Today on the internet, there is an interview with Erik Nielson, a professor of literature and hip-hop at the University of Richmond, on the subject of rap lyrics being used against young men of color in criminal trials across the country. Nielson has written about the phenomenon and has served as an expert witness for defense attorneys hoping to convince juries that their clients are not violent criminals based on lyrics they may or may not have rapped.

In 2013, the lyric-explanation website Rap Genius rebranded simply as “Genius,” and announced that it would try to annotate not only songs, but poems, essays, and news articles. Three years later, the startup has become a flash point in the panicked and disingenuous hustle to scrub the internet of unkindness, which has since gotten confused with “abuse.”

Rivers Cuomo, of Pixies tribute-band Weezer—who, before experimenting with celibacy, once wrote an entire album about fucking a teenager—has taken to the website Genius to help promote his group’s new song, “Thank God for Girls.” The song, apparently, is mostly about being resentful towards Tinder.

Is this what passes for genius these days? Oh man, gotta get from this short-ass perch to right there—right there—on that carpeted floor. Better rearrange the whole goddamn bed situation. Guy probably needs crampons and a hundred feet of rope to get back on the bed.

Yesterday, the MacArthur Foundation released the winners of its “Genius” grants for 2015, and among the chemists (William Dichtel), sociologists (Matthew Desmond) and set designers (Mimi Lien) was one Ta-Nehisi Coates, Atlantic writer and author of several acclaimed works in this year alone. For the first time ever, you’re allowed to call Ta-Nehisi Coates a genius.

Ilan Zechory and Tom Lehman are, amongst other things, co-founders of the website formerly known as Rap Genius. They are also best friends. Sometimes it is hard to be these things, and sometimes they have fights. Now, they’re in couples therapy. That’s good!

According to reports, long-time New Yorker music critic Sasha Frere-Jones is leaving the magazine to join Genius, an annotation website with generous VC funding and a vast database of rap lyrics.

There's only one person in the world capable of making the lyrics to R. Kelly's shag songs even sexier, and that's Benedict Cumberbatch.

We've all been there.

Hans-Peter Feldmann (pictured, at right) won the $100,000 "Hugo Boss Prize" last year, for being a good artist. Looks like you miscalculated, Hugo: Hans-Peter is totally sticking all of your money to a wall.

If there is one common current that runs throughout all of humanity, it is that everyone Googles themselves all day, every day. Humans are vain creatures! Copywriter Alec Brownstein used this fact to get a job via Google AdWords.

A Minnesota government office is letting its employees do pretty much whatever they want, as long as they get their work done on time. Sounds like a dream! But not everyone is into the idea.

DDB Brasil, the ad agency that made the stupid World Wildlife Fund 9/11 ad, had denied making the video version. Oh, actually though, they did make it. And submitted it to the Cannes Festival, for a prize. Woops. [Ad Age]

Aspray your butt. Why have a stank butt, or stank privates? Aspray them. The odors disappear. As this commercial that's really been running on TV emphasizes: Aspray is safe for your butt, and privates. Click to watch. [via Adfreak]