J Hus secures second Number 1 album with Beautiful and Brutal Yard

J Hus celebrates his second Number 1 album with Beautiful and Brutal Yard.

The LP, which sees the Stratford-born rapper and singer (real name Momodou Lamin Jallow) team up with the likes of Drake, Jorja Smith and Burna Boy, follows 2020’s Big Conspiracy as his second consecutive chart-topper on the Official Albums Chart. Hus’s debut album, Common Sense, peaked at Number 6 in 2017. See where every J Hus song and album has charted in the UK here.

MORE: The Official Top 40 biggest albums of 2023 so far

As tickets for The Eras Tour UK dates go on sale, Taylor Swift’s Speak Now (Taylor’s Version) holds strong in the Top 5 for a second week (2). Last week’s Number 1, it’s one of six Taylor records to appear in the Top 20 this week alongside 2022’s Midnights (5), 2014’s 1989 (8), 2019 LP Lover (9), 2017 release Reputation (15) and 2019’s folklore (16).

You & I earns multihyphenate Rita Ora her second Top 10 album today; a new entry at Number 6. The album becomes Rita’s highest-charting record in over a decade, after 2012 debut ORA peaked at Number 1. Phoenix, Rita’s second LP, peaked at Number 11 in 2018. You & I also tops the Official Record Store Chart as the most purchased album of the past seven days in the UK’s independent record shops. 

MORE: The Official Top 40 biggest songs of 2023 so far

British-born Canadian singer-songwriter Lauren Spencer Smith sees her debut album Mirror make a land just outside the Top 10 (11), as Glaswegian Gerry Cinnamon, born Gerard Crosbie, claims his third Top 40 collection with Live at Hampden Park (12). Live at Hampden Park also tops the Official Vinyl Albums Chart.

Seeing us into the weekend, Joel Corry celebrates his first Top 40 album with Another Friday Night (24), while American pop-rock outfit PVRIS secure their third with EVERGREEN (25). Previously, PVRIS saw similar success with 2017’s All We Know of Heaven, All We Need of Hell (4) and 2020 release Use Me (14). EVERGREEN also earns a strong debut inside the Official Record Store Chart (2). 

New York rapper and singer Lil Tjay nets his third UK Top 40 album with 222 at Number 26, as British singer-songwriter Mahalia claims her second with IRL at 31. 

Finally, a 30th anniversary reissue of Queen legend Brian May’s debut solo release Star Fleet Project earns it a brand-new peak of Number 35, eclipsing the EP’s previous Number 65 best on its original 1983 release. Star Fleet Project also debuts inside this week’s Official Vinyl Albums Chart at Number 2.

See the full Official Albums Chart Top 100 here from 5.45pm.