Genesis Renji EP “E.D.E.N. -East of the Garden” Event [Write Up]
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What is a more appropriate way to indulge in Autumn, the season of harvest and reaping, then to go to a garden? Being met with a pink rose pedaled trail to start (in addition to the detailed instructions left on instagram by Genesis himself incase folks got lost, heehee), I made my way up to the third floor of The Hide House Warehouse and into the lovely business studio of C&B Creative.Co. where Genesis Renji would exclusively perform his latest EP- E.D.E.N. during his “East of the Garden” showcase. Opening the door was like stepping into a late night lounge; the lights were dimmed for the mood with just enough lighting placed all around the room. The DJ of the night, FreakishNerd’s booth was set up in the front left corner with the main mic centered in the front of the room, completely wrapped up in a vine of leaves. There were plants appropriately set in every corner. Just before the opening artist Tai Mystique’s vocals took the stage and snatched edges with (and without...I think..) our permission, I was able to get 15 min. with a seemingly nervous, yet “musical genius,” as said by a super supporter in the audience, Genesis Renji.
N: First of all, Congrats on the new drop.. I don't think I was there for the last- did you have a release party for your last album or you just dropped it?
G: For the Keefe one..?
N: ...For S.I.N.S...
G: Yea, S.I.N.S., we did at Company Brewing and that was like 2018..
N: That seems like it was so long ago..
G: It was..last year was long go, ha ha..some of us made the moves we needed, and some didn't..we're all still here, that's all I care about.
N: ..I thought that it was interesting that you continued that biblical connection between your life and how you chose to translate it. Why was that the choice that you made? What does the Bible mean for you in your personal life-why do you feel like that was the best way to communicate your emotions?
G: I was brought up in the church..when I was born, I was raised Muslim for a little bit; my last name by birth is Arabic, and then when we moved to Milwaukee from Maryland we were with my Grandmother and we always went to her church- a Lutheran church....Ive always been a fan of, not necessarily religion, but theology in its self and Ive always adapted that and put that into my life. I'm the first born of my name, the oldest of me and my three brothers so that's where ‘Genesis’ comes from..growing up in my church, I ended up working in my church; I've been a youth minister, I was forced to become a deacon by church vote, so I've been in there, I'm a fan of it, I love the knowledge and the wisdom that's in there as well as the stories of faith, so I try to take the thing that I like, but hate the way that it's being used against people, and try to make it something else that you can enjoy and love.
N: Have you had any familial backlash because of it? Because you know a lot of people are quite sensitive about how people choose to translate their beliefs..
G: Im me, as terrible as that sounds or however people are gonna take it, Im me..so with it being me, if you know me or you meet me- get to learn me, you know that anything I do isn’t of ill intent and if I come across as ignorant or im using it in an illegitimate way, I'll take accountability for it and apologize but I've also been in that space long enough to know what I'm doing within that space and outside of that space and still be respectful with it.
N: I think that is a cool approach because, for myself, especially with this pandemic allowing me the time to figure out ‘okay what do I actually believe in or how do I express my belief in it,’ and I realized how much spiritual capacity I have to then not claim just one because I see [God] in everything..
G: It's major. I don't claim to be Christian, I relate to Christianity a lot because that's what I was brought up in and it's embedded in me so deeply, but I also see, like you said, the pieces that overlap. I see where Islam overlaps with Christianity and overlaps with Buddhism or overlaps with whatever other beliefs you may have or dont have. I mean, regardless of what people say, you look at Satanism itself...the Seven Tenets that they follow are pretty good tenets that you wanna follow; dont rape people, dont murder people, respect other people and what they want to do..
N: It's more of a moral thing..
G: Yea, there are overlaps to the things that we don't know, don't understand or may not like, but you're always gonna find a common piece in one of those things and I feel like when you start seeing those common pieces in it, that's really what that universal truth is, so that's what I try to lean towards more when I’m diggin through things- ‘what's the one thing that's tying everything together?’ And that's more than likely the thing that we all need to know and be a part of.
N: Right, I get that..with the album name E.D.E.N., Eventually Dreams End in Nightmares- that sounds pretty pessimistic, ha ha..
G: It does.
N: So why..?
