n outgrowth of cultural and political circumstance, we can focus on the music itself, and make such connective jumps more easily. Hip-hop's link to technology is overly apparent, but its essentialized link to literate communication and thought may not be as significant as some would believe: "Rap lyrics are oral performances that display written (literate) forms of thought and communication." (Rose 88) Rose's assertion is true, for the most part; but to what extent rap music depends upon literacy for the creation of its sound and culture is debatable. The fact that rap artists write lyrics and subsequently orally perform the texts is not sufficient grounds to sever the link between rap and non-textual orality completely. Rose deems rap "a far cry" (Rose 88) from oral epic poetry; by breaking down dismissive assertions such as this one, we can expose an element of hip-hop culture that possibly transcends literate technology and the age of mechanical reproduction. In her book, Rose overlooks the "cipher" culture within the larger rap m usic community. The term cipher essentially means a group of people freestyling rap lyrics one after another, in a kind of competition--freestyling rap lyrics involves stringing verses together improvisationally. The rappers try to maintain the lyrical flow by rhyming the consecutive verses as best they can, striving for the tightest "off the top of the head" rhyme. Freestyle sessions on urban street corners were essential to the beginnings of rap music, and the freestyle element plays a major role in today's hip-hop culture, as verified by Virginia rapper Mad Skillz' 1996 lyrics: Fuck the bull*censored*--in the cipher *censored* is true The rhymes get spit and the 40's get tapped Some niggas don't have jack--some niggas Got contracts Representation keepin brothas tighter Peace to MC's who did time in the cipherRap mu...
