28/01/2021: “Spirit” by J Hus

J Hus has really changed the game for West African influences in UK music. Tradtionally, it’s been Jamaican music and accents which have the most visibility within UK rap and dance music.

J Hus is one of the founding stars of the Afro-Swing/Afro-Bashment scene, which tends to draw from Ghanaian and Nigerian Afro-Beat, rather than Jamaican Dancehall. But of course, in the melting pot of London, it all gets blended.

It’s swept the UK in the last decade, with club ready beats and melodic choruses.

J Hus wrote the song to uplift people, after a spell in jail got him thinking about how to make a more positive influence. He’s saying ‘keep your head up’.

The production on this is stellar too, with a mix of afro riddims and lush strings.

You can find the song on Common Sense, released 2017.

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