Genius, the service that lets users add annotations and context to other docs, has today announced the launch of Questions and Answers, or Q+A.
Genius originally launched as a rap lyrics data trove, where users could add interesting context and insights about various rap lyrics. Eventually, the company expanded (and not without some growing pains) to all types of documents, like public speeches, poetry, etc.
With today’s launch, Genius users seeking more information won’t simply have to hope that the bit they’re looking for is magically already on the page. The Q+A feature is visible on a box on the right hand side for desktop, and below the lyrics on mobile.
Q+A is available across the entire site, ranging across various content types like speeches, manifestos, and of course, opsongs.
Users who have a question don’t have to create a Genius account to pose a Q, but they do need to offer up their email address so they can get notifications about answers to their question.
All of the information, both from regular annotations and Q+A, lives on the Genius site forever, always changing and layering.
Part of Genius’s strategy with Q+A is to get artists more involved in the conversation. The team says that Q+A “will be a regular component of the artist-fan interaction on the site.”
Some of the artists who already use the site to annotate lyrics include Lin-Manuel Miranda, Selena Gomez, Sia, The Chainsmokers, Lil Wayne, Eminem, and Blake Shelton.