The Genius Community is a group of international music lovers who come to Genius every day to contribute musical knowledge. Through the medium of annotations, they decode the deeper meaning behind lyrics, contextualize them within an artist’s discography, pinpoint their social relevance, or uncover their historical influences.
The best annotations are not only well-written and comprehensive, but also bring new insight to the lyrics we’re all obsessed with. They consolidate the most interesting information about trending music, or take what could otherwise be unassuming lyrics and transform them into engaging tidbits of knowledge. With that in mind, here are the Best Annotations of October 2019.
The world hadn’t heard an original Frank Ocean track since his August 2017 song, “Provider.” But last month he finally released a new song with “DHL,” flexing a triplet flow over a trippy and psychedelic beat. On “DHL,” Frank reminisces about his younger days, when he set out to achieve a coveted hairstyle, which Genius contributor @Izeezus breaks down in an annotation:
Kanye West released his highly anticipated ninth studio album, JESUS IS KING, last month. The gospel album is a departure from the style of his previously leaked tracks, but that didn’t stop Kanye from spitting some boastful bars that Genius contributors @hamperedoutkast and @xMerlyn caught onto and broke down in an annotation:
Harry Styles may have addressed his sexual preferences on his new track, “Lights Up,” a topic fans have speculated about for years. However, leading up to the release of the track, Harry alluded to new music by leaving clues in the form of posters throughout London, Los Angeles, and Australia. Genius contributors @theheartbreakprince and @tirelessmess showcased their research of the posters in an annotation:
A Joyner Lucas and Eminem track titled “What If I Was Gay” leaked last month. The track finds Joyner playing the role of a person coming out to his Christian friend, who reacts negatively and results in Joyner’s character committing suicide. In a surprising twist, Eminem’s character also comes out as homosexual. Eminem has been criticized before for his homophobic lyrics, which Genius contributor, @trappachino outlines in an annotation:
Kanye’s favorite restaurant is McDonald’s, but that doesn’t stop him from visiting Chick-fil-A for a chicken sandwich here and there (apparently he orders the number one with a lemonade). In fact, he even applies the restaurant’s business practice of being closed on Sundays to aspects of his personal life. While it’s unclear what exactly is closed on Sundays in the West household, Genius contributors @Pessoa and @UnderstandingRap cooked up some pretty juicy details in relation to a Kanye line in this months best annotation:
