Playing With Fire: The Science Behind Lil Uzi Vert's Effortless Flow

Understanding the "flow state" and an instinctive approach to rap, through Lil Uzi Vert and other artists who spontaneously come up with their music on the spot

lil uzi vert playing with fire
Apple Music

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lil uzi vert playing with fire

“What are you thinking about right now?” Zane Lowe asked Lil Uzi Vert at the end of a long sit-down interview.

Fumbling with a lighter, Uzi looked down at his hands and responded, “I’m trying to grab this fire.” After a pause, he continued, “I don’t know. It’s more of a reflex. I’m not thinking right now. There’s nothing to really think about.”

Running his fingers through the flame, his tone got slower and more introspective as he added, “Everything right now is all about being effortless. I’m in a mode right now. Let’s do it. Whatever happens, happens.”

It’s tempting to dismiss the interaction as an awkward interview misstep for a media-shy rapper. Some will point to the clip as evidence that today’s artists don’t ever think and have nothing important to say. But what if there’s more going on here than that? What if this moment hints at the very thing that has made Lil Uzi Vert so successful over the last year?

​A few minutes earlier in the interview, Uzi explained that he never writes his lyrics down. Of course, rappers have been doing this for years, but unlike artists like Jay Z, Uzi doesn’t recite lyrics that he had already prepared before entering the studio. He comes up with everything off the top of his head in the studio.

On paper, the method sounds lazy. But as rap becomes more focused on feeling, emotion, and melody (and less preoccupied with intricately written rhyme schemes), a spontaneous creative approach might be more effective than laboring over a rhyme book for months. 

In psychology circles, this effortless creative groove is called “flow state.”

Popularized by psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, the concept of flow state is understood as “the mental state of operation in which a person performing an activity is fully immersed in a feeling of energized focus, full involvement, and enjoyment in the process of the activity. In essence, flow is characterized by complete absorption in what one does, while losing sense of space and time.”

If you’ve ever become so engrossed in an activity that your thoughts fell away and you were able to instinctively complete the task without thinking, you’ve experienced flow state. This often occurs for athletes who get in “the zone” during intense competition or writers who stare at a blank page for hours before hundreds of words pour out of them at once.

Flow is characterized by complete absorption in what one does.

During flow state, the brain releases neurotransmitters like norepinephrine, dopamine, anandamide, serotonin, and endorphins. This increases focus and heightens senses. In a state of flow, you’re able to take in more information and process it in more areas of the brain than normal. This rush of neurotransmitters also boosts pattern recognition and lateral thinking.

Freestyle rappers have been accessing flow states for decades, but bringing that spontaneous creative method to the studio is relatively new in hip-hop. Not surprisingly, most of the artists incorporating these methods into their studio sessions today are rapping with fluid, melodic flows that lend themselves to a freeform creative environment.

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But the question remains: Is Lil Uzi Vert actually tapping into a flow state? Or am I forcing a connection between one of my favorite new artists and a video I came across during a stoned late-night TED Talk binge session?

To find out, I asked an expert: Bill Cole, MA, MS, a renowned performance psychology expert​ and mental game coach with a lifelong background in music. He has spent the last 40 years traveling the world to consult athletes and other professionals.

To achieve flow, people need to get into a sense-based mode. I call it, ‘Get out of your head, and into your body.’ They want to become feel-based, not technique-based.

First, Cole explains how everyone can tap into a state of flow, saying, “To achieve flow, people need to get into a sense-based mode. I call it, ‘Get out of your head, and into your body.’ They want to become feel-based, not technique-based. The blockages that stall or stop flow for performers are things like self-doubt, low confidence, trying too hard, thinking too much, self-instruction, worrying about results and trying to please other people.” He adds, “They want to increase awareness of ‘the now,’ and what is taking place in real time. They want to feel, hear, and sense things, not to analyze and break things down.”

“People can generate flow by sensing rhythm, relaxing, visualizing, and using their breath,” he continues. “Routines and rituals are another tool I suggest people use. This helps them leave behind their normal, daily, mindsets and get into that special world of flow. People can also use ‘warm-up’ tasks that can be 100% successful and controllable. They set the stage for momentum, and that leads to flow. In music, people start with scales, then easier music, then fun music, then more challenging music. By then, flow has appeared.”

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After introducing Cole to Lil Uzi Vert and showing him the Zane Lowe interview, I ask if he believes Uzi is actively achieving a state of flow.

“I would say he is in flow for sure,” he responds. “When he comments that he doesn’t ‘think’ unless he needs to and says that ‘everything is about being effortless,’ this indicates that he understands what he needs to do to get into that special mental sate of flow. He has honed his musical skills to a high level. Because of his expertise, he can achieve flow faster and more often than a musician who does not have his musical skills as well-learned or automatic. This is a key point. The more a performer can play ‘on autopilot,’ the more they can achieve flow.”

“A high level rapper like uzi can ‘let go’ of his technique and be more free form and improvisational.

Explaining why an experienced rapper like Uzi can pull this method off, while others would fail, Cole continues, “A high level rapper like him can ‘let go’ of his technique and be more free form and improvisational. When was the last time we heard a beginning musician in any form, do great improvisation? It just doesn’t happen at that level. Their skills are not enough well-formed yet to rise above the technical to reach the sublime.”

“To achieve true creativity in the moment, an artist must transcend their technical skills. Once they do that, the creativity is unleashed.”

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“Musicians are always looking for inspiration,” he says. “They seek that next great idea, lyric or musical passage they can use to ignite a new piece. Flow is well-known to enhance creativity, and depth of new ideas. Many people suddenly get a great idea or arrive at a solution to a problem when performing mundane, repetitive activities. Why? Their unconscious has gone to work on the issue and they are busy distracting their conscious, effortful mind with repetitive tasks. That frees up their unconscious to play and be primal. Then suddenly, as if from nowhere, that great piece of music appears.”

The more fun and enjoyment a rapper has when he or she is performing, the more creativity is unleashed.

Of course, there will always be a place in rap for intricately written songs that take months to create. But as hip-hop continues to evolve and subgenres emerge that rely on spontaneous creative energy, learning how to tap into a flow state will become more important.

Like the flame that flickered through Uzi’s fingertips, creativity is a tricky force to harness. But approaching it from an effortless perspective without thinking too hard isn’t necessarily a sign of laziness. It might be the most effective way to fall into a productive state of flow.

Cole says it’s an incredibly enjoyable way to create, as well: “The more fun and enjoyment a rapper has when he or she is performing, the more creativity is unleashed. Fun is play and play is fun.”


Bill Cole, MS, MA is founder and president of the International Mental Game Coaching Association and CEO of William B. Cole Consultants in Silicon Valley, California. You can find a list of books he’s written here.

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