Day 193: Genesis Owusu – STRUGGLER
Today is another entry from my list of bands or artists who I should listen to. It lives in my phone and accumulates mystery entries, and Genesis Owusu is one of them – I can’t remember where I heard him or why I wanted to hear more, but today is the day.
Album cover courtesy of Ourness
Genesis Owusu, or Kofi Owusu-Ansah, is an Australian-Ghanian singer/rapper from Canberra. Apparently he got the name Genesis as a child because his brother was on the school bus and his friends asked what his brother’s name is, and he just made up the name Genesis on the spot. He’s made a name for himself as an artist with a very distinct and unique style that’s hard to define in a genre, but inspired by hip hop, post-punk, indie and funk.
STRUGGLER is Owusu’s second LP. Released in 2023, it’s a concept album that Owusu created after Covid and the Australian bushfires, of an insignificant character of the Roach who is fighting against persecution from existential threats, or God. He says it was inspired by Kafka’s Metamorphosis and a short story he wrote:
[i]t was the story of a roach that runs and runs and runs, trying not to get stepped on by God. And the album kind of came as a question of like, ‘How would this story sound?’
It’s a well thought-out concept that maybe falls a bit short in the execution, but I think it manages to capture the loss of faith in order that a lot of us experienced after covid and lockdowns. I at the very least can relate very well to the feeling of loss of faith after everything being turned upside down, with Owusu saying “Sometimes it feels like / There's an old man / Waiting in the sky / Just to fuck my life up”. I think that point is even more salient now than it was in 2023, and Owusu’s question of “What’s a roach to a God?” has aged well.
The album also doesn’t have too many immediate contemporaries. Owusu has a very unique sound that I enjoy. But I struggled with what to rate this one. I think some of the songs are very cool and inventive and he’s one of a kind as an artist, with an interesting concept he’s built the album around. I’d still struggle to give it more than an 8. It’s a high-intensity album and I think I was hoping he would tie it all together somehow, I was surprised when it ended because I still though he’d somehow pull it all together into being a bit more cohesive. It’s one of those albums where I wish I had a bit more time to sit with it.
I think this guy is definitely someone to watch, it’s a decent record on its own but you can also feel the potential that Genesis Owusu has as an artist. I’ve been reading about his upcoming album that’s coming this year and I’ve heard his new single, I’ve got high hopes. STRUGGLER is an 8/10.