Genesis Owusu Releases Third Album Redstar Wu & the Worldwide Scourge

Last September, Genesis Owusu tested material from his then-untitled third album at three intimate shows at the Sydney Opera House. He performed in the round for fans and showed the confidence of an artist who believes in his music. The new songs stood out for their contrasts: snarling punk mixed with neosoul and dexterous hip-hop, all anchored by Kofi Owusu-Ansah's magnetic charisma. Months before release, it was clear the Ghanaian Australian artist's next phase would stand out.

Now called Redstar Wu & the Worldwide Scourge, the album arrives with high expectations. His prior releases, 2021's Smiling With No Teeth and 2023's Struggler, earned acclaim and won the Aria album of the year. After the dense symbolism of black dogs and unkillable roaches in those records, Owusu has said this one stays "very much on planet Earth in the 2020s".

That shows right away in the first three singles: Pirate Radio, Stampede and Death Cult Zombie. They pulse with righteous anger and work as pit-stirring anthems. Across them, Owusu-Ansah attacks billionaires, alt-right hucksters and racism, both casual and overt, with vehemence and wit. The danceable fourth single, Life Keeps Going, offers one of his catchiest hooks yet. It comes with a video shot on his first creative trip to Ghana last year and points to the genre shifts across the track list.

The singles aside, the album's emotional depth argues for the staying power of the format. After Pirate Radio and Stampede, it shifts to the sleazy funk of Hellstar. Owusu-Ansah delivers a rakish performance there with a guest spot from US rapper Duckwrth. Next comes the woozy romance of Falling Both Ways, featuring New Zealand indie-pop artist Ladyhawke. Then The Worldwide Scourge locks in, with Owusu-Ansah rapping over a lurching beat about a collapsing world. Lyrics like "How dare they pillage Gaza and still have the nerve to sleep at night" mark the core of his Redstar Wu persona, which he calls "me seeing the world as it is".

The second half turns inward. Situations offers a soft rumination with Owusu-Ansah's voice close and warm. Runnin Outta Time brings pace and charisma, while One4All provides a serene close, circling back from the opener's bite to a gentler end.

The focused energy comes by design. Struggler emerged amid global tours, but this one took shape in a converted church in Wales with producer and songwriter Dann Hume. That intimate space shapes the tight propulsion and detailed production. Punk scuzz pairs with electronic currents, as in the dreamy 4Life and standout Big Dog, whose synth waves and squirrelly bass fit an Underworld record. Owusu-Ansah's vocals range from relaxed to intense: luxurious crooning in Blessed Are the Meek, chanting vitriol in Most Normal American Voter, throaty barks in Pirate Radio.

Talk of his influences, from Childish Gambino and Prince to Bloc Party, has followed his rise. "Sometimes they're pinning major influences on me that I've never heard of in my life," he said in 2022. As his strongest album yet, Redstar Wu & the Worldwide Scourge highlights his originality in Australian music. It draws from his life as a Black artist to make political songs that stay open, accessible and fun.

Some may find the 2020s references to Gaza, Andrew Tate and the "Orange Man" tight or draining. But amid the current unease, the album shows raw, human art as a source of hope.