Genesis Owusu has announced his new album REDSTAR WU & THE WORLDWIDE SCOURGE, set for release May 15 via OURNESS. The project marks his third studio album and continues a run that has positioned him as one of the most singular artists working across hip-hop, punk, and alternative music.
The album arrives with early singles “PIRATE RADIO,” “DEATH CULT ZOMBIE,” and “STAMPEDE,” each highlighting a different edge of his sound. “PIRATE RADIO” leans into urgency and distortion, “DEATH CULT ZOMBIE” pulls from Brit rock influence, and “STAMPEDE” expands outward with a larger, anthemic structure, accompanied by a video filmed during his return to Ghana.
On REDSTAR WU & THE WORLDWIDE SCOURGE, Owusu builds a record that sits in constant friction. Genres collide without softening into compromise, moving between neo-soul, synth punk, alt-pop, and deep funk. The result is controlled but volatile, anchored by sharp lyricism that reflects a world defined by division, instability, and overstimulation.
“I started writing this album because I was seeing so much of the world and watching what was happening,” he says, citing Nina Simone as a guiding influence. The record follows that principle directly, using music as a way to document and respond rather than escape.
That approach builds on the foundation of Smiling With No Teeth, his 2021 debut that reworked funk, punk, and rap into something harder to categorize, earning widespread critical recognition and landing at #1 on Rolling Stone Australia’s best albums of the decade so far. Its follow-up, STRUGGLER (2023), pushed further into conceptual territory, solidifying his reputation for building fully realized worlds rather than standalone releases. Across both projects, Owusu has earned seven ARIA Awards, including multiple Album of the Year wins.
His live show has followed the same trajectory. Owusu has shared stages with Tame Impala, Paramore, and IDLES, and appeared at festivals including Lollapalooza and Primavera Sound. The upcoming tour will move through Australia, the UK, and Europe, extending the scale of a live presence that already leans theatrical and high-impact.
REDSTAR WU & THE WORLDWIDE SCOURGE does not smooth out his sound or make it more accessible. It sharpens it. The record leans into confrontation, holding tension instead of resolving it, and lands as a more direct statement from an artist who has never been interested in playing it safe.
Featured image credit: Genesis Owusu
