The Science of Rap: Studying fMRI Brain Activity While Freestyling

Researchers study the brain activity, through functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), of rappers while freestyling. The study tries to focus on how the brain works during an activity where creativity, language, and artistic expression are all combined.

Music is the language of the soul, that's how the saying goes. Some may discount rap and hip-hop as a minor subtext when it comes to music. But this type of music requires more brain resources during a performance than most other type of musical expression. Nothing merges music and language closer than freestyle rap.