G: So even when you look at the cover, right?- So my last three releases, this one included, have been my most personal bodies of work, so S.I.N.S. was like ‘I'm about to start telling y'all about my romantic life. Yall know Genesis ‘the rapper,’ let's learn Genesis the person. So here's all the stories I've never shared about all these different women that I may have liked or may have been involved with, whatever, whatever, then Keefe is, ‘here's the black boy who grew up in the hood but wasn't from the hood,’ and what that sounds like, what that looks like, and being the voice for all the other black boys who didn't know how to say what they felt. So E.D.E.N. is picking up from the love shit..it's like, alright, this is what happens when we were dealing with a bunch of women, E.D.E.N. is the result of being with one woman, so with that comes, ‘alright, I gave so much of what I wanted to one person and it didn't work out so maybe the dream that I was being sold isn't the dream that I want. Maybe I was better off out here in the garden, that's why when you see the covers-on the cover of S.I.N.S. I'm sharing the apple..and it's like Adam and Eve, we’re bonding over this thing but then on the cover of E.D.E.N. I'm by myself, I'm looking through these apples-if you look, I've bitten through a pile of apples- none of them have that same appeal as that first apple so it's like, ‘what are we doing here, what's the point in searching anymore..?’
N: So if you wanna say, the dream isn't necessarily the dream but the ideal of what that dream could've been or what you wanted it to be- the burst of that bubble..
G: The potential that we all get caught up in, it's like damn, alright..that wasn't what I thought, maybe it doesn't need to be a thing.
N: So in a general sense, when you talk about dreams, in this context youre talking about love, but you know, people can say that “dream” means all types of things, so if someone wanted to take that same title and apply it to anything that they have a dream about, how should they be taking it?
G: So I'm a big fan of spiritualism, of course, I take dreams as messages for me. I dont ignore my dreams, so when I meet people who say ‘I don't dream, I just sleep,’ I'm like, that's scary because you're out here just wingin’ life. That's wild to me. Dreams are how I get answers to prayers, that's where we get to break shit down and figure everything out; that's where the subconscious gets the work. For me, it's like, at the end of this dream, Imma get something. Imma get some type of response- it’s either gonna be the response that I wanted or it’s gonna be a response that I wasn’t looking for and usually we’re scared either way because if it’s not what you want then you’re like, fuck! Now you scared of the thing that you didn't want or that thing that you knew it could've been, and you just didn’t wanna deal with it, but then usually you also are scared of the things that you do want because it's like-
N: ‘..I can have it??’
G: -Yea and then its like, fuck, you get so wrapped up in, because its possible, ‘am I gone fuck it up still? Or when I get it, do I deserve it, or am I gonna be able to live up to it?’ Or on the flip side, and this is something that I've been dealing with, do I really want what I said I wanted?...so the dreams can eventually end in nightmares because you still gotta wake up, you still gotta deal with the shit and that can be scary.
N: Do you believe that because that ideal was false in the first place that it was bound to fail or do you believe that you manifested that failure in that moment of disregard for yourself?
G: Seeee..it depends on the person, right? Adam and Eve didn’t manifest their failure. That wasn't their intention, but they eventually stumbled into it. Eden in itself was a dream but that ended because of curiosity...it was just damn, ‘here's something that we haven't done, I think we should try it..; you can apply that to life too so I'm also a firm believer of ‘what's meant to be, I'm gonna make it happen and if it doesn't happen it's because I didn't do what needed to be done to make that happen or I didn't will that to happen, so you can manifest it or you also can't manifest it. Depends on your perspective.
N: As far as ‘The Garden’ in itself, what is the entirety of that for you?
G: That's just how I see the world, honestly. Like even with my 2016 album, I Might Be Home, I reference Milwaukee as ‘The Garden,’ the song is called “In the Garden,” and in the chorus, I found my way out of the garden, that’s me being in the city, I was forced to be here as a child and then eventually I leave, and me leaving th city that I, 1., wasnt born in, but then, 2., I also didnt know how to manuever in and grow up in, leaving it gave me that breathe and that relaease but also gave me the courage to come back and deal with things, so the garden for me is Milwaukee but the garden can be anything that youre in the middle of and you don’t see anything outside of it, because thats what Eden is-Eden was a point and a place, and for Adam and Eve, there was nothing else outside of that, but then when they found what was outside of that it was like, fuck, I kinda wanna go back there..
N: Can you go back? It's not gonna be the same when you go back, but what does that mean, going back?
G: Is it really worth going back? because you know it's not gone be the same, so you got two choices- you can either, A., turn around and look for this garden that may or may not be there, or B., you can, as they say in the Bible, “toil the earth for the rest of your days,” and you can create whatever that next garden is for you or try your best to.
