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GENESIS RENJI IS AN EMMY-NOMINATED HIP HOP ARTIST BASED OUT OF MILWAUKEE. BORN IN BETHESDA, MD, RENJI STARTED RAPPING AT 12 YEARS-OLD AFTER HIS COUSIN PIERRE INTRODUCED HIM TO RAP MUSIC. FREESTYLES WITH HIS BROTHERS AND COUSIN WAS SOMETHING HE DID TO FIT IN. THIS SEARCH FOR ACCEPTANCE TURNED INTO A PASSION FOR PERFORMANCES IN MIDDLE SCHOOL AND LATER, SPOKEN WORD SLAMS IN HIGH SCHOOL. AFTER SEEING LUPE FIASCO’S “KICK, PUSH” VIDEO, RENJI STARTED ACTIVELY WRITING AND RECORDING HIMSELF. SOME OF HIS OTHER EARLY INFLUENCES WERE CHAMILLIONAIRE, LIL’ WAYNE, AND EMINEM. AS HIS INTERESTS GREW AND MUSICAL TASTE EXPANDED, SO DID HIS SONIC PALETTE. HAVING A CREATIVE SIGNATURE OF PENNING VIVID STORIES LIKE KENDRICK LAMAR AND PAIRING THEM WITH CATCHY, VIBRANT HOOKS LIKE CHILDISH GAMBINO HELPED TRANSLATE INTO MEMORABLE MUSIC AND PERFORMANCES FROM THE MILWAUKEE EMCEE. FROM OPENING FOR HIP-HOP LEGENDS JEAN GRAE, PHAROAHE MONCH, AND SKYZOO TO CREATING INTIMATE SHOW RELEASES WITH CEREAL BARS, RENJI’S PERFORMANCES ARE MONUMEN