Genesis Renji “E.D.E.N” EP [East of the Garden Gallery Pop Up]

Genesis Renji had a gallery pop up and performance for his latest EP, E.D.E.N. The entire event was amazing, and it featured a performance by Clayton Biddle and a gallery of visuals from the EP. Genesis sat down with Copywrite Magazine to give us the inside scoop on how he cultivated this project.

/CW: So for those who don’t know, can you explain what E.D.E.N means?

Genesis Renji: Yes, E.D.E.N means ‘eventually dreams end in nightmares’. It’s the sequel to my 2018 album S.I.N.S ‘stories I never shared’.

The album is a melting pot of different feelings. With tracks like “Hurt Me Again”, Genesis describes the cycle of a toxic love and coping with the after effects of heartbreak. “Thank You” narrates him coming into acceptance of the love lost, channeling into healing energy. It’s almost like a cadence or anthem to getting over this love and moving forward. From beginning to end, he poetizes his journey through the different stages of love and grief.

/CW: What was the most challenging part about this whole project? 

Genesis: Being honest! (laughter) It’s easy to wanna say ‘alright I’m finna make some music, I’m gonna make it sound good and keep it surface level right? It’s harder to dig into it and tell people how you feel and describe the thoughts that you’re really having. Especially in Milwaukee, where people know you and know the person you were with. And that can apply to any relationship, any situation you’re in. If you’re in a small city and you talk about a relationship you’ve been in or situation you went through and the people around you know what you’re talking about, you’d be a little scared or a little intimidated. You never wanna embarrass anybody, you don’t wanna embarrass yourself. So I would say being honest was the most challenging part but it was necessary.

The idea that all dreams eventually end in nightmares is one that may seem hard to conceptualize. Some people may think it’s pessimistic or maybe even manifesting negatively. But it depends on how you view ‘nightmare’ in this context. Is it truly a nightmare or is it just reality? In the context of love and hate, we see it all the time. The dream that two people who truly love one another will withstand all storms, trials and tribulations is oftentimes followed by the nightmare aka the reality of that love coming to an end.

/CW: Do you think that dreams ending in nightmares is a manifestation of the fears of love that one suppresses? Or do you think it’s just how life is?

Genesis: Uhhhh…yes and no. It CAN be a manifestation but then it’s also like….the reality of a situation, right? Not everything that we want is meant to last forever so once it eventually hits that turning point or something happens that we didn’t expect, it starts to become ugly and you get a lil fearful of that. Like when you’re in a relationship with somebody, shit is smooth for the first 5-6 months. Then that first argument happens and you be like “damn…it’s damn near OVER!” But in reality, it’s probably not that deep. It really depends on your perspective. 

/CW: So do you think that love should have an element of fear in it?

Genesis: No! Love should have respect in it. Love is not fearful. When you look at 1 Corinthians 13, it defines what love is on a biblical and spiritual level and fear is not in the definition of love. Love is patient, love is kind, love is understanding. The fear that comes in a relationship are our personal fears that we project onto our situation based on things we’ve seen or things that we’ve been through with people. 

/CW: So what’s coming up next for Genesis Renji? You know you gotta give us the exclusive, we’re CW!

Genesis: Damn you just flexed, you right! Um, we’re working on videos for the rest of E.D.E.N. I wanna do a short film for it, but we gone see what that looks like timewise. And the vinyl for E.D.E.N is coming too, that’s gonna be the deluxe edition with extra songs and extended versions of some songs. You know, my next shit is my best shit so….

Genesis Renji is one of the many gems this city holds, his artistry speaks for itself. The visuals for the EP are amazing, man and woman in love living in the garden of Eden, enjoying the fruits of their labor that’s been put towards they’re love. Each song speaks on the different aspects of love; the beginning, the middle and end. My favorite song has to be “Hurt Me Again”, and that’s speaks volumes seeing that I loved the entire project. Keep your eyes on Renji, we could be watching our next start rise to the top. Check it out and let me know what y’all think! 

/Pam from CW