N: I’m interested to see how you emote this- this is a really intimate setting here, did you do that on purpose?
G: Yes. I didn't wanna do this at a big venue, I really want to be able to look at everybody..I'm nervous honestly, ha ha ha..
N: I can tell..
G: this is the most vulnerable music i've ever made...so yea...and it was so much shit happening leading up to this- a week of promotion-that's already an issue for me, ya’ll know how we move..but it was like, aye, lets just drop it and see what happens,- and this is the most singing I've ever done-
N: that was gonna be my last, last question because I listened to it and I noticed that you didn't do a lot of standard, nonchalant vocals on this, you had a lot of melodies, so is that tied to how you emote [musically] in general; do you feel more flexible when you're feeling out your emotions?
G: The challenge for me- so last year I was traveling after my break up that inspired the project. I just traveled; that's what I do already, cool, now I can just do it a little bit more, get some me time. During that time of traveling, my main focus was becoming a better songwriter- I'm a good rapper, cool, I make ‘alright’ music, I think, but I need to make better music and make sure the people wanna hear it over and over again, and that came with knowing [that] people want melodies. Being a good rapper is cool but at the end of the day that doesn't sell records; I’m in this shit to be one of the biggest, honestly, so i'm writing 2-5 songs a day, every day for six months straight and in the process, the vocals got stronger, the writing got better, shit got more melodic and it's like, okay cool, singing is something that we need to implement a little bit more to make this work and this is what you get.
N: Alright well, I can't wait to see it live.
G: It's gonna be fire, I appreciate yall.
/Naomi-Re’a for CW
EAST OF THE GARDEN
/* INFO PROVIDED BY HOUSE OF RENJI
Genesis Renji revisits the garden where he found love, and eventually heartbreak, as he performs his newest EP ‘E.D.E.N: Eventually Dreams End in Nightmares’ for the first time. Featuring music from Freakishnerd and an opening performance from Illinois singer-songwriter Tai Mistyque, East of the Garden will be hosted on October 10th at C&B Creative, located in Bay View at 2625 S Greeley St; Suite 356. Tickets are on sale for $10 general admission & $15 VIP. Ticket sales are available on www.genesisrenji.com.
Genesis Renji is an Emmy-nominated recording artist and engineer from Milwaukee, WI. The poet-turned-emcee has evolved his sound and performance abilities over time with a diverse and anthem driven catalogue full of introspective verses and boastful rhyme schemes.
East of the Garden will be the only time Renji performs his ‘E.D.E.N’ project in its entirety. This once in a lifetime experience will leave audience members engulfed in the new sound and styles of Renji, along with unreleased songs that didn’t make the project. Renji described E.D.E.N as his “therapy before therapy” and the outlet he used to “explore his emotions, frustrations, and heartbreak.”
For listening pleasure, you can stream and purchase ‘E.D.E.N’ on www.genesisrenji.com.
Genesis Renji - Back Back
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Genesis Renji is no stranger to the music industry nor the Milwaukee music scene. “Genesis Renji is an Emmy nominated hip-hop artist based out of Milwaukee, WI. Born in Bethesda, MD, Renji started rapping at 12 years old after his cousin Pierre introduced him to rap music.” He’s more than just music but today, we’ll just focus on that.
“In the middle of a pandemic and being quarantined indoors, a lot has changed for the world, but not so much for Genesis Renji. Being the studio rat he is already, this seems like another day for Gen and he shows it within his new stream of releases.”
What to add to your playlist this week: Back Back by Genesis Renji
—and it’s CW Approved!
“Every Monday, Gen is set to release new music (the first release was “Suffocate” produced by 46Brock). This new offering comes in collaboration with Milwaukee producer Jxst Jxne. Back Back is the deja’vu experience in love. An infectious ode to the attraction of another person.”
This track is very subtle and catchy. It doesn’t have a lot of energy meaning it’s a very smooth and chill song. It’s super catchy for one and definitely makes me feel like I need to listen to this if I’m trying to get lit but in the chillest way possible. It honestly is a short and sweet song so you definitely have time to check it out.
With that being said, you know what comes next. This is the part where you do your job… and what could that possibly be? Let me help you out---stream the damn song, duh!
Also, check him out on the socials too!
