Line #91 Music/TechN9ne


1	[[quoteright:275:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Tech9_5394.jpg]]
2	[[caption-width-right:275:Here he comes.]]
3
4	->''"For short, you can call me [=N9NA=]!"''
5
6	Aaron Dontez Yates (born November 8, 1971), better known by his stage name [=Tech N9ne=] (pronounced "tech nine"), is an American rapper and singer. Known for his WolverinePublicity (to the point where he has a whole series of albums called "Collabos") and [[MotorMouth fast, technical rapping style]], which he calls "chopper", a style Tech N9ne has helped promote via his series of "Worldwide Choppers" collaboration singles which see him working alongside fast rappers from all around the globe.
7
8	His stage name was given to him by rapper Black Walt because Yates' rapping sounded like fire from a TEC-9 semi-automatic handgun. It helps that he began rapping at an early age - in order to remember how to spell his real name. Yates later applied a deeper meaning to his stage name, saying that it stands for the complete technique of rhyme, with "tech" meaning technique and "nine" representing the number of completion.
9
10	Born and raised in UsefulNotes/KansasCity, Yates came up in HipHop in The90s, though mainstream success eluded him through most of his career. As a member of the 57th Street Rogue Dog Villians, he saw some success with their single "Let's Get Fucked Up", and signed with Perspective Records in 1993 as a member of Nnutthowze, though they'd break up after the label dropped them. In 1997, Tech N9ne joined Yukmouth's group The Regime, and had a solo song on the soundtrack of the movie ''Film/GangRelated'', which starred Creator/JamesBelushi and Music/TupacShakur. In 1999, Tech N9ne had his biggest break up to that point, when he appeared alongside [[Music/WuTangClan RZA]], Music/{{Eminem}}, Music/{{Xzibit}}, Pharoahe Monch, Jayo Felony, Chino XL, Music/KRSOne, and Kool G. Rap on Sway & King Tech's "The Anthem", and later that year, Tech N9ne formed his own label, Strange Music, named after the song "People Are Strange" by his favorite band, Music/TheDoors.
11
12	In 2002, Tech N9ne released his most successful album up to that point, ''Absolute Power'', which debuted number 79 on the Billboard 200. The album's sales are said to have tripled following a campaign, going by the name of "F.T.I.", started by Tech N9ne and Strange Music, which asked music listeners to legally download the album free through the artist's own website was in response to the anti-downloading campaign by the RIAA. The following year also saw more noteworthy collaborations with big name rappers, as Tech N9ne appeared on a song with Music/JayZ and on Music/InsaneClownPosse's 2003 "[[UsefulNotes/AllHallowsEve Hallowicked]]" single alongside Music/BoneThugsNHarmony, Music/{{Esham}} and Music/KottonmouthKings, as well as on Music/{{Twiztid}}'s song "Serial Killa", both of which endeared Tech N9ne to a UsefulNotes/{{Juggalo}} audience, as well as some of the darker {{Horrorcore}} lyrics which Tech N9ne was putting out at the time (a style he would subsequently distance himself from).
13
14	In 2008, Tech N9ne's sales exceeded one million album sales over his entire catalog. Post-2011, Tech N9ne began to dabble in RapMetal, collaborating with Music/{{Deftones}} and forming a Rap Metal group called K.A.B.O.S.H., consisting of him, Krizz Kaliko and the Rap Metal band Dirty Wormz. They were going to release a full LP, but it [[ExtremelyLengthyCreation still hasn't come out yet]], and instead Tech N9ne recorded a NuMetal EP with producer Ross Robinson, Music/LimpBizkit guitarist Wes Borland and HardcorePunk drummer Sammy Siegler. Tech N9ne would further emerse himself into the Rock world by collaborating with [[Music/SystemOfADown Serj Tankian]], [[Music/{{Slipknot}} Corey Taylor]] and the remaining living members of The Doors, as well as remixing Music/MarilynManson's "The Beautiful People" for Music/DrDre's The Pharmacy on Beats 1 radio, and performing in the RockOpera film ''Film/AlleluiaTheDevilsCarnival'', which displayed his singing ability, which he rarely got to show off on his Rap albums.
15
16	He probably reached his highest level of mainstream recognition when Wrestling/DwayneJohnson made his rapping debut as a guest on a Tech N9ne album, resulting in RetroactiveRecognition for Tech N9ne having appeared on so many other big rappers' songs before he got famous, as well as for the rappers who appeared on Tech N9ne songs before they were famous, like Music/{{Hopsin}} and Music/{{Yelawolf}}.
