O.T. Genasis

The career of O.T. Genasis took off when Busta Rhymes caught the terse rapper performing “Touchdown” four consecutive times for a demanding but rapt crowd. Support from Busta led the way to the number 20 pop hit “CoCo” (2014) and another Top 40 entry with “Cut It” (2015). Since releasing the Atlantic-distributed mixtape Coke N Butter (2016), O.T. has been behind numerous singles such as “Bae” (2018) and “What Is Your Name” (2021).
Born in Atlanta and raised on the West Coast in Long Beach, O.T. Genasis (Odis Oliver Flores) was inspired to make music by hard-edged rap and dancehall artists ranging from 2Pac to Shabba Ranks. He surfaced in the early 2010s as a G-Unit affiliate, releasing the mixtape Black Belt in 2012. After he was swept up by Busta Rhymes’ Conglomerate Entertainment label, he quickly recorded the 2014 tape Catastrophic 2 and issued a version of “Touchdown” with verses from Busta and French Montana. The relatively relaxed follow-up single, “CoCo” — another ode to dealing cocaine — was released that November and swiftly became a bigger hit, reaching number 20 on the Billboard Hot 100 before it attained multi-platinum status. O.T. cracked the Top 40 again and scored another multi-platinum hit with the number 35 single “Cut It” (featuring Young Dolph), off the 2015 mixtape Rhythm & Bricks. Coke N Butter, yet another mixtape, made waves in 2016 with “Push It,” which didn’t chart but was certified gold. Over the next five years, O.T. stuck with singles, and achieved streams well into the millions with the likes of “Bae” and “Back to You” (the latter featuring Chris Brown and Charlie Wilson). He offered “What Is Your Name” in 2021. ~ Andy Kellman