REDSTAR WU & THE WORLDWIDE SCOURGE was absolutely worth the wait as Genesis Owusu becomes the voice for an eternally plundered and dejected generation in the face of unparalleled evil.
Release date: May 15, 2026 | Ourness | Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | Bandcamp
Lately, rap and rock have been dapping up more than ever in the last couple decades. So many artists, bigger and smaller, have been experimenting with or firmly planting their sound in the explosive and propulsive combination of these two genres that have been pals off and on since Aerosmith (UGH) and RUN DMC (YAY) linked up in the ’80s to piss off every yuppie-ass household across America. I’m more partial to what Public Enemy and Anthrax pulled together years later, but regardless the sound endures, and this time it’s with someone who’s no stranger to the sound.
Genesis Owusu, the pride of Ghana and Australia, has had my full attention since his debut album, Smiling With No Teeth. He only doubled this with STRUGGLER a few years ago, an album I absolutely loved and still go back to frequently. This new one though? REDSTAR WU & THE WORLDWIDE SCOURGE may have them both beat overall. It’s sonically exuberant and politically incisive, even more so than the recently released (and reviewed) Cry Baby by Vince Staples. But I’m not about to pit two bad motherfuckers against each other – they’re both ultimately in different lanes and deserve the distinction as such.
Genny Wu really went off with this one though. He’s right pissed off and there’s absolutely no ambiguity as to where he stands on key issues. Perhaps most importantly, his evocation of stark leftist imagery like the eponymous red star on the cover, usually associated with the Mexican Zapatistas liberation movement that’s been active almost as long as I’ve been alive, isn’t just for show. He’s really spitting some shit here that aligns with those views, embodying a focus on class warfare and naming the many, many perpetrators of unchecked fascism and their machinations that kill, rape, steal, and otherwise subjugate the world over.
So it goes without saying that REDSTAR WU is pretty dark at its core. Genesis Owusu usually takes some time to provide a levity among his genuine maligning or self-deprecation as was often the case on his first two albums. Here, the moments of light are used to uplift us among the darkness, providing an anchored hand and forearm to grab onto and pull yourself up from falling off the cliffs of desperation. It’s hopeful, but not much else in the way of positive. I think it’s a boon to the seriousness he sings and raps about, unable to betray the tone of the album because, even still, there’s people that need to hear this shit on a more approachable level.
The worldwide scourge that album harangues against can be many things. On “MOST NORMAL AMERICAN VOTER:”, it’s anti-intellectualism, misinformation, and a narcissistic tendency to know – not even think or believe – what’s going on at all times. Owusu personifies the eternally paranoid chud fucker that values being right over being anywhere near social or well-adjusted so well with lines that hit a little too close to home (‘Communists, deeper state/Tryna take my rights away‘) and some that are just funny (‘My ex-wife took everything‘). Hey, I said he was serious, but that doesn’t mean he can’t sneak in a funny here and there. This track also has the catchiest beat on the album; ascending guitar melody, bold bass, and a momentum to it all that really complements Owusu’s fervent vocals.
“DEATH CULT ZOMBIE” is all about sycophantic worship of idols, particularly the pedophile pair of Trump and Musk. It’s upbeat and bludgeoning with its rhythm, but Owusu’s lyrics hit the hardest, just tapping every single stereotypical pressure point of the modern alt-right man who seems to derive sexual pleasure from watching the world burn around them. Some are meant to just pinch at their lack of empathy stemming from not experiencing any of their own (‘Coulda turned out better if your dad showed you some feeling‘), but others have more systemic implications while Wu flexes his lyrical technicality. In particular, I love the lines that use the show King of the Hill and its characters to paint a picture of social and racial inequality: ‘Can’t believe we let the whole world get turned by Hank Hill looking motherfuckers/Bobbies on the block till a Redcorn suffers/Traded white sheets for the blue life colours‘.
Genesis Owusu still has heart and a drive to connect with those who are worth saving. “SITUATIONS” is a touching and pensive track that attempts to build a bridge, breaking down the labels and walls, and seeing people for who they are: affected by all the bullshit all the same and not working in their own interest. It’s a mood that I struggle with myself, but the fact of the matter is that we should, as much as is possible and is worth doing safely, be finding ways to relate to as many of our neighbors and peers as possible so they can see the truth of the matter. I really love this song. Its second verse is worth reading and mulling over in full:
‘You may test my patience and boil my blood
And sting my eyes when I hear your tongue
But we a coalition of the ones from the mud
And move like a earthborne flood
But we look like ants down here to the top of the rudder
Ones up high just laugh when we suffer
So fuck we look like battling one another
Maybe we estranged but you still my brother
They up in the yacht but we in the same boat
So we may as well make sure all of us float
Can’t stop us all with that one little moat
Castle’s gotta give, gotta give to the folks‘
Between the stuttered explosion of the opener “PIRATE RADIO” and subdued comfort of closer “ONE4ALL”, there’s a lot to delve into. I didn’t even go into the funky smoothness of “HELLSTAR” or how “BLESSED ARE THE MEEK” charms with breathy singing and a message of encouragement and solidarity. This is Genesis Owusu‘s most complete and contemporary album by a fair margin which is saying something because he’s never been a slouch with themes and artistry. This time, he let the righteous anger win and it looks so good on him.
REDSTAR WU & THE WORLDWIDE SCOURGE won’t solve any of our problems, but that wasn’t Genesis Owusu‘s goal. What the album achieves is supreme catharsis and a forthright declaration that being on the right side of history is more important than ever. Silence will no longer be tolerated. Complacency is just as bad as siding with evil. For fuck’s sake, stand for something. You’ll die all the same if you don’t so you might as well fight on your feet.
‘It’s always been tempting just to up and fall asleep,
But sleep has a cousin I don’t have the time to meet‘
Artist photo by Isaac Brown