17
18	!Albums
19	* ''The Calm Before the Storm'' (1999)
20	* ''The Worst'' (2000)
21	* ''Anghellic'' (2001)
22	* ''Absolute Power'' (2002)
23	* ''[[GreatestHitsAlbum Celcius]]'' (2002)
24	* ''[[UpdatedRerelease Anghellic: Reparation]]'' (2003)
25	* ''[[GreatestHitsAlbum Vintage Tech]]'' (2005)
26	* ''Everready: The Religion'' (2006)
27	* ''Misery Loves Kompany'' (Collabos album, 2007)
28	* ''Killer'' (2008)
29	* ''Sickology 101'' (Collabos album, 2009)
30	* ''K.O.D.'' (2009)
31	* ''The Lost Scripts of K.O.D.'' (EP, 2010)
32	* ''The Gates Mixed Plate'' (Collabos album, 2010)
33	* ''Seepage'' (EP, 2010)
34	* ''Bad Season'' (mixtape, 2010)
35	* ''All 6’s And 7’s'' (2011)
36	* ''Welcome to Strangeland'' (Collabos album, 2011)
37	* ''Klusterfuk'' (EP, 2012)
38	* ''E.B.A.H.'' (EP, 2012)
39	* ''Boiling Point'' (EP, 2012)
40	* ''Something Else'' (2013)
41	* ''Therapy: Sessions with Ross Robinson'' (EP, 2013)
42	* ''Strangeulation'' (Collabos album, 2014)
43	* ''Special Effects'' (2015)
44	* ''Strangeulation Vol. II'' (Collabos album, 2015)
45	* ''The Storm'' (2016)
46	* ''Dominion'' (Collabos album, 2017)
47	* ''Strange Reign'' (Collabos album, 2017)
48	* ''Planet'' (2018)
49	* ''[=N9NA=]'' (2019)
50	* ''[=ENTERFEAR=]'' (2020)
51	* ''MORE FEAR'' (EP, 2020)
52	* ''FEAR EXODUS'' (EP, 2020)
53	* ''[=ASIN9NE=]'' (2021)
54	* ''BLISS'' (2023)
55	----
56	!Tropes:
57	* BadassCreed: The Pledge, as written by Tech for his fans, the Technicians.
58	-->Together we are a powerful force, as one mind, body, and soul.
59	-->Let no evil enter, nor attempt to reduce us, because of the beliefs we hold.
60	-->And with this love, combined with our strength, we ward off pain and stress.
61	-->Technician I am, wholeheartedly, in life and in death.
62	* BeCarefulWhatYouWishFor: In the first verse of "Awkward", the opening act at a concert wants to close instead of Tech, claiming that he is the better artist. Tech convinces the promoter to let this happen, and as soon as the other guy gets on stage, all but ''300'' of the 22,000-person audience leave.
63	* BerserkButton: In "The Pick Up", the skit preceding "In The Trunk", Tech is flirting with a woman and offering her a free copy of his CD. She refuses it, calling it "Devil shit". He responds by snapping like a twig, putting the woman in a headlock and shoving her in the trunk of his car.
64	* BilingualBonus: ''Absolute Power''
65	-->For those who not knowing that Mizzou thee true,
66	-->Imma tell ya like the swedish would say it;
67	-->[[PrecisionFStrike sug min kuk]] [[note]]suck my dick[[/note]]
68	** Although his pronounciation makes it unintentional comedy to anyone who has a first language familiarity with Swedish.
69	** "Sut Mig", a bonus track from ''Strangeulation'', is Danish for "Suck me", which Tech repeats frequently in the song.
70	* ConspiracyTheorist: "Going Bad". He is much more blatant on "The Grench". It is possible that he is referring to the United States Government, Illuminati and the Jesuits. There are also references to his former label JCOR.
71	* DeepSouth: Discussed on "Red Necro", where he analyzes [[PayEvilUntoEvil the moral justification]] of [[AssholeVictim murdering Neo-Nazis and Klansmen who bombard him with racial epithets]].
72	* DrivenToSuicide: On "Should I Killer", Tech accidentally gets a woman pregnant while cheating on his wife with her. When she shows hesitation towards getting an abortion, he begins to consider killing her. However, when he realizes how difficult it would be to make it happen without getting caught, he decides that it would just be easier to kill himself, so he does.
73	* FunWithAcronyms: ''Boy howdy''. The man can basically turn anything into an acronym.
74	** '''F'''uck '''U''' '''N'''iggas
75	--> ''Any time somebody come and disrespect I say F.U.N.''
76	** '''B'''reaking '''I'''n'''T'''o '''C'''olored '''H'''ouses
77	** '''E'''vil '''B'''rain, '''A'''ngel '''H'''eart
78	** The '''P'''oem '''A'''aron '''S'''aw '''E'''xtremely '''O'''rdinary
79	** '''S'''eductive '''H'''uman '''E'''rotica
80	* GoodbyeCruelWorld: The aptly named song "Suicide Letters" is a serious, deadpan delivery of this trope. Tech claims that it's composed from parts of actual [[TitleDrop suicide letters]] he once wrote. However, he eventually found a way out of the pit.
81	* JerkassBall: In ''K.O.D.'', although, it's a given because he made the album because his mother was on her deathbed from pancreatitis.
82	* IntercourseWithYou: "Slither" starts out like this only to take a twist into horror.
83	* JustifiedCriminal: "In The Trunk" is about kidnapping a woman who disses him. When the police finally find her, [[SanitySlippage she's a little crazy]].
