Lil Wayne Performance On Stage: Is Lil Wayne making you dumb, or are you dumb because you like Lil Wayne? Research released by a California Institute of Technology grad student early last year charted the correlation between musical preference and SAT scores. The chart suggested that students who listen to Beethoven on a regular basis score approximately 530 extra points over the bottom-of-the-rung Lil Wayne listeners. It's a gross insult to the mainstream, with artists like Beyoncé, T.I., Nickelback and Jay-Z scoring just above Weezy.

The real trouble is finding the connection between the facts. Are people who listen to Lil Wayne just naturally less smart than those who listen to Sufjan Stevens, Radiohead and Muse? On a personal level, I secretly hope so. Those "smart" artists are listed among a few of my favorites, while I gave Lil Wayne's Rebirth an "F" rating earlier this year. But realistically, that's unfair. There are many things to look at when it comes to this research. Lil Wayne might not sound pleasing to me based on where I grew up and my socio-economic level.

First of all, your taste in music is largely influenced by those around you. Among the places hip-hop is popular is urban environments where education funding is miniscule. A sub-par education will almost always lead to lower SAT scores. Maybe the chart's results are more a reflection of the American educational system than an insult to personal taste.

Of course, SAT scores aren't necessarily a measurement of intelligence. An IQ test would be more accurate and even then, what is intelligence? Book smarts? Common sense? Problem solving? That question is subjective, just like judging what kind of music is "good" and "bad."

And what is music? "The Heart is a Drum Machine," a 2009 documentary that asked music professionals and celebrities to define music touched on the subject, but I don't think they got to the core of it. Many describe music as this "inexplicable thing," but as I see it, it's quite simple. Music is a recreation of the sounds we find in nature arranged to tell a story. For example, a dying animal might moan in pain, making a minor key. Minor keys are generally considered to be sad-sounding. A sharp, however, might show fear and anxiety; for example, a screaming child. When put together, these sounds fluctuate our emotions, leading us to understand a story without the artist actually having to say anything. No lyrics are necessary if done properly. Beethoven knew that, and he was deaf.

Musical movement plays a barely noticeable part in Lil Wayne's music. Simple beats make up the background to his songs, while lyrics tell the story. Perhaps those who subconsciously understand the true nature of musical movement are more in tune to nature and are therefore more intelligent. Either way, it's important to question this research and take it for what it is - a correlation between test scores and musical preferences, not intelligence and taste.