Instagram: @genesisrenji
Website: https://www.genesisrenji.com
/Imani for CW
Nights Out East: KEEFE Album Release Show (Write Up)
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Photos By: /CW intern photographer Mitzi
Raise your hand if you’ve ever been to a Genesis Renji show? Alright cool. Now raise your hand if you can say undoubtedly that every Genesis Renji show you’ve been to was FIRE and exceeded your expectations? Exactly. So there was no surprise that Gen’s latest show at Bremen Cafe for his Keefe album release party would be any different. In fact, this show specifically was probably top 2, but not 2, in my opinion. And I’m going to tell you why if you weren’t there, you should’ve been.
Right out the gates, we are going to highlight the fact that this show was completely free. Yup, FREE.99. How many shows do you go to nowadays in Milwaukee where you don’t have to pay for a show? Not too many. This set the show apart right away. Especially since Gen isn’t a new artist trying to grab your attention, he’s already got it, and if you’re a creative, Eastsider, music lover, etc, you either know who he is or have heard his work. So that was dope to give people the opportunity to come out and have a great time without having to worry about the cost.
Secondly, the place got packed...QUICKLY. Doors opened at 9PM and the place was already getting full by 9:30. This was impressive because you already know how people like to be fashionably late to the function lol. By 10:00PM when the show started, the entire room was crowded wall-to-wall in a mostly standing room only venue. The number of people in the room didn’t surprise me though because the music lineup was crazyyyy. MoCity, CT, Von Alexander and J-Lamo (who actually is dropping an EP today called “Born And Raised,” go check that out), performed and they all did their thing.
I’ve been to a packed out show before, but this one felt different. I think the intimate size of the venue played a good part in that too, because the crowd felt like a beautiful harmonious blend of people genuinely wanting to have a good time. No drama. No hate. Even though it was super jammed in there and extremely stuffy…(wooo lol), to me it didn’t seem like they cared that much about that. They just wanted to show support to Gen, his project and all the other artists.
Everyone was laughing, saying hey to folks they haven’t seen in a while, almost like a big family reunion of people who are able to vibe with each other on a different level.
The #1 thing I believe made this night even more special though, was that Gen’s sister came all the way from Dallas to see the show. He said she has never actually seen him perform before, so that meant a lot to him.
We interview Gen often and are always picking his brain, but for a special show like this, we had to do another sit down for the one time.
CW: “What made this show be a “must see?”
GEN: “I think location mattered. This being a north [east] side show it was more convenient for people. But then the KEEFE album being one of the more impactful bodies of work I put out, especially for Milwaukeeans, I think people wanted to experience that live. And I have a good reputation for very memorable shows.”
CW: “What made you want to throw a show for this album?”
GEN: “This is something that I’ve seen resonates with people so far musically, so why not give them a free version of it again in a live performance so it resonates even more.”
CW: “Why did you choose these artists for the lineup?”
GEN: “The artists I have on the lineup, I feel like those guys are a great representation of Milwaukee music and also just Black men who might not have lived on Keefe, but have experienced what the city represents in itself and the music just makes sense to me. I love all of their music individually, it flows with what I’m doing tonight and it just works.”
CW: “Why do you think the people rock with this album so hard?”
GEN: “This one is different than my other albums. Keefe in itself is like a conceptual album, so you play it in its entirety. And I think people really relate to it because a lot of the stories being told on there are real personal experiences but they’re experiences people relate to. Whether they’ve been through them or not. I think people see are seeing themselves in this album.”
CW: ‘What would you say your message is with this album? What do you want people to take away from it?”
GEN: “When we first started the album, there were two words that I had in mind: uncomfortable growth. Because I wasn’t born here, Milwaukee has forced me to grow in ways that I wasn’t prepared for, didn’t think I should have, but other times that I needed to grow and wasn’t ready for. I think the biggest thing to take away from Keefe is that you’re going to change, but you’ll be alright. And you need to be heard so if people aren’t listening, make them listen.”
The stories he told the audience before some of the songs were perfect for the intimate setting the venue provided. Gen said the takeaway for the show was just...him. Knowing him more behind the music.
With that being said, Gen is the G.O.A.T. (as he will tell you himself...multiple times lmao) and if you missed this show, I’m letting you know now you don’t want to miss the next.
/Carrie for CW
GENESIS RENJI - ‘THE WOES’ feat. NILE & BURGIE STREETZ
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Genesis Renji is a very familiar name and face at CopyWrite, so you know we had to shout out his new track “The Woes,” featuring rap vet, Burgie Streetz, and up-and-coming star, Nile.
“Renji has promised a long summer and doesn’t seem to be letting up. The second single from the upcoming KEEFE album arrives on the heels of his last loosie Talk 2 Me. This time, Gen taps two of Milwaukee’s finest lyricists to join him. Three generations of Milwaukee rap.
