Is free styling necessary for rappers?

The art of free styling was introduced to us at the beginning of rap history. In fact the terminology "rap" was used because of the speed of the conversation or speaking quickly of a subject, hence the phrase "rap it up." The old cats would say "let me rap to you right quick." Hip Hop turned that same "right quick" conversation into a 2-4 minute song.

Free styling can come in any form of art, whether you're dancing or painting. The beauty of freestyling is that there are no restrictions. So in the case of a hip hop freestyling nothing is off limits, you can miss a rhyme, get off topic, miss a beat and nowadays even sing and it'll still be considered a freestyle. However being able to remain on beat while carrying the flow with words that rhymes that make sense are components that makes great freestyler. Having the ability to display your creativity with confidence is what makes a great artist. 

Once upon a time not so long ago freestyles made or broke rappers careers. It was required to freestyle at almost every radio show or interview that the artist had. An unknown artist could build a career off of great freestyles, even if they didn't have the best music. In battle rap and cyphers, having an unprepared freestyle was a requirement. I enjoyed this aspect of hip hop because the freestyles were a component that made the culture unique. This forced every artist to develop some creative technique, and anyone couldn't be a "rapper." Freestyling to me adds value to the culture, and proved who the greats were. Hip hop with this lack of pure freestyling is like all exams being multiple choice; yes it's easier to guess the right answers, but the greats already know the answer.