Rap Genius has drawn eye-rolls with some of its shenanigans its past but many have gone on to attract more attention and users to the site. Cofounder Mahbod Moghadam had no such luck this weekend when he attempted to make light of the mass shooting at the University of California Santa Barbara over the weekend, and has stepped down from his position at the company accordingly.
One of Rap Genius's popular features is the ability to post hip-hop lyrics and annotate them, or add notes giving context or comment on bars. The site made a hugely questionable decision when it opted to upload the manifesto of alleged shooter Elliot Rodger and then add comments throughout. Although a statement from the site claimed that the manifesto was posted in an attempt to educate—"understanding the psychology of people who do horrible things can help us better understand our society and ourselves"—Moghadam made a callous mistake.
Looking at the simple phrase "talked to my sister," Moghadam seemed to be sincere in his analysis at first: "Elliot barely mentions his sister Georgia throughout the book! Towards the end, however he tells us they did not get along and becomes extremely angry when he hears her having sex with her boyfriend." Then the writer drops the ball: "MY GUESS: his sister is smokin hot."
Needless to say, the reading public wasn't pleased to get this bit of "analysis" of a horrendous crimes that revolved primarily around spite and misogyny.
Moghadam quickly apologized for the error in judgement, but a longer statement from cofounder Tom Lehman later acknowledged that his friend had stepped down from his role within Rap Genius. Rumor has it that investors called for his head to save face, not that we can blame them.
Hopefully the site sticks to its innovative hip-hop coverage from here on out.
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