Hi everyone!

Since we opened up the editorial site to community pitching, we’ve featured tons of annotations in articles—a huge S/O to everyone who’s been out there writing fantastic tates over the past half year! We just redesigned the article page and updated the guidelines for pitching, so it only makes sense that we should update the annotation submission thread and get a little more specific about which kinds of tates work best for the editorial site.

The biggest change is that this thread was previously only available to editors and moderators (see here), but now it will live here in the music forum so everyone can submit annotations. However, this thread is not an alternative to the regular pitching process. If you’re an editor or moderator and want to write an article, check out this thread for information on how to pitch to the editorial team.

Here’s everything you need to know:

Anyone can post tates in this thread. These should be tates that you think will work for an article on Genius, whether that means a new article should be written about them or they should be added to an existing article. I’ll be checking the thread regularly and communicating with the editorial team and with y’all about which tates work and which ones don’t.

No strings attached for the tates you post here. They don’t have to be up to editorial standards or even reviewed by an editor or moderator, they just have to be interesting! They don’t have to be yours, either—if you think somebody else wrote a dope tate that works for the editorial site, feel free to drop it here as well.

If you submit the tate and the editorial team writes the article or integrates it into an existing article, your name won’t appear in the byline but it will appear in the body of the article. (Example)

Format:

Let us know…

• If you want the tate added to an existing article OR you want the editorial team to write a new article around the tate.
• Why you think this is a good annotation for the editorial site (2-3 sentences explaining what’s interesting about it)
• Which annotation you want featured (link or embed it)

EXAMPLE:

I’d like the editorial team to add an annotation to “Here’s All The Iconic Rock Stars Post Malone References In ‘rockstar’.” This tate adds more context to the article’s narrative about Post referencing real events in rock history. It addresses the origin of the phrase “sex, drugs, and rock and roll,” and highlights Post’s personal history with rock music. Tate here.

• ‘Meme’ information or ‘breaking knowledge’

Genius’ editorial voice is about explaining the deeper meaning behind the music. If a new song drops and you write an interesting tate, strike while the iron’s hot and drop it in this thread! If the tate’s quality and the angle is right for the editorial site, it’s an easy flip.

• Explaining a lyric everyone is confused about

If nobody knows what a lyric means and you figure it out, getting it included in an article is the best way to showcase that info to the masses (and stunt on ‘em at the same time).

• Unearthing nuggets of knowledge

The tates you submit don’t always have to be from new songs—they can be the subject of legacy/anniversary content, too. If you’re on an older song page and discover previously unknown information, that’s something the editorial team wants to know about!

Here are some recent examples of articles that feature tates:

https://genius.com/a/here-s-all-the-iconic-rock-stars-post-malone-references-in-rockstar

https://genius.com/a/young-thug-dj-carnage-link-up-with-meek-mill-for-new-single-homie

https://genius.com/a/taylor-swift-finds-the-man-of-her-dreams-on-second-reputation-single-ready-for-it

https://genius.com/a/nicki-minaj-yo-gotti-bring-their-hit-single-rake-it-up-to-life-in-new-video

https://genius.com/a/frank-ocean-debuts-his-new-song-provider-on-blonded-radio-shares-its-lyric-video

Any questions, feels, or feedback, post here or hit me up!

cc: @new-release-squad @genius-editorial-board

Shoutout @zj96 whose tate is featured in this new article!

https://genius.com/a/jhene-aiko-s-new-album-trip-features-production-writing-by-her-ex-husband-dot-da-genius

pretty much sums up his abscence in music as well–> easy to integrate
https://genius.com/12732196

@GeniusPlayboyX which article would this be added to?

@Empath

a new article should be written about them

shouts to @sirdiegoramos, @IJUSTLEFTEARF, @AleksanderAlgo, @ryanbrooke, @SilviaMavares, and @lemonadefan, who all had annotations featured in articles last week! see here:

https://genius.com/a/beyonce-mi-gente-english-translation-j-balvin-willy-william

https://genius.com/a/breaking-down-stormzy-s-drake-j-hus-references-on-4pm-in-london

https://genius.com/a/are-demi-lovato-s-new-songs-ruin-the-friendship-only-forever-about-relationship-with-nick-jonas

@GeniusPlayboyX thanks for clarifying! good idea, but I’m not sure it’s enough to support an article all on its own. can you make sure to include that information in your original post next time? the word “integrate” made it seem like you were talking about adding it to an existing article.

@Empath https://genius.com/Queenofcoplaints-is-it-the-migos-flow-tracing-the-use-of-triplet-flows-in-hip-hop-lyrics

two great tates on em’s “walk on water”:

here and here

https://genius.com/13031331

I think this annotation would be great at explaining at how Eminem’s confidence decreases over the years. We’ve seen eminem be self-aware of his decline, but we haven’t seen him defeated until now.

@grimdorito @oozymrbunbun good thinking! I hit up @Chris_Mench and he added a couple of these tates to this article:

https://genius.com/a/eminem-airs-out-his-insecurities-with-the-beyonce-assisted-single-walk-on-water

big up!

why this thread so ded lol

also this tate could go in the article about her new singles:
https://genius.com/13206196

Em compares Trump to Hitler:

https://genius.com/13257004

It got removed lmao

Y'all never mentioned this drop but Mick Jenkins dropped the second installation of his #ormore series
https://genius.com/13944262/Or-more-the-frustration/Or-more-the-frustration

^there was a thread about it somewhere in the forums

@Liiight unfortunately I don’t think the Mick project is poppin enough on the site to merit an article—but good looks for dropping a tate here!