On The Woes rising rap artist Nile and veteran Burgie Streetz help Renji paint the perspectives of being a product of your environment. The hook has an eerie chant of being robbed of more than jewelry. The verses from each emcee depict a dark reality that each lives individually but universally.”
KEEFE is scheduled for a September release, so make sure you stay on the lookout for that one this Fall! Can I get a ‘yeah yeah’ *Imitating Gen’s famous line lol*
/CW
GENESIS RENJI & ISHDARR - "WANNABE" *CopyWrite Partnership Post*
/*info provided by House of Renji
“Of all the rappers in Milwaukee, Genesis Renji may be the hardest to pin down” - Shepherd Express
“Genesis Renji has really settled into his own lane as an artist.” - Breaking and Entering
Milwaukee based hip-hop artist Genesis Renji makes his 2019 return. After a trailblazing 2018 filled with career milestones. Performances at Summerfest supporting Amine, a sold-out halftime show for the Milwaukee Bucks, and an Emmy Nomination working with TMJ4. These accomplishments have doubled down on Renji’s solid foundation.
In celebration of his 27th birthday Genesis Renji releases his first song of 2019 “Wannabe” featuring IshDARR. The anthemic reflection from two of Milwaukee’s leading artists serves as the lead single from Renji’s upcoming ‘KEEFE’ album; Renji and IshDARR speak on the feelings and memories they’ve culminated while ascending the heights to their dreams, crossing unseen thresholds and achieving feats neither originally planned at younger ages. Produced by frequent collaborator Cade Zube of Oconomowoc and mixed by producer Canis Major.
Gen is gearing up for the release of his next project ‘KEEFE’, scheduled for a September release.
BOOK OF EDEN *CopyWrite Partnership Sponsored Event*
/Milwaukee rapper Genesis Renji brings his album ‘S.I.N.S: Stories I Never Shared’ to life. The show BOOK OF EDEN will be hosted on May 25th, 2019 at Company Brewing. Doors open at 10pm and the cover is $10. Online tickets are available for purchase for $7 at http://bookofeden.eventbrite.com or http://genesisrenji.com/tour.
Genesis Renji is a 26 year old rap artist focused on creating the highest quality of music he can, while pushing forward the narrative of self love accomplishment. Coming off a dynamic year in 2018, receiving a Murray Award, an Emmy nomination and a milestone performance at the Milwaukee Bucks halftime in November, Gen is looking to evolve his artistry and showmanship while sharing his truth.
BOOK OF EDEN serves as a night of sonic paradise. This will be the only time Genesis will ever perform the S.I.N.S album. Joining him for his live set are the Milwaukee duo Streetlight Society. The night will be opened with performances from Milwaukee songstresses Ammorelle, Jayne Joyce, and Amanda Huff.
The night will also be sponsored by Wisconsin businesses CopyWrite Magazine, The Fochshole, SayWerd Clothing, and the House Of Renji.
/CW
Taiyamo Denku - Filthy (Ft. Genesis Renji)
/*ALERT FROM OUR PARTNERS AT THE HOUSE OF RENJI*
90’s style hip hop cyphers seemed have been under wraps in this new day and age, as if it went into extinct under the new age hip hop and rap culture. Old school hip hop seemed to express a certain rawness and purity through the lyrics, rhymes and aggression from the rappers. This style of rap is not for the lighthearted nor amateur, which are two things that Taiyamo Denku and Genesis Renji are NOT. Taiyamo Denku’s track “Filthy”, featuring Genesis Renji, is a new bop that takes us back to this time. This track puts a spin on a “new age style production” with an old school rap beat and lyrical flow, unleashing the perfect mixture of pure passion, skill and authenticity that is rare for our time.
"CyphaDen Music Drops a new Gem this time bringing fellow Milwaukee artist Genesis Renji of House of Renji with him. Denku the Milwaukee Native emcee starts out with a heavy hard verse full of bars , lyrics and punchlines. Denku then boasts on the hook " Im Better than You" . Genesis then stylizes on the track with a good flow and delivery. Dcypha spins a new age style of production with his signature boom bap steez to make for a great one off single from Cypha den Music"
Taiyamo Denku spits his verses with a rough flow that delivers his lyrics with force. Similarly, Genesis Renji adds his own creative spin to the mix with his smooth flow and lyrical puns. This track definitely goes hard and it proves that pure hip hop still exists.
/CW
