Picture a rapper writing a song — but forget about the pen and paper. In fact, in a recording studio these days, there may be no actual writing happening at all. While many fans and listeners might still have that old-school image of an artist scribbling furiously in a notepad — think Tupac, Nas or Eminem — many younger hip-hop artists grew up idolizing stars like Jay-Z, Lil Wayne, Future and Young Thug, all of whom have boasted about never putting their lyrics to paper, or even a phone screen. Instead, using technological advances in digital recording, much of modern rap music is composed via a strange, improvisational studio technique known as “punching in” — a mumbling, nonsensical-at-first, freestyle approach to every line, one at a time, until a song is fully formed. Video by Joe Coscarelli and Noah Throop #hiphop #history #hiphop50thanniversary