''Universal Credit'' is the debut studio album by British rapper

Jeshi Jesse Greenway, known by the stage name Jeshi, is a musical artist based in London. His music predominantly covers working class disenfranchisement under austerity in Britain through personal storytelling and powerful social commentary. Personal ...

, released on 27 May 2022. It was preceded by four singles: "Generation", "Another Cigarette", "3210", and "Protein". The album features appearances from

Obongjayar Steven Umoh, better known by his stage name Obongjayar, is a Nigerian singer based in London, England. After releasing several EPs, his debut studio album, ''Some Nights I Dream of Doors'', was released in 2022, followed by ''Paradise Now'' in 2 ...

and Fredwave.

Background and themes

The album's title is a reference to the

Universal Credit Universal Credit is a United Kingdom based Welfare state in the United Kingdom, social security payment. It is Means test, means-tested and is replacing and combining six benefits, for working-age households with a low income: income-related Emp ...

welfare policy. On the album cover, Jeshi depicts himself receiving an oversized cheque for £324.84, which was the value of a monthly Universal Credit payment at the time of the album's release. Jeshi has stated that his intent with the title was to push back against the stigma around receiving Universal Credit benefits, describing the title as "me taking back two words that often mean embarrassment for people and trying to give a new life to that through my truth". The album's subject matter includes topics such as life under austerity, knife crime, drug use, and the psychological impacts of social media. Jeshi has described himself as striving to depict everyday, down-to-earth situations like "taking the night bus home after work".

Critical reception

Metacritic Metacritic is an American website that aggregates reviews of films, television shows, music albums, video games, and formerly books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted average). Metacritic was created ...

, which assigns a weighted average score out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, ''Universal Credit'' received an average score of 83 based on 4 reviews, indicating "universal acclaim". Critics described the prevailing mood of the album as a morose one.

Telegraph.co.uk ''The Daily Telegraph'', known online and elsewhere as ''The Telegraph'', is a British daily broadsheet conservative newspaper published in London by Telegraph Media Group and distributed in the United Kingdom and internationally. It was found ...

characterised ''Universal Credit'' as "an angst-ridden record", and

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 ...

described it as "an emotionally vulnerable... journey through the rapper's psyche". Reviewers noted that there were some happier moments on the album – ''

Pitchfork A pitchfork or hay fork is an agricultural tool used to pitch loose material, such as hay, straw, manure, or leaves. It has a long handle and usually two to five thin tines designed to efficiently move such materials. The term is also applie ...

'' noted that "Jeshi captures life's small joys as well as its multifold indignities" – but these moments were typically portrayed as "unapologetically few and far between". Jeshi's detailed lyrics about the hardships of poverty were praised, with ''

The Line of Best Fit ''The Line of Best Fit'' is an independent online magazine based in London, concentrating on new music. It publishes independent music reviews, features, interview, and media. Founded by Richard Thane in February 2007 and currently edited by P ...

'' stating that the album "expertly taps into the modern conundrum of social malaise", and reviewers from ''Pitchfork'' and Telegraph expressing similar sentiments. Jeshi's delivery was described in ''Crack'' magazine as "anthemic, straight-talking rap". A more mixed review from '' Clash'' remarked that ''Universal Credit'' "shows great potential, but its drop in momentum in the first half marks it as a project that hasn't quite lived up to its own standards". The production on ''Universal Credit'' has been described as "fittingly jagged". ''The Line of Best Fit'' identifies its main features as "a rich palette of evocative pianos, unintelligible vocal cuts, nostalgic two-step shuffles and arpeggiated guitars". The Telegraph review also describes the usage of sampled urban noise as "creat ngan enjoyably textured realm". ''

Dazed ''Dazed'' (''Dazed & Confused'' until February 2014) is a quarterly British lifestyle magazine founded in 1991. It covers music, fashion, film, art, and literature. ''Dazed'' is published by Dazed Media, an independent media group known for produ ...

'' identified ''Universal Credit'' as the sixth-best hip hop album of 2022.

Track listing

References

{{reflist 2022 debut albums Hip-hop albums by British artists