Long before Donte Jones became one of the minds behind the best-selling Lyrically Correct trivia game, he was the king of game night. He would spend a typical Friday night playing popular card games with his wife Tiffany Jones, his cousin Juelz Rhodes, and his cousin’s wife Nikki Rhodes.
“We were all about game night. You could open my closet and find Black Card Revoked, Cards Against Humanity—all the games,” says Donte. “When the four of us eventually decided to launch our own game, we didn’t have to look far for market research.”
Before he and his co-founders concepted Lyrically Correct, Donte was a banker turned corporate attorney. He had built a successful career and climbed the corporate ladder. It was during the pandemic, however, that he had a revelation after coming across his high school yearbook.
“I was flipping through the pages until I found my photo, and underneath the photo it didn’t say future banker or future lawyer,” Donte remembers. “It said CEO/entrepreneur.” This moment with his yearbook helped inspire him to rethink his career and step away from his law firm.
“Being a CEO was always my true dream job,” he admits. “I didn’t know what company I would create, but I knew I would create something.”
Then Juelz and Nikki called him with the idea for what would eventually become Lyrically Correct, a music trivia game that quizzes players on the lyrics to popular songs. “They had an idea and were trying to figure out how to turn it into a business,” Donte explains. “With my finance and legal experience and my wife having worked in fashion and retail, we had the relevant business backgrounds.”
The four of them got to work, prototyping, researching, and meeting with manufacturers before they eventually launched LyricallyCorrect.com. Two years later, they put their game on Amazon.com too.
One of the best parts of creating Lyrically Correct was choosing which iconic songs to feature. Much of the music highlighted in the game’s card decks are inspired by Black culture. The 90’s and 2000’s hip hop and R&B deck is one of the top-selling items. Players would answer lyric trivia questions, such as “What did BBD say to never trust?”, and collect points if they got them right.
“From the beginning, this game stemmed from a love of music that we all have,” says Donte who grew up listening to Jay-Z, Mase, and Mary J. Blige. “A lot of the songs in the hip hop and R&B deck are at least 10 years old. When you remember the lyrics and sing along, it takes you back to that time and place. We wanted a game that would bring people together, and that’s what music does.”
Lyrically Correct started with hip hop and R&B, but as sales grew, the team quickly started expanding into other genres.
When it came to choosing new categories, they put the customers first by doing what most great brands do: listening. People would leave comments and suggestions about the trivia decks they wanted to see next.
Soon came a ‘60s and ‘70s soul category, an ‘80s mix tape category, and a gospel category.
Says Donte, “We listen to our customers and then try to make the executive decisions based on what they want.”
The founders of Lyrically Correct knew that they needed to be customer-centric to stand out in the games space. This customer-first philosophy extended to the fulfillment as well. They wanted their ecommerce site to have a frictionless buying experience.
That’s when the team decided to add Buy with Prime to the brand’s most popular SKUs. For Donte, the value of being able to offer fast, free delivery and easy returns to Prime members was the major draw.
“If I placed myself in my customers’ shoes and I saw that shipping cost about $5 and took 3–5 days, that would slow me down in making a purchase,” he explains. “But if I saw I could save money on shipping and get my product as soon as the next day, that ‘maybe’ would turn into a ‘yes’.” Seeing that value for his shoppers, Donte says the decision to offer Buy with Prime on the brand’s site was an easy one.
He also says the onboarding experience with the sales team made it easy to optimize the button for his site and use features such as the Buy with Prime cart, which offers shoppers the option to purchase multiple Buy with Prime-eligible products in one transaction.
“The sales team has been instrumental in helping us to get the most out of Buy with Prime and increase our conversion rates, which has made adding Buy with Prime worth it,” he says.
Today, Lyrically Correct has sold hundreds of thousands of units and grown into a seven-figure business from an initial $2,000 investment.
With every sale on its Shopify store, the founders know they’re bringing people together and creating community—the ultimate mission of the brand.
Says Donte, “We’re a family company, and we take pride in that. This is a game where the kids, parents, and grandparents can all join in because when it comes to music, there’s something for everybody.”
Games from Lyrically Correct are available for fast, free delivery for Prime members who choose Buy with Prime at checkout. See what other brands are offering Buy with Prime.