Still riding the awesome wave of his ARIA 2021 Australian Album Of The Year award for Smiling With No Teeth, Genesis Owusu is proving himself to be a surging creator with an imaginative mind that we’re just starting to scratch the surface of. The debut album feels like the tip of the iceberg for the rapper and Owusu has delivered a new track today in the menacing, choral “GTFO,” ahead of a big summer of concerts.
“Singing hymns to a God that I abandoned. And spit in my hand and it told me it’s a blessing,” he sings in the song’s rhythmic opening spoken word. There’s a backing choir humming underneath the track as Owusu waxes on pushing back against forces trying to eradicate folks towards the margins of society. In the video, directed by Uncle Friendly’s Rhett Wade-Ferrell, Owusu is driven to Jack Torrance-like madness chasing an escaped cockroach.
“There are many people like Roach. Strugglers, doing whatever they can to get through hell and high water,” Owusu explained in a statement. “Bankruptcy, depression, sickness; God himself can try to stand in the way, but a struggler has to keep struggling. And a Roach has to keep Roaching. Even when it’s told to GTFO.”
“GTFO” precedes a number of high profile upcoming tour stops for Owusu. Things kick off next week with performances at music festivals like Australia’s Splendour In The Grass and Lollapalooza in Chicago. Then Owusu will be the supporting act on tours for Glass Animals, Khruangbin, and Tame Impala. His live set is an unshakeable thrill and one you’ll want to catch this summer. Check out all of Genesis Owusu’s tour dates here.
Watch the video for “GTFO” above.