Genesis the Greykid

Genesis the Greykid

Genesis in 2015 (Chattanooga, Tn).
Background information
Birth name Russell McGee Jr.
Also known as Genesis the Greykid
Occupation(s) Poet • Artist • Creative • Fine Art Poetry
Associated acts Creative Control TV, Words In Grey, Through The Grey
Website GenesisTheGreykid.com ThroughTheGrey.com

Russell McGee Jr, better known as Genesis the Greykid, is a poet, creative, fine art poet, and underground hip-hop artist co-signed by the Media Label Creative Control TV (which used to be under the DD172 umbrella) by filming duo/CEO's Coodie & Chike.[1][2] Genesis has recently become one of the few emerging Fine Art Poets in the world, selling over $12,000 in his first two-hour exhibition in Chattanooga, Tennessee titled "Through the Grey".[3][4][5]

Early life

Genesis was born in Chattanooga, Tennessee while his dad was stationed in Georgia. Although his father was in the military and they moved around a lot, he spent a lot of time in Virginia Beach, Virginia where he attended First Colonial High School his freshman year then transferred to Frank W. Cox High School until he graduated.[6] Inspired by legendary poet T. S. Eliot, Genesis showed an early interest in poetry and would later credit it as his reasons for getting involved with hip hop.[7]

Career

Music

Genesis started out ghost writing before coming out as an artist in the early part of 2010 with his first mix tape titled "Grey Skies". Later that year he released "Grey Skies 2" which included a track directed at Pharrell Williams called "Note To Pharrell" a.k.a. "I Just Wanna Be A Writer".[8] Toward the end of 2010, Genesis the Greykid was introduced to Coodie & Chike who co-signed[1] him to Creative Control TV and shot the video "Here We Are" in 2011 for the artist.[9] Genesis the Greykid was one of the many performers at Baltimore's African American Festival (2011).[10][11][12]

Creative

After his "Grey Matter" project in NYC, Genesis wanted to help creative outlets in Chattanooga and Virginia draw attention to the many politically and socially conscious artists who create music, art, and poetry.[13] He soon started conducting poetry / creative sessions (or workshops) at different studios collaborating with different non-profits and art communities in Chattanooga, Tn. When asked in an interview about his creative interest, Genesis explains "Yeah, I'm a creator. Music/poetry is a medium I enjoy creating through, but I love all elements of creation...be it ideas for some marketing strategy, copywriting, short stories, etc. I just love being a part of projects that value creative people and allow them to build. It's hard to beat the grand feeling of making ideas tangible."[14][15][16] February 27, 2015 Genesis was nominated for a YP Award for his Civic Impact through the Build Me A World project, mentoring and developing young creatives, poets, and artist who in large part came from some of the most chaotic areas in the city.[17][18]

Poetry

Genesis being interviewed inside his studio, by the Tennessee Entertainment Commission about his poetry/creative workshops "Words In Grey" and Fine Art Poetry.

"For Genesis, living as a career poet feels completely natural, because poetry is more than something he puts out into the world. It’s how he sees the world, how he takes it in...But Genesis’s work as a poet goes beyond pen and paper. In Chattanooga, he’s made a name for himself by offering his poetic perspective in the form of a service. He attracts a range of corporate and startup clients who are searching for fresh ways to view or approach something — their work, their audience, their office space, each other." [19] On July 6, 2015, Genesis decided to release a collection of his poetry titled "Words In Grey". He mentions inside the flap of this 116-page book, "I developed a poetic/creative workshop [in January 2014] people in the community started calling 'Words In Grey'. In these workshops, I would get artist to think differently about the creative self, their writing, and collectively explore the pathway to that 'hidden wholeness' inside of us, through creative sessions and poetry. So this first book, 'Words In Grey' is a collection of my poetry with exercises in the back of the book so the reader can venture off into their own brilliance." [20][21] In a Chattanooga Times Free Press article, Barry Courter mentions, "Since moving here (Chattanooga), he has devoted himself to creative endeavours, many in his studio at the Fancy Rhino offices in the Loveman's Building downtown. Soundcorp Executive Director Stratton Tingle attended one of Genesis' seminars 'on a whim because I had heard about them' and was inspired enough to attend several more. 'I had no idea what I was getting into, and pretty quickly he had me writing and reciting a poem in front of people, which is not something I'm comfortable with,' Tingle says. 'He stretched me in ways I'm not familiar with. I was pretty immediately struck by his creativity.'"[22] In the summer of 2017, Genesis through his "Words In Grey" workshop in collaboration with Mark Making had "teens explore neighborhood issues affecting their lives through poetry, such as poverty, gang violence, and racism, and then expressed solutions to these problems in graffiti inspired murals." [23]

Fine Art Poetry

Genesis inside his studio, creating the fine art poem "Love Something" that he sold during his "Through the Grey" exhibition December 1, 2016 for $8,500 USD.

