Ever hear a song and wonder what it means? What inspired its lyrics? Why the artist chose to work with certain collaborators, and what they were doing in the studio when they recorded it?
It’s this kind of curiosity that drove us to team up with Genius, the world’s largest collection of song lyrics and crowdsourced musical knowledge, giving you a chance to more deeply connect with the artists and songs you love.
Starting today, we’re introducing a brand new playlist, Behind the Lyrics (Hip Hop), followed by Behind the Lyrics (HITS) in the coming week. These playlists, curated by Spotify and Genius, will allow you to go Behind the Lyrics of your favorite hip hop tunes.
Tracks on these playlists will include lyrical excerpts, fun facts, annotations, and stories straight from the artists and from the Genius community, all of which are frequently updated. Simply hit ‘Play’ on this Genius-powered playlist to learn more about your favorite artists and songs.
To kick things off, three of today’s biggest artists — Pusha T, Tinashe, and Diplo — will take you Behind the Lyrics and share their personal take on some of their favorite tracks.
“I’ve partnered with Genius and Spotify to take you ‘Behind The Lyrics’ of my greatest songs because every word that I write means something to me,” says Pusha T. “Together we’ve found a way to bring my fans a deeper listening experience and raise the bar for songwriters.”
“Spotify and Genius are creating a really cool connection between me and my fans on another level than I normally can connect with them,” says Tinashe. “Not only are they able to hear the music and see the lyrics, but they are also able to understand where I was coming from when I wrote them and kind of get inside my head, which is really cool.”
“Being a producer and writer, I really love to see how some songs resonate with fans from the feeling / meaning or just sound of the records,” says Diplo. “I have always been a person that dissects music and studies it. I was a sample spotter and I learned how to make music by listening to it. Genius and Spotify are working together to break down music to the bare bones and get deeper into its true core.”
Rolling out today, the new Spotify and Genius Behind the Lyrics experience is available to all Spotify iPhone users with the exception of iPhone 4/s.
We’re just getting started! Expect the Genius treatment on much more music you love soon.