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# Rap Genius Adds $40 Million, Expands Beyond Rap As Genius.com
- URL: https://www.hypebot.com/rap-genius-adds-40-million-expands-beyond-rap/
- Published: 2014-07-14T08:03:00.000Z
- Updated: 2014-07-14T08:03:00.000Z
- Description: (UPDATED) Its been a rocky and controversial few months for Rap Genius, but persistence appears to have paid off. The platform, which launched as a repository of information about rap. Continue reading [https://www.hypebot.com/hypebot/2014/07/rap-genius-adds-40-million-expands-beyond-rap.html]
- Author: Bruce Houghton
- Tags: Music Business, Music Tech, Startups & Funding, #wp, #wp-post, #Import 2026-01-21 10:38

[![genius](http://hypebot.typepad.com/.a/6a00d83451b36c69e201a3fd30c7cd970b-250wi "genius")](http://hypebot.typepad.com/.a/6a00d83451b36c69e201a3fd30c7cd970b-popup?ref=hypebot.com)

(UPDATED) Its been a rocky and controversial few months for Rap Genius, but persistence appears to have paid off. The platform, which launched as a repository of information about rap music, has added $40 million in Series B funding led by Dan Gilbert. With the cash influx, the sight will re-brand a [Genius.com](http://genius.com/?ref=hypebot.com) and move beyond rap. The new funding brings the company's total to $55.6 million at a valuation under $1 billion.

Over the last year, Rap Genius has tussled with music publishers over rights, Google over online marketing tactics and just about everyone else after a co-founder posted a distasteful commentary. He was quickly booted from the company.

But, despite the turmoil, Rap Genius had developed a platform that effectively combines knowledge and opinion from multiple sources. Now the site is expanding beyond rap with Genius.com, a "grand project, born from [rap's rib](http://lit.genius.com/1362891/Holy-bible-kjv-genesis-2/Genesis-2-21-and-the-lord-god-caused-a-deep-sleep-to-fall-upon-adam-and-he-slept-and-he-took-one-of-his-ribs-and-closed-up-the-flesh-instead-thereof?ref=hypebot.com), to annotate the world."

"Genius does for everything what Rap Genius did for Rap," wrote early investor and rap aficionado [Ben Horowitz](http://www.bhorowitz.com/from%5Frap%5Fgenius%5Fto%5Fgenius?ref=hypebot.com) of Andreesen Horowitz. Rap Genius will continue alongside [Rock Genius](http://rock.genius.com/?ref=hypebot.com), [Lit Genius](http://lit.genius.com/?ref=hypebot.com) and other knowledge communities, as part of the new [Genius.com](http://genius.com/?ref=hypebot.com) hub.

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