Genesis Owusu is back.
The multiple ARIA Award winner has dropped new single “PIRATE RADIO”, out now via Ourness.
Once again melding sharp punk production with hard-hitting rap, Owusu’s first new music in two years offers an unsettling glimpse of our broken-apart world.
“The rich are getting richer and us regulars are eating each other alive. Smoke-screened by paranoia-inducing culture wars and our own growing poverty. ‘There is no war in Ba Sing Se’ type shit,” Owusu says.
“Someone’s gotta sound the alarm and break the hypnosis. And that someone isn’t going to be the guy saying immigrants are eating your cats and they probably won’t have a billion dollars in their bank account either. If Elon Musk has no more haters then I’m dead.”
In other Owusu news, the Ghanaian-Australian artist will embark on a series of intimate showcases this month, accompanied by his four-piece band.
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Fans can catch Owusu and co. at Sydney Opera House’s Studio between Thursday, September 18th-Saturday, September 20th, followed by shows at The Night Cat in Melbourne between Wednesday, September 24th-Friday, September 26th.
Support on four nights will be provided by experimental hip-hop trio Shady Nasty, while xmunashe will support on two nights. Ticket information is available here.
Owusu released his second studio album, Struggler, in 2023, seeing it reach the top five on the ARIA Albums Chart. Preceding that, his first album, Smiling with No Teeth, became a breakout sensation in 2021
Owusu’s debut album topped our recent 100 Best Australian Albums of the Decade So Far list.
“Now this is how you do a debut album — loud, confident, and wonderfully chaotic,” we wrote in declaring the album the winner.
“Genesis Owusu’s first album didn’t make much much of a dent on the ARIA Albums Chart, scraping into the top 30 at No. 27, but its impact was felt in a major way elsewhere.
“Owusu and Smiling with No Teeth were the clear winners at the 2021 ARIA Awards, scooping gongs for Album of the Year, Best Hip Hop Release, and Best Independent Release, and Producer of the Year (Andrew Klippel and Dave Hammer). At our Rolling Stone Australia Awards the following year, Owusu’s debut won Best Record in a tough category featuring heavyweights like Amy Shark, Crowded House, and Tash Sultana.
“It’s a rare feat to achieve cultural and cool capital alongside commercial success, but, from the very opening moments of Smiling with No Teeth, Owusu never sounded like any ordinary artist.”
Genesis Owusu’s “PIRATE RADIO” is out now via Ourness.
