baby
| writer13 = {{hlist|Jallow|Getachew|Oladigbolu}}
| extra13 = {{hlist|E.Y.|TobiShyBoy}}
| length13 = 3:56
| title14 = Problem Fixer
| writer14 = {{hlist|Jallow|Babatope Bello|Isong|Oladigbolu}}
| extra14 = {{hlist|Lekaa Beats|P2J|TobiShyBoy}}
| length14 = 2:50
| title15 = Killy
| note15 = featuring Popcaan
| writer15 = {{hlist|Jallow|Andrae Sutherland|Malundama|Oladigbolu}}
| extra15 = {{hlist|Levi Lennox|TobiShyBoy}}
| length15 = 3:03
| title16 = It's Crazy
| writer16 = {{hlist|Jallow|Behl|Goller|Wolfsohn}}
| extra16 = {{hlist|Fumes Beats|The Elements}}
| length16 = 3:46
| title17 = Bim Bim
| writer17 = {{hlist|Jallow|Behl|Goller|Wolfsohn}}
| extra17 = {{hlist|Fumes Beats|The Elements}}
| length17 = 2:53
| title18 = Come Gully Bun (Gambian President)
| note18 = featuring Boss Belly
| writer18 = {{hlist|Jallow|Boss Belly|Oyadare|Oladigbolu}}
| extra18 = TobiShyBoy
| length18 = 3:08
| title19 = Playing Chess
| writer19 = {{hlist|Jallow|Isong|Samuel Awuku}}
| extra19 = {{hlist|P2J|Sammy Soso}}
| length19 = 4:04
| total_length = 63:02
}}
Charts
| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center;"
|+ Chart performance for Beautiful and Brutal Yard ! scope="col"| Chart (2023) ! scope="col"| Peak |
| scope="row"| Australian Hitseekers Albums (ARIA){{cite magazine|title=The ARIA Report: Week Commencing 24 July 2023|magazine=The ARIA Report|publisher=Australian Recording Industry Association|issue=1742|page=25|date=24 July 2023}}
| 2 |
|---|
| {{album chart|Flanders|70|artist=J Hus|album=Beautiful and Brutal Yard|rowheader=true|access-date=23 July 2023}} |
| {{album chart|BillboardCanada|87|artist=J Hus|rowheader=true|access-date=25 July 2023}} |
| {{album chart|Denmark|38|M|url=http://hitlisten.nu/default.asp?w=29&y=2023&list=a40|title=Hitlisten.NU – Album Top-40 Uge 29, 2023|publisher=Hitlisten|artist=J Hus|album=Beautiful and Brutal Yard|rowheader=true|access-date=26 July 2023}} |
| {{album chart|Netherlands|19|artist=J Hus|album=Beautiful and Brutal Yard|rowheader=true|access-date=24 July 2023}} |
| {{album chart|France|169|M|url=http://snepmusique.com/les-tops/le-top-de-la-semaine/top-albums/?semaine=29?&annee=2023&categorie=Top%20Albums|title=Top Albums (Week 29, 2023)|publisher=Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique|artist=J Hus|album=Beautiful and Brutal Yard|rowheader=true|access-date=24 July 2023}} |
| {{album chart|Ireland|14|M|url=http://irma.ie/index.cfm?page=irish-charts&chart=Albums|title=Irish Albums Chart: 21 July 2023|publisher=Irish Recorded Music Association|rowheader=true|access-date=21 July 2023}} |
| {{album chart|Norway|21|M|url=https://topplista.no/charts/albums/2023-w29/|title=Album 2023 uke 29|publisher=VG-lista|artist=J Hus|album=Beautiful and Brutal Yard|rowheader=true|access-date=22 July 2023}} |
| {{album chart|Scotland|19|date=20230721|rowheader=true|access-date=22 July 2023}} |
| {{album chart|Switzerland|41|artist=J Hus|album=Beautiful and Brutal Yard|rowheader=true|access-date=23 July 2023}} |
| {{album chart|UK2|1|date=20230721|rowheader=true|access-date=21 July 2023}} |
| {{album chart|UKR&B|1|date=20230721|rowheader=true|access-date=22 July 2023}} |
Certifications
{{Certification Table Top}}
{{Certification Table Entry|region=United Kingdom|artist=J Hus|title=Beautiful And Brutal Yard|award=Silver|type=album|relyear=2023|certyear=2024|id=19620-4396-2|access-date=19 January 2024}}
{{Certification Table Bottom|streaming=true|nosales=true|noshipments=true}}