After spending part of 2016 travelling 5,800 miles around the country by train and foot, Genesis was inspired to gather all the poems he'd written along the way, and turn them into large poetic mantras. Using oil, Genesis created 12 large Fine Art pieces that were presented in his travelling poetic experience "Through the Grey", with the goal in mind of pushing poetry beyond its current boundaries.[24] "I’ve had some great people rocking with me through the process. Some really diverse patrons buying the work, from Pat (Chance the Rapper’s Manager) to Bmimms (CEO of Mogul Management), to Ted Alling (Founder of Access America Transport VC Lampost Group, and Dynamo), really grateful for everything that’s happening right now." [4]

Music Videos

Discography

Poems

References

  1. 1 2 Ozah, Chike. "Co-Signed by Creative Control Tv". The Major Media Label: Creative Control Tv web site. Retrieved 25 June 2011.
  2. ↑ Rodriguez, Daniela. "From Grey Skies To Better Days". I Heart Dilla Website. Retrieved 23 June 2011.
  3. ↑ Courter, Barry. "Poetry blooms on canvas in 'Through the Grey'". Times Free Press. Times Free Press. Retrieved 1 December 2016.
  4. 1 2 "Interview with Genesis the Greykid". Tauology: Study of Myself. Tauology. Retrieved 8 June 2017.
  5. ↑ McCoy, Anna. "Genesis talks inspiration, mantras and more". Your Urban Hippie. Retrieved 19 June 2017.
  6. ↑ (Staff writer), XXL (August 20, 2012). "XXL The Break Presents: Genesis the Greykid". XXLMag.com. Retrieved 2012-08-20.
  7. ↑ Summers, Cornell. "Introducing Russell McGee, Jr -aka- Genesis". Doebotz website. Archived from the original on 11 November 2014. Retrieved 26 June 2011.
  8. ↑ Stanković, Milan 'Mika'. "The Neptunes". The Neptunes Org (fanblog). Retrieved 24 June 2011.
  9. ↑ Ozah, Chike. "Music Video's". The Major Media Label Creative Control Tv. Retrieved 25 June 2011.
  10. ↑ Maza, Erik (29 June 2011). "African-American Festival performance schedule released". Baltimore Sune. Retrieved 6 July 2011.
  11. ↑ Daugherty, Kayenecha. "::RECAP:: The Cultural Stage | Baltimore African American Festival". The Soulcialista Website. Gypsy. Retrieved 6 July 2011.
  12. ↑ "Genesis the Greykid — Chrisette Michelle — Epiphany — Charlie Wilson — Noel Gourdin". Eventful. Retrieved 6 July 2011.
  13. ↑ Franklin, Mark. "Rapper And Poet Genesis The GreyKid To Set Example For Urban Youth". The Chattanoogan. John Wilson. Retrieved 22 February 2013.
  14. ↑ Krstovic, Nikola. "EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW GENESIS THE GREYKID". PRODUCERNIEUWS. WordPress. Retrieved 12 June 2014.
  15. ↑ Lorenzo, Jay. "The RunDown: Genesis the GreyKid Exclusive Interview". Live Hip Hop Radio.
  16. ↑ Montgomery, Sunny (31 December 2014). "The Art of Retelling". Chatter (January 2015).
  17. ↑ "2015 YP Awards". Young Professionals Association of Chattanooga. Young Professionals Association of Chattanooga. Retrieved 27 February 2015.
  18. ↑ Hart, Aran. "215 Spotlight: Build Me A World Art Collective". Two.One.Five. Magazine. 215mag. Retrieved 12 January 2015.
  19. ↑ "Genesis the Greykid: Well Versed". Egg Gallery. Egg Gallery. Retrieved 10 May 2016.
  20. ↑ the Greykid, Genesis (July 6, 2015). Words In Grey. Chattanooga Tn: Russell McGee Jr. ISBN 978-0996580717.
  21. ↑ Galindo Lizaldre, Belen. "Palabras en gris". Diario de Navarra. Diario de Navarra.ES. Retrieved 7 August 2015.
  22. ↑ Courter, Barry. "Genesis the Greykid releases book of poems". Chattanooga Times Free Press. Chattanooga Publishing Company. Retrieved 31 August 2015.
  23. ↑ "Teens Help Transform Glass Street In Mark Making Project". Chattanoogan. The Chattanoogan. Retrieved 7 July 2017.
  24. ↑ Courter, Barry. "Poetry blooms on canvas in 'Through the Grey'". Chattanooga Times Free Press. Retrieved 1 December 2016.
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