Live at Electric Brixton in London: Genesis Owusu

An eclectic musical journey sits in the underscore of the album. A kaleidoscopic display of instrumentation and sound bending sees genre borders crumble into dust. The sound bed shifts with the turning tides of the record. Neo-Soul feeding into Alt Pop, Synth Punk into Funk. This delicate weaving guides listeners through moments of collective ecstasy and desolation, resistance and joy, dance and reflection. The ability to tune his blended taste into one, to carve the purest of human emotions into song, is a unique gift that Owusu has honed, the depth of feeling in the record effortlessly matching the depth of his lyricism.

"I started writing this album because I was seeing so much of the world and watching what was happening," he says. "I feel like I had something important to say. I was writing this almost for necessity because there were so many people not saying what needed to be said. I feel like I'm a student of Nina Simone, and she said, 'the purpose of an artist is to reflect the times they live in'."

14-tracks long REDSTAR WU & THE WORLDWIDE SCOURGE is a piercing reflection on the political, social and economic flames engulfing many parts of contemporary society. Ornately crafted, the album is rich in lyricism and earnest in its message, and sees Genesis Owusu ruminate on the institutional forces tearing at the seams of humanity, as well as the need for unity and brotherhood in the wake of this ruin.

Musically, REDSTAR WU & THE WORLDWIDE SCOURGE is Genesis Owusu at his most experimental and free, with an array of sounds cohesively woven into a vibrant and layered sound bed. Sounds and influences range from Deep Funk to Alt Pop, Neo Soul to Brit Rock. In union, they provide the backdrop to a bold and unflinching state-of-the-day record.

Opening song PIRATE RADIO sets the tone for the entire record. Over a jittery and frantic instrumental is Owusu's frank sense of lyricism. There are callouts of the likes of Elon Musk and an unshrinking attitude about the consequences. "I ain't scared," he utters, "I've been digging this grave for decades. I can't wait to use it."

"It's a statement of intent," he says about the song. "It set the scene for the album. It has an air of paranoia. It's very brash. It's irreverent, it's straight to the point. It's not trying to dance around the topic. It opens the door for the rest of the album."

The album stays true to that spirit and sees him reflect and comment on topics ranging from the rise of the far right, genocide, the political extremism seeping into the heart of governments across the west and the threatening influences of social media platforms and their owners.

"I feel like I was going fucking crazy. We can literally see the seams crumbling right in front of us, but if you watch the TV and the media, or you listen to our politicians and the richest people in our societies, everyone has this smile on their face. But regular people can see that everything's not fine. It was confusing and frustrating."

REDSTAR WU & THE WORLDWIDE SCOURGE follows the success of his first two albums. His debut, Smiling with No Teeth (2021), was a commercial and critical success, its adulation as a 'marvel of an album' earning him status as one of the most exciting emergent artists of the time. In Australia, the album was heralded as ground-breaking, winning Album of the Year (the first Black Hip Hop artist to do so), Best Hip Hop Release, Best Independent Release and Best Cover Art at the 2021 ARIA Music Awards.

Second album Struggler followed two years later in 2023, a concept album that continued his urge to reinvent his artistry and push at the borders of genre boundaries. It was a commercial and critical success, landing at #4 on the ARIA Album Chart, while also winning Album of the Year, Best Independent Release, and Best Hip Hop / Rap Release at the ARIA Awards. Elsewhere, there was acclaimed praise from the likes of Paste, NPR, Billboard and more.

This sustained period of success has seen him continue to travel the world. Those first two albums saw him tour the world. And it was in this journey that the roots of his third album began to take form. Whether in Europe or in Australia, America or elsewhere, he noticed an extreme strain of far-right extremism washing over the Western world.

"Trump was about to get elected and there were far right governments popping up across Europe. It was becoming cool to become super greedy and hateful. There was all this paranoia in the air. It was like a scourge, an epidemic to me."

