diff --git a/baseapp/baseapp.go b/baseapp/baseapp.go
index 2141d17ab..e92f58bdc 100644
--- a/baseapp/baseapp.go
+++ b/baseapp/baseapp.go
@@ -35,8 +35,9 @@ type BaseApp struct {
 	// unmarshal []byte into sdk.Tx
 	txDecoder sdk.TxDecoder
 
-	// unmarshal rawjsonbytes to the initialize application
-	InitStater sdk.InitStater // TODO make unexposed once certain refactoring from basecoin -> baseapp
+	// unmarshal rawjsonbytes to initialize the application
+	// TODO unexpose and call from InitChain
+	InitStater sdk.InitStater
 
 	// ante handler for fee and auth
 	defaultAnteHandler sdk.AnteHandler
@@ -204,6 +205,7 @@ func (app *BaseApp) SetOption(req abci.RequestSetOption) (res abci.ResponseSetOp
 // Implements ABCI
 func (app *BaseApp) InitChain(req abci.RequestInitChain) (res abci.ResponseInitChain) {
 	// TODO: Use req.Validators
+	// TODO: Use req.AppStateJSON (?)
 	return
 }
 
diff --git a/baseapp/genesis.go b/baseapp/genesis.go
index 943f24bb8..b2dad3e33 100644
--- a/baseapp/genesis.go
+++ b/baseapp/genesis.go
@@ -3,53 +3,14 @@ package baseapp
 import (
 	"encoding/json"
 	"io/ioutil"
-	"time"
-
-	crypto "github.com/tendermint/go-crypto"
-	cmn "github.com/tendermint/tmlibs/common"
 )
 
-// TODO this is dup code from tendermint-core to avoid dep issues
-// should probably remove from both SDK / Tendermint and move to tmlibs
-//  ^^^^^^^^^^^^^ This is my preference to avoid DEP hell
-// or sync up versioning and just reference tendermint
+// TODO: remove from here and pass the AppState
+// through InitChain
 
 // GenesisDoc defines the initial conditions for a tendermint blockchain, in particular its validator set.
 type GenesisDoc struct {
-	GenesisTime     time.Time          `json:"genesis_time"`
-	ChainID         string             `json:"chain_id"`
-	ConsensusParams *ConsensusParams   `json:"consensus_params,omitempty"`
-	Validators      []GenesisValidator `json:"validators"`
-	AppHash         cmn.HexBytes       `json:"app_hash"`
-	AppState        json.RawMessage    `json:"app_state,omitempty"`
-}
-
-//nolint TODO remove
-type ConsensusParams struct {
-	BlockSize      `json:"block_size_params"`
-	TxSize         `json:"tx_size_params"`
-	BlockGossip    `json:"block_gossip_params"`
-	EvidenceParams `json:"evidence_params"`
-}
-type GenesisValidator struct {
-	PubKey crypto.PubKey `json:"pub_key"`
-	Power  int64         `json:"power"`
-	Name   string        `json:"name"`
-}
-type BlockSize struct {
-	MaxBytes int   `json:"max_bytes"` // NOTE: must not be 0 nor greater than 100MB
-	MaxTxs   int   `json:"max_txs"`
-	MaxGas   int64 `json:"max_gas"`
-}
-type TxSize struct {
-	MaxBytes int   `json:"max_bytes"`
-	MaxGas   int64 `json:"max_gas"`
-}
-type BlockGossip struct {
-	BlockPartSizeBytes int `json:"block_part_size_bytes"` // NOTE: must not be 0
-}
-type EvidenceParams struct {
-	MaxAge int64 `json:"max_age"` // only accept new evidence more recent than this
+	AppState json.RawMessage `json:"app_state,omitempty"`
 }
 
 // GenesisDocFromFile reads JSON data from a file and unmarshalls it into a GenesisDoc.
diff --git a/examples/basecoin/app/app.go b/examples/basecoin/app/app.go
index daba43f89..4f26d4944 100644
--- a/examples/basecoin/app/app.go
+++ b/examples/basecoin/app/app.go
@@ -51,15 +51,15 @@ func NewBasecoinApp(genesisPath string) *BasecoinApp {
 		panic(fmt.Errorf("error loading genesis state: %v", err))
 	}
 
-	// TODO: InitChain with validators from genesis transaction bytes
-
 	// set up the cache store for ctx, get ctx
+	// TODO: can InitChain handle this too ?
 	app.BaseApp.BeginBlock(abci.RequestBeginBlock{Header: abci.Header{}})
 	ctx := app.BaseApp.NewContext(false, nil) // context for DeliverTx
 
+	// TODO: combine with InitChain and let tendermint invoke it.
 	err = app.BaseApp.InitStater(ctx, genesisiDoc.AppState)
 	if err != nil {
-		panic(fmt.Errorf("error loading application genesis state: %v", err))
+		panic(fmt.Errorf("error initializing application genesis state: %v", err))
 	}
 
 	app.loadStores()
diff --git a/examples/basecoin/app/app_test.go b/examples/basecoin/app/app_test.go
index edc4deeef..ce071eeed 100644
--- a/examples/basecoin/app/app_test.go
+++ b/examples/basecoin/app/app_test.go
@@ -52,17 +52,17 @@ func TestSendMsg(t *testing.T) {
 	coins, err := sdk.ParseCoins("77foocoin,99barcoin")
 	require.Nil(t, err)
 	baseAcc := auth.BaseAccount{
-		Address:  addr,
-		Coins:    coins,
-		PubKey:   pk,
-		Sequence: 0,
+		Address: addr,
+		Coins:   coins,
 	}
 	acc := &types.AppAccount{baseAcc, "foobart"}
 
