[Dsg Jack]
Hi everyone, today I'm here with Genius editor, PizzaIzLif3. So first question, how did you get started on Genius and how long has it been? Take us through your journey.

[PizzaIzLif3]
I’ve been on Genius since early 2019 I think, but I officially made my account on May 10, 2019. I wanted to add songs by this artist I admire, Marc Vinyls, to Genius. It took me quite a few months, but I eventually added all of his songs that I could find to Genius. Marc even lauded me for my efforts. During the summer of that year, a member of the mentoring squad came across me by chance via Firehouse, and soon enough I became an editor (for the first time lol).

[Dsg Jack]
That's an interesting story for sure. So we know that you are a fan of Marc Vinyls but what other rappers or artists do you enjoy listening to? Is there a certain genre you like to stay away from?

[PizzaIzLif3]
I’ve always appreciated music, regardless of the genre, but hip hop has been my favorite since I was in middle school when I stopped being emo. I love old school artists like Eminem, N.W.A., etc. and I love newer artists like Mac Miller and Lil Peep, I honestly couldn’t list them all. Most of them have their own distinct sounds and styles, I love ‘em all.

As for a certain genre I vehemently want to stay away from, I’d have to say porn rap. It’s not what I want to listen to, regardless if a male or female rapper is rapping.

[Dsg Jack]
Ahhh porn rap can get a little weird sometimes. Eminem is very good and I would agree that there are so many good artists out there. You just really have to find your taste. So you’ve been on Genuis for a little while now, I am wondering if you have any tips for how others can get involved or improve their skills here.

[PizzaIzLif3]
I definitely would say to any Genius newbies is to be respectful and considerate. That golden rule “treat others the way you want to be treated” is hella cheesy, but it’s a good rule to follow while on the internet. I’m not a well-known editor, so I don’t deal with much of the unpleasant or annoying sides of the site, but I’ve had my fair share of encounters with spammers and people who just want to argue. If someone’s seriously wanting to contribute or make their way up to become an editor, I would 100% recommend reading the editing guide, constantly working on language/grammar skills, and not being afraid to DM people for help.

[Dsg Jack]
Man, those are very helpful tips. I’m glad you’re able to share those with us. So how has quarantine been so far? Are you coping well or are you running out of things to do?

[PizzaIzLif3]
Quarantine has been pretty tough on me, but there are some pros and cons. My life basically consists of sleep, school, and video games. After a while, you just get used to it. I’ve never really had a specific group of friends, which means I don’t miss what I didn’t have. I’ve always just turned to technology and the internet. Over quarantine, I’ve gotten really into the Sims and the community surrounding the franchise. I usually spend my evenings hanging out in Twitch streams, too. I don’t feel like I’m gonna run out of things to do because I’m not the type of person to go from one hobby to the next; I just stick to what I like.
[Dsg Jack]
I see, that doesn’t sound bad lmao. Sounds like a great time, to be honest. So do you have any projects you are working on, in life, or on Genius?

[PizzaIzLif3]
Great is subjective. Anyway, I don’t like to work on projects by myself because I usually give up on them. I try to make a stupid easy goal for myself to reach, like putting out one YouTube video a month or transcribing at least one song a week. It makes me feel better about myself, and it gives me time to focus on doing schoolwork.

[Dsg Jack]
Ahhh, yes short-term goals are always great to have. What would yous ay is the piece of work you are most proud of here on Genius?

[PizzaIzLif3]
I think the piece of work at the moment that I am the proudest of is when I transcribed all of Marc Vinyls' songs. I was transcribing at least once a day, and I can’t believe I had the determination to get through over 100 songs over a three-month period while I had other shit going on. I’ll admit, my transcriptions weren’t the best, but I can always go back and clean them up.

[Dsg Jack]
Man, that's a lot of songs. You must really like him. 100+ songs is a lot even for a year-long period. Congrats on that. So while this interview wraps up, do you have any closing thoughts you want to leave us with?

[PizzaIzLif3]
Yeah, totally. I wanna say that it’s okay to fail, all that matters is that you learned a lesson. I wanna thank the Genius community for being so awesome, and you, Jack, for approaching me for this opportunity. And of course, pineapple doesn’t belong on pizza. Pizza out 🍕🍕🍕.