This essence is woven throughout the album, on songs like “BLESSED ARE THE MEEK” and “MOST NORMAL AMERICAN VOTER” “BIG DOG” takes direct aim at higher institutional powers. While on the unrelenting stomp of “STAMPEDE” he plants his flag. "Stampede if you're with me," he calls out, over the constant pulse and twitch of synths and drums, "Giving my reply with a bat, find an oligarch get him taxed." It is Owusu at his most fierce.

"Left side to the right side, front side to the back," he says of the record, "we're all in this together. And there's a real problem. There are people who have expansive amounts of money, who are intentionally acting to separate us so they can keep getting richer at the expense of general human wellbeing. We're all under that same thumb and we need to realise that."

Things get more pointed on title track “THE WORLDWIDE SCOURGE”. Over a sneering instrumental, where ghostly chords echo over the unrelenting thump of marching drums, a resolute Owusu comes to the fore. There is a directness in his lyricism, ("elect a Nazi sympathiser atop the mother fucking frame,") as well as callouts to the "the pillaging of Gaza, the treatment of women, of Black people, of our own brothers and sisters and how we treat each other." As the song unravels, a sense of lamenting creeps in ("It hurts to see my brothers in the state we in").

There is a duality to the album, both in theme and sound. The resolute and political tones of “STAMPEDE” and “THE WORLDWIDE SCOURGE” are offset by a deep sense of introspection threaded through the record. “HELLSTAR” with American rapper Dckwrth pulls the bounce and roll of funk into earshot as the focus shifts to the personal. Owusu opens up on the theme of love and relationships, and the role this force plays in the midst of societal chaos. "The world is burning," he croons, "come get a squeezing today."

"It's a post-apocalyptic love song," he says, "We don't have much time, so love each other while we can. The world being on fire doesn't have to stop us from indulging with our humanness. We should fight for what we can, but we should also love and have fun and indulge in the pleasure of what we can, while we can."

The centring on the individual continues throughout. “RUNNIN OUTTA TIME” explores joy as an act of resistance. Speaking of the role apathy played in his creative process, he says, "When everything is happening all around you, and you feel small and powerless, it's very easy to hit that switch and tell yourself 'I'm going to stop caring because caring hurts.' It's easy to become apathetic and go through the motions."

The album's underscore is melodic, the strings and drums binding into harmony, creating a magnetic, disco-led sound that stirs you into movement and dance. Despite the bleakness of the reality being addressed, there is an irresistible sense of musicality, one that carries through the entirety of the album.

"I've always wanted to give my music as many lives as possible, so it can be as timeless as possible," he says. "Even when you enjoy it on one level, that's not the end, there's always another level to understand it on."

At its core REDSTAR WU & THE WORLDWIDE SCOURGE is a rally cry, a call to stand up and resist, and an acknowledgement of the strength and resilience it takes to do so. “SITUATIONS” is an earnest insistence on solidarity despite our differences. Elsewhere, “ONE 4 ALL” is an album closer that brings some of his most poetic and poignant writing into view. "Wish you could look into the mirror, but that glass been chipped," he says, tenderly unloading, "I think the world that I knew has changed a little bit."

As the album fades into quiet, he leaves listeners with a message of hope: "It's not forever, just for now, the sun will always set my child. But we gonna be alright."

The bulk of the project emerged out of extensive recording sessions in South Wales with executive producer Dann Hume, who had renovated an old church into two apartments and a studio. Owusu stayed out there for weeks on end. Together, the two found a freedom in riffing and jamming in studio sessions. They were unbounded in their approach, no sound or genre influence off limits. That process has given the album a distinctively singular quality, with an array of sounds making their way onto the record.

“STAMPEDE” feels like Synth-punk. “BLESSED ARE THE MEEK” hints at Neo Soul. “4LIFE” is touched by alt-pop, while “DEATH CULT ZOMBIE”, a song that's seeded with thoughts about the MAGA movement and political extremism carries the rebellion of 80s Brit Rock.

The result is Genesis Owusu's most expansive and daring album to date. From these weavings of sounds and songs rises a record that meets the world where it is at today. REDSTAR WU & THE WORLDWIDE SCOURGE is a call to arms and a call to love. It is music to cling to in times of frustration and fear, an honest account of a young man attempting to wade through the darkness in the best way he can.