Music / grime
Review: J Hus, O2 Academy
A black benz and a white one parked up on the stage; setting the scene nicely for the evening with Mercury nominated album Did You See, it wasn’t long until the crowd clocked on to the two vehicles, complementing the lyrics of the track that has taken the grime scene by storm this year. But the man himself, J Hus is barely recognised, at 21 years young he is an everyman.
Having been warmed up by DJ Skrillz, J Hus’ official DJ, with tracks from some of the UK’s top up and coming talent including Not3s, MIST and MoStack, their was an electric mood in the O2 Academy.
is needed now More than ever
At the frontier of a new era of music, J Hus confidently appeared on stage with Common Sense, the opening track and title of his album. The mellow trumpet riff reverberated around the venue as the crowds swelled with anticipation.
Despite a fairly low profile get-up, Hus received a roaring reception from the perhaps surprisingly female heavy crowd. It soon became apparent why, as he proclaimed “Ladies, this is for you”, transitioning smoothly into a series of Closed Doors, Like Your Style and Good Time.
Keeping the audience on their toes, J Hus introduces a special guest to the stage. Nigerian singer song writer Mr Eazi most know for Dance For Me, he brings his West African style to the floor. The puzzled faces in the crowd soon disappear as his international smash Leg Over rings through the room.
Back to J Hus to warm things up a little, kit off and a sea of iPhones and hands make funny viewing from the top floor. At the drop of a hat, the mood changes with the instantly identifiable intro to ‘Spirit’ being heard.
The second half of the evening is dominated by a series of upbeat, high tempo crowd pleasers. As Plottin, Lean N Bop and Friendly bring a change of mood to the venue. Perhaps the most notable change, is the number of girls being pulled out of the front of the crowd by two fortunately large bouncers.
As J Hus returns to the stage for his encore, there is only one song he can realistically play, Did You See closes the night to rounds of screams and applause. It is abundantly clear that he represents and exciting blend of musical genres, and is one of the leading up and coming talents in the UK music scene today. Clearly dedicated to his music it will be interesting to see what’s next for J Hus.
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