-	gaccs := []*GenesisAccount{
-		NewGenesisAccount(acc),
+	genesisState := GenesisState{
+		Accounts: []*GenesisAccount{
+			NewGenesisAccount(acc),
+		},
 	}
-	bytes, err := json.MarshalIndent(&gaccs, "", "\t")
+	bytes, err := json.MarshalIndent(genesisState, "", "\t")
 
 	app := tba.BasecoinApp
 	ctx := app.BaseApp.NewContext(false, nil) // context for DeliverTx
diff --git a/examples/basecoin/app/init_baseapp.go b/examples/basecoin/app/init_baseapp.go
index aac14e4a5..c1fcb94c6 100644
--- a/examples/basecoin/app/init_baseapp.go
+++ b/examples/basecoin/app/init_baseapp.go
@@ -8,7 +8,6 @@ import (
 	sdk "github.com/cosmos/cosmos-sdk/types"
 	"github.com/cosmos/cosmos-sdk/x/auth"
 	crypto "github.com/tendermint/go-crypto"
-	cmn "github.com/tendermint/tmlibs/common"
 )
 
 // initCapKeys, initBaseApp, initStores, initHandlers.
@@ -34,44 +33,6 @@ func (app *BasecoinApp) initBaseAppTxDecoder() {
 	})
 }
 
-// We use GenesisAccount instead of types.AppAccount for cleaner json input of PubKey
-type GenesisAccount struct {
-	Name     string         `json:"name"`
-	Address  crypto.Address `json:"address"`
-	Coins    sdk.Coins      `json:"coins"`
-	PubKey   cmn.HexBytes   `json:"public_key"`
-	Sequence int64          `json:"sequence"`
-}
-
-func NewGenesisAccount(aa *types.AppAccount) *GenesisAccount {
-	return &GenesisAccount{
-		Name:     aa.Name,
-		Address:  aa.Address,
-		Coins:    aa.Coins,
-		PubKey:   aa.PubKey.Bytes(),
-		Sequence: aa.Sequence,
-	}
-}
-
-// convert GenesisAccount to AppAccount
-func (ga *GenesisAccount) toAppAccount() (acc *types.AppAccount, err error) {
-
-	pk, err := crypto.PubKeyFromBytes(ga.PubKey)
-	if err != nil {
-		return
-	}
-	baseAcc := auth.BaseAccount{
-		Address:  ga.Address,
-		Coins:    ga.Coins,
-		PubKey:   pk,
-		Sequence: ga.Sequence,
-	}
-	return &types.AppAccount{
-		BaseAccount: baseAcc,
-		Name:        ga.Name,
-	}, nil
-}
-
 // define the custom logic for basecoin initialization
 func (app *BasecoinApp) initBaseAppInitStater() {
 	accountMapper := app.accountMapper
@@ -81,14 +42,13 @@ func (app *BasecoinApp) initBaseAppInitStater() {
 			return nil
 		}
 
-		var gaccs []*GenesisAccount
-
-		err := json.Unmarshal(state, &gaccs)
+		genesisState := new(GenesisState)
+		err := json.Unmarshal(state, genesisState)
 		if err != nil {
 			return sdk.ErrGenesisParse("").TraceCause(err, "")
 		}
 
-		for _, gacc := range gaccs {
+		for _, gacc := range genesisState.Accounts {
 			acc, err := gacc.toAppAccount()
 			if err != nil {
 				return sdk.ErrGenesisParse("").TraceCause(err, "")
@@ -98,3 +58,36 @@ func (app *BasecoinApp) initBaseAppInitStater() {
 		return nil
 	})
 }
+
+//-----------------------------------------------------
+
+type GenesisState struct {
+	Accounts []*GenesisAccount `accounts`
+}
+
+// GenesisAccount doesn't need pubkey or sequence
+type GenesisAccount struct {
+	Name    string         `json:"name"`
+	Address crypto.Address `json:"address"`
+	Coins   sdk.Coins      `json:"coins"`
+}
+
+func NewGenesisAccount(aa *types.AppAccount) *GenesisAccount {
+	return &GenesisAccount{
+		Name:    aa.Name,
+		Address: aa.Address,
+		Coins:   aa.Coins,
+	}
+}
+
+// convert GenesisAccount to AppAccount
+func (ga *GenesisAccount) toAppAccount() (acc *types.AppAccount, err error) {
+	baseAcc := auth.BaseAccount{
+		Address: ga.Address,
+		Coins:   ga.Coins,
+	}
+	return &types.AppAccount{
+		BaseAccount: baseAcc,
+		Name:        ga.Name,
+	}, nil
+}
diff --git a/types/errors.go b/types/errors.go
index f54a8fcc1..77cea98ac 100644
--- a/types/errors.go
+++ b/types/errors.go
@@ -24,13 +24,14 @@ const (
 	CodeOK                  CodeType = 0
 	CodeInternal            CodeType = 1
 	CodeTxParse             CodeType = 2
-	CodeGenesisParse        CodeType = 3
-	CodeBadNonce            CodeType = 4
-	CodeUnauthorized        CodeType = 5
-	CodeInsufficientFunds   CodeType = 6
-	CodeUnknownRequest      CodeType = 7
-	CodeUnrecognizedAddress CodeType = 8
-	CodeInvalidSequence     CodeType = 9
+	CodeBadNonce            CodeType = 3
+	CodeUnauthorized        CodeType = 4
+	CodeInsufficientFunds   CodeType = 5
+	CodeUnknownRequest      CodeType = 6
+	CodeUnrecognizedAddress CodeType = 7
+	CodeInvalidSequence     CodeType = 8
+
+	CodeGenesisParse CodeType = 0xdead // TODO: remove ?
 )
 
 // NOTE: Don't stringer this, we'll put better messages in later.