Music Moose

East London native J Hus has been on the scene for quite some time now. Hus has come a long way from his GRM Daily freestyle to become the pioneer of the sub-genre ( Afro-Swing). Afro-Swing is fuse of Afro/Caribbean riddims mixed with rap also referred to as Afro- Rap. This has allowed Hus to gather fans in the masses.

After the success of 2017’s ‘Common Sense’, Hus remains to define the afro-swing genre, this time gifting us with his sophomore album titled, ‘Big Conspiracy’.  The word conspiracy can simply be defined as ‘a secret plan by a group to do something unlawful or harmful.’ Hus’s sophomore album certainly fits that description. With his new found awakening, Momodou Lamin Jallow brings us into his own world through the lens of a Militérian.

Hus touches on many themes such as spirituality, racism, self-love, black empowerment and the black struggle on the album which are one of many matters that the youth of today face.

The opening track starts with Hus rapping over a smooth guitar melody produced by TobiShyBoy. Hus presents the multifaceted characteristic of his new persona that we will come to learn throughout. Lyrics such as “ there’s no law, how can I be law abiding “ let us know that he is definitely unlawful and does not conform to social norms. The track really comes together with the feature from his sister, Iceè tgm who give more depth to the intro with her raw vocal harmonies followed by her verse from the female perspective of her brothers sentiments. Hus continues to touch on themes of spirituality, similarly on ‘Reckless’ as he compares the force of his music to the military, and lets us know that he will not spear anyone who gets in his way, hence the title. This new mindset was first exposed to fans on the first single ‘ Must Be ‘, where Hus speaks “ you don’t know yourself so you look for validation”, which further supports his new found state of mind and his goal to fix the world through his music.

Love, peace and war is centered on more soul searching. Hus realizes as he grows in age, he also grows in wisdom. This is apparent in his mention of Art of War author, Sun Tzu who was known for his prudence. Hus’s new energy is all thanks to most the high leading him to glory. Likewise, Deeper than rap delves on issues outside of music, as Hus would put “ I think about my life and analyse”. Hus reminds himself on life before music, where him and death were no stranger, during the first verse he recalls “ I look down the barrel of the gun and saw paradise “. This realization has led Hus to see life with more clarity in comparison to his youth.

During  Hus’s realization, he mentions the growing number of darker skinned blacks who indulge in skin bleaching, telling them; “God made you sexy, why you bleaching ?” , as Hus reminds them that their dark skin is their power and shouldn’t be ashamed of their shade. This is one instance of Black empowerment and self-love throughout the album. In addition, tracks like ‘Fight for Your Rights’ find Hus questioning whether or not we see the bigger picture as he sings “how do you sleep at night, if you don’t even fight for your rights” over melancholic distorted string instrumentation. Hus lets us know that the change starts within us before we can change our surroundings for the better.

Continuing on black empowerment Hus channels the words of Malcolm X’s ‘any means necessary’ approach on the JAE5 produced ‘Triumph’. “They only respect violence” ties into the philosophy of the great leader. However, no matter how many weapons are formed against Hus, they shall never prosper because he is protected by higher powers.

The groovy bass led track ‘Helicopter’ uncovers the struggle many blacks who took same path as Momodou face. Hus paints the picture of being chased by a police helicopter, however this could be a birds-eye perspective into his own life. Hus compares his endless pursuit with police to ‘shaitan’ which is the Arabic word for devil. As the listener we can only believe that this pursuit is simply because he is bringing knowledge to the youth to not make the same mistakes he once made.

Where Big Conspiracy draws comparison to Common Sense is Hus’s afro-swing appeal on tracks like ‘Play Play’, which feature lively steel pans to create summer vibes. Nevertheless, no matter how ‘woke’ Hus becomes, he is still that cheeky boy from newham. ‘Play Play’ is definitely a stand out from the album and its inclusion of African giant, Burna Boy gives us every indication that we are going to here this one all summer long. ‘Repeat’ featuring reggae newcomer, Koffee is another summer vibe that could have easily appeared on Common Sense due to its catchy chorus and energetic instrumentation.

Hus’s charisma and bravado on drill inspired track ‘No Denying’ are just another example of what made Common Sense a classic. The tenth track finds Hus reaffirm his position as the undisputed King of UK rap. Big conspiracy may be more introspective than its predecessor, but every artist must evolve in order to grow. What makes the album standout is Hus’s use of an array of different cultural influences blended effortlessly together to give the album a fuller feel. Moreover, it is clear that Hus is on a spiritual journey and its presence within his music. I’m extremely eager to see where this new spiritual journey leads Hus in the forthcoming years of his musical career.