So I read an article the other day about a new company called Rap Genius. The company consists primarily of a website that relies on crowdsourcing to explain rap lyrics to the masses who are not down with the urban vibe (aka, people over 30). The company takes lyrics such as these from Kanye West’s Gold Digger …
“She was supposed to buy your shorty Tyco with your money; She went to the doctor got lipo with your money; She walking around looking like Michael with your money.”
…and explains that they mean, to wit: The ex-wife was supposed to buy your baby some toys with the child support money but instead spent it all on so much plastic surgery that she looks like Michael Jackson (presumably before he died―my edit).
According to the article about the $15 million investment that venture fund Andreesen Horowitz put into Rap Genius, the company’s goal is to “annotate the Internet” and, beyond rap music, “the company is slowly spreading to other categories such as literature, political speeches, and science papers.” Let me just digress for a moment and say that the website I would love to see is the one that turns political speeches into rap lyrics―wouldn’t it be sublime to see Joe Biden and Paul Ryan speak jive?
Anyway, when I read this story I thought two things: 1) why don’t I get to invest in crazy fun crap like this, full of pop culture and devoid of business models? And, 2) I tell you this company is missing the number one market opportunity: explaining healthcare speak to the masses. You may think Nelly’s lyrics are opaque, but have you ever seen an Explanation of Benefits from your insurance company?
For the rest of this article, click here.
