BIG DAY IN #15: The Miserable Genius
COUNTDOWN TO BIG DAY IN:
Big Day In, Ithaca Underground’s biggest show of the year, is on Saturday, December 7! The event is a twelve-hour festival (12PM – 12AM), filled to the brim with touring and local artists. To celebrate the countdown to the Big Day, there will be an artist profile for each performing artist. Today, we have hip-hop artist, The Miserable Genius!
ARTIST PROFILE: THE MISERABLE GENIUS
“Food stamp baby so the cash wasn’t surplus / Ain’t have much but mama still served much / Struggling for comfort often pondered why she birthed us / CPS be at the the door, cops tryin’ to search us” Bidness on Melanincholy
The Miserable Genius is the hip-hop project of Damiano Malvasio. The rapper from Buffalo, NY is also a graduate from Ithaca College. During his time in Ithaca, he not only played several shows with Ithaca Underground, but also performed at the Cayuga Sound Festival in 2018. His lyricism is fired through quick lines and held together by a steady beat, all while staying in-time to come back together for explosive choruses. In his songs, he tackles issues such as institutional racism and working through depression and mental health complications.
Melanincholy is The Miserable Genius’ latest release. Each song puts the listener in Malsavio’s experience of dealing with the pains of being a person of color. In “Bidness”, we are dropped into an impoverished family situation where food security is shaky, crime runs rampant, and being searched by the police is a normal occurrence. Layered underneath the storyline are electronic drum beats, mellowed keys, and trumpets. The words are filled with vulnerability and frustration that becomes tangible when listened to.
You can find The Miserable Genius on his Facebook Page @themiserablegenius716
Tickets for Big Day In are on sale now! $10 for under 18, $15 for 18 and older.
For more information, check out the Facebook Event.
Tomorrow, I’ll be talking about hip-hop artist, Magnetic the Shaman. Stay tuned!