''Common Sense'' is the debut

studio album An album is a collection of audio recordings issued on compact disc (CD), Phonograph record, vinyl, audio tape, or another medium such as Digital distribution#Music, digital distribution. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early ...

by British rapper

J Hus Momodou Lamin Jallow (born 27 May 1995), known professionally as J Hus, is a British rapper and singer who has been credited with pioneering the genre afroswing. He is currently signed to Black Butter Records. He gained popularity in 2015 follo ...

. It was released on 12 May 2017 by

Black Butter Records Black Butter Records is a British record label based in London, England. It was founded in 2010 by Olly Wood, Henry Village and Joe Gossa, with an investment of £5,000, and was named after a brand of condiments that had the same name. It was ...

, distributed by

Sony Music Sony Music Entertainment (SME), also known as simply Sony Music, is an American multinational music company. Being owned by the parent conglomerate Sony Group Corporation, it is part of the Sony Music Group, which is owned by Sony Entertainment ...

, for digital download and CD purchase. The album features production from long-time collaborator

Jae5 Jonathan Kweku Awote-Mensah (born 27 March 1992), professionally known as Jae5 is a British-Ghanaian record producer and mixing engineer from Plaistow, East London. He is a Grammy Award-winning producer and is signed to Black Butter Records. E ...

, along with guest appearances from

MoStack Montell Samuel Daley (born 31 August 1994), known professionally as MoStack, is a British rapper and singer from Hornsey in North London. After releasing a string of online songs and non-album singles between 2014 and 2016, he released his debut ...

Mist Mist is a phenomenon caused by small droplets of water suspended in the cold air, usually by condensation. Physically, it is an example of a dispersion. It is most commonly seen where water vapor in warm, moist air meets sudden cooling, such a ...

, Tiggs da Author and

Burna Boy Damini Ebunoluwa Ogulu (born 2 July 1991), known professionally as Burna Boy, is a Nigerian singer, songwriter and record producer. He rose to stardom in 2012 after releasing "Like to Party", the lead single from his debut studio album, '' L.I ...

. ''Common Sense'' debuted at number six on the

UK Albums Chart The Official Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales and (from March 2015) audio streaming in the United Kingdom. It was published for the first time on 22 July 1956 and is compiled every week by the Official Charts C ...

and received widespread acclaim from critics. It is certified

Gold Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au (from la, aurum) and atomic number 79. This makes it one of the higher atomic number elements that occur naturally. It is a bright, slightly orange-yellow, dense, soft, malleable, and ductile met ...

by the

British Phonographic Industry British Phonographic Industry (BPI) is the British recorded music industry's Trade association. It runs the BRIT Awards, the Classic BRIT Awards, National Album Day, is home to the Mercury Prize, and co-owns the Official Charts Company with th ...

(BPI). The lead single, "

Did You See ''Did You See...?'' was a long-running British television review programme that began on the BBC2 in 1980. The programme took a look back at the week's television with a discussion between the presenter and three guests. In the first run ther ...

", peaked at number nine on the

UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...

, becoming J Hus' highest-charting single. ''

Complex Complex commonly refers to: * Complexity, the behaviour of a system whose components interact in multiple ways so possible interactions are difficult to describe ** Complex system, a system composed of many components which may interact with each ...

'' ranked it number one on the ''UK's'' Best Albums of 2017.

Background

Throughout 2015 and 2016, J Hus released a variety of singles, including "Lean & Bop", "Friendly" and "Playing Sports", along with the debut mixtape ''The 15th Day'' (2015), subsequently building a strong online presence. In early April 2017, J Hus announced the track listing and release date for his debut album, ''Common Sense''.

Singles

The promotional single "Friendly" was released for digital download on 1 January 2016 after initially being premiered on

SoundCloud SoundCloud is an online audio distribution platform and music sharing website that enables its users to upload, promote, and share audio. Founded in 2007 by Alexander Ljung and Eric Wahlforss, SoundCloud is one of the largest music streaming se ...

. The lead single "

" was released on 2 March 2017, along with its music video. The song peaked at number 9 so far on the

, becoming J Hus' first chart entry and highest-charting song.

Critical reception

Upon release, ''Common Sense'' received widespread acclaim from critics. Kate Hutchinson of ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...

'' praised Hus' blend of musical genres: "J Hus leads a wave of MCs who blend the genre’s hard-hitting, distinctly UK flow with bashment and

Afrobeat Afrobeat is a Nigerian music genre that involves the combination of West African musical styles (such as traditional Yoruba music and highlife) and American funk, jazz, and soul influences, with a focus on chanted vocals, complex intersecting ...

. Hus show that mix’s true breadth, from playful braggadocio about partying, chasing girls and being, as one song title has it, the "Bouf Daddy", to introspective moments such as Spirit, on which loopy synths and polyrhythmic brilliance meet Hus's weary-sounding motivational speaker. The sound of the summer? You know it makes sense." Will Pritchard of '' Clash'' stated: "This sound now has an album to pin to the mast. It’ll soundtrack this summer, but don’t be fooled into thinking that its time will be up by September. It’s just common sense." Ludovic Hunter-Tilney of ''

Financial Times The ''Financial Times'' (''FT'') is a British daily newspaper printed in broadsheet and published digitally that focuses on business and economic current affairs. Based in London, England, the paper is owned by a Japanese holding company, Nik ...

'' commented: "The music is a rich blend of styles, in which hip-hop, R&B, dancehall and Afrobeats suggest not only Hus’s versatility but also a world of expanding horizons." Paul A. Thompson of ''

Pitchfork A pitchfork (also a hay fork) is an agricultural tool with a long handle and two to five tines used to lift and pitch or throw loose material, such as hay, straw, manure, or leaves. The term is also applied colloquially, but inaccurately, to th ...

'' commented: "The shifting musical styles underscore Hus’ own versatility; he flits from a lilting sing-song to something more gruff and guttural easily and without hesitation", concluding ''Common Sense'' is "an excellent debut from an artist on the cusp."

Accolades

''Common Sense'' was acknowledged in numerous year-end lists in 2017, particularly by international publishers.

Commercial performance

''Common Sense'' debuted at number six on the

and also entered the

Dutch Album Top 100 The Dutch Album Top 100 or Album Top 100 is a weekly hit list of music albums, compiled by Dutch Charts. List shows the 100 best-selling music albums of the moment in the Netherlands. The list has passed through various name changes and has expand ...

and the

Scottish Albums Chart The Scottish Albums Chart is a chart compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC) which is based on how physical and digital sales towards the UK Albums Chart fare in Scotland. The official singles chart for Scotland, the Scottish Singles Chart, ...

. It is certified

by the

(BPI).

Track listing

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

Release history

References

{{Authority control 2017 debut albums J Hus albums Albums produced by Steel Banglez Black Butter Records albums