Genius is an American digital media company founded on August 27, 2009, by Tom Lehman, Ilan Zechory, and Mahbod Moghadam.

Its website serves as an online music encyclopedia allowing users to provide annotations and interpretation to song lyrics, news stories, sources, poetry, and documents.

Originally launched as Rap Genius, with a focus on hip-hop music, the company attracted the attention and support of celebrities, and venture capital enabling further growth.

An Android version was released in August 2015,[7] and in 2016 and 2017, the company began producing music-focused original video content and hosting live events and concerts.

[8][16][17] As part of his support for the website, Nas "released the lyrics to his new single 'The Don' on Rap Genius the day before putting out the song itself".

[8] Masta Killa, Inspectah Deck, RZA, GZA, Ghostface Killah and Raekwon, members of the American hip hop group Wu-Tang Clan, also obtained verified accounts on Genius.

[24][25][26][27] In October 2013, Rap Genius was one of fifty sites targeted with notices by the National Music Publishers Association for the unlicensed online publication of song lyrics.

In response, Zechory stated that they "can't wait to have a conversation with them about how all writers can participate in and benefit from the Rap Genius knowledge project".

[28] In December 2013, Google penalized Rap Genius for violating their backlinks guidelines,[25]—particularly involvement with blog networks—by removing them from its top search results.

[30] Ten days later, after removing links in violation of Google's Quality Guidelines, Rap Genius partially recovered from their penalty.

[32] By early 2014, however, Moghadam had reduced his involvement in Genius to a part-time role, due to complications from his surgery for meningioma, a benign brain tumor.

Felix Salmon of Reuters was a noted early user, using the platform to create an annotated breakdown of Janet Yellen's first FOMC statement.

The co-founders said that the change was because most internet users fail to "dive into" stories they find in greater detail, and that Genius aimed to "help us all realize the richness and depth in every line of text".

[23][39] The company also raised an additional $40 million in series B funding led by investor Dan Gilbert, chairman of Quicken Loans and owner of the Cleveland Cavaliers.

[55] In January 2016, the White House began using Genius to provide annotations for its online postings of President Barack Obama's State of the Union addresses.

[62] Planned shows that Dellea was hired to oversee included "Genius Level, an Inside the Actors Studio-style interview series hosted by Rob Markman".

[43] In September 2016, Genius announced the addition of Steve Stoute, founder and CEO of the brand development and marketing firm Translation, to its board of directors.

The event featured performances by artists including Pusha T, Dej Loaf, A Boogie wit da Hoodie, and was produced in partnership with Adidas and Atari.

Up and coming artists from around the world are given a chance to compete every Friday for coverage by the platform, most notably in the "Genius Freestyles" series spearheaded by the social team.

[80] Genius began selling branded merchandise in mid-2016, and engaged in "a T-shirt collaboration with rapper Pusha T's Play Cloths line for Art Basel" in December 2016.

[85] In 2021, a similar feature was launched in a branded campaign via collaboration with French cognac firm Rémy Martin titled Collective Sounds.

Editors, Moderators, and Mediators, volunteers who are given the role by peer vote within the Genius community, help to generate and monitor content to ensure quality writing.

[90][91] As of 2021[update], key staff members and advisors to Genius include co-founders Tom Lehman and Ilan Zechory (resigned as president in 2021), additional board members and investors Marc Andreessen, Ben Horowitz, Dan Gilbert, and Steve Stoute;[63][64] Chief Content Officer Brendan Frederick,[48] VP of Content Strategy Rob Markman,[46] Chief Strategy Officer Ben Gross, President Miki King, CFO Nakuj Vittal, CTO Andrew Warner, and Site Director Stephen Niday.

[92] On March 11, 2021, Genius named Miki Toliver King, the Washington Post's chief marketing officer, as its new president, replacing co-founder Ilan Zechory.

King commented to Variety Magazine, "Never has there been a more important time for the work of artists and creators to reverberate around the world, with Genius as its driving force.

She joined the company in the second quarter of 2021 and will oversee revenue, content, audience operations, and marketing alongside co-founder and CEO Tom Lehman.

[93] Top artists contributing to Genius include Lorde, Frank Ocean, Jaden Smith, Lin-Manuel Miranda,[54] Selena Gomez, Phoebe Ryan, DJ Khaled, Nas,[8] Eminem,[49] Rivers Cuomo, and Rick Rubin.