84	* LyricalDissonance: Raps over-the-top material in a serious tone, which makes his lyrics funnier.
85	* LyricalTic: Yes, he has one, and you'll know it when you hear it (Chyeah!)/In a lot of his songs, he'll throw in a "Chyeah!" between each lyric (Chyeah!)
86	** He also tends to go "Rrrr" between lines as well, but somewhat less frequently.
87	* MadnessMantra: At the end of "In The Trunk", spoken by the woman he kidnaps.
88	** The woman from "Psycho Bitch II".
89	-->''I think you're amazing and I think you're wonderful and I think you're amazing and I think you're wonderful and...''
90	* MayanDoomsday: Tech N9ne references 2012 in his RageAgainstTheHeavens song "Show Me a God", released in 2009.
91	-->''What's gonna be done in 2012 when hell's gonna be\
92	When the Earth aligns with the sun''
93	* MonsterClown: Tech commonly goes by the alias of Killer Klown. Played fairly straight in "Sinister Tech"
94	-->Say my name five times
95	-->TECH, TECH, TECH, TECH [=N9NE=]
96	-->I will appear in your mirror
97	-->Thru your chest ripping out your spine
98	-->Hungry like an Ethiopian
99	-->Living off the blood in your veins
100	-->Alias Donny Kevorkian
101	-->Never were you ready for the pain
102	* NWordPrivileges: Referenced on the [[{{Pun}} Strangeulation]] Cypher.
103	--> And when she compare me to Eminem I said I'm different
104	--> She said "How?" I said "I'm black and I can say nigger bitch!"
105	* NewMediaAreEvil: Infrequent, but it comes up occasionally, most notably in response to Spotify and it's infamously low payout for artists. From "Anti":
106	--> Fuck everything that ain't righteous
107	--> Spotify's the reason the music became lifeless
108	--> 70 percent of a fraction of a penny is a game crisis
109	--> Make a nigga wanna blow up they headquarters and blame ISIS
110	** "A Real 1" deals with harassment on social media.
111	* NewSoundAlbum: Along with Eminem (circa ''Relapse''), Tech and the Strange Music catalog served as a TropeCodifier for the Midwest {{Horrorcore}} style that was popular in the late 2000s and early 2010s, characterized by heavy RapMetal elements, a fast "chopper" flow, and RefugeInAudacity lyrics that frequently made use of ridiculous BlackComedy scenarios. ''Everready (The Religion)'' is somewhat LighterAndSofter when compared to ''Absolute Power'' and ''Anghellic''. This was due to a time when Tech's tour bus flipped while on the road between shows; everyone inside was only mildly injured afterwards, which Tech saw as a sign that they were in God's good graces, which was cause to celebrate.
112	-->''...and it felt good to be in God's graces. The ambulance--the people that came--they said that we were all blessed--ya know what I'm saying--to still be alive after flipping 5 times, man. So ever since then, we been celebrating life, baby. Kickin' it hard! Every day's a party, baby...''
113	** Due to the mental strain of working on a project as dark as ''K.O.D.'', Tech vows on "Last Sad Song" that his next project would be more upbeat; that next project would be ''The Gates Mixed Plate''.
114	** The ''Therapy'' EP featured a NuMetal sound.
115	* ObsessionSong: "Psycho Bitch" features an actual answering message from the titular stalker.
116	* OutOfGenreExperience: Out of nowhere, "Devil Boy" briefly becomes a ThrashMetal song, then quickly jumps back to Tech's normal genre:
117	-->Y'all act like I'm sayin'
118	-->[[MetalScream I LOVE]] [[{{Satan}} LUCIFER]] [[SugarWiki/FunnyMoments I WILL KILL ALL OF YOU]]
119	* RageAgainstTheHeavens:
120	** "Aw Yeah? (interVENTion)" is this, with Tech angry at God for the suffering he has caused not only Tech, but the rest of the world.
121	** "Show Me a God" features Tech specifically calling out God for the trauma his mother has endured throughout her life.
122	* RatedMForManly: "Face-Off" fits this trope to the T. Made more apparent by having '''''Creator/DwayneJohnson''''' '''[[AWildRapperAppears rapping.]]'''
123	* RuleOFThree: Several of Tech's albums are divided into three sections, with the songs in these sections being similar in subject matter and tone. For some examples:
124	** ''Anghellic'': "Hell", "Purgatory", and "Heaven"
125	** ''K.O.D.'': "Anger", "Madness", and "The Hole"
126	** ''Something Else'': "Fire", "Water", and "Earth"
127	** ''The Storm'': "Kingdom", "Clown Town", and "[=G-Zone=]"
128	* {{Sampling}}: ''Franchise/{{Halloween}}'' theme on "Psycho Bitch", and ''Theatre/ThePhantomOftheOpera'' on "Psycho Bitch II"
129	** ''Film/BlazingSaddles'' clips on "Red Necro".
130	** "I'm a Playa" samples "Rock Me Amadeus" by ''Music/{{Falco}}''.
131	** A rare example of a song from an anime being sampled in a Western track would be a sample from [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l9_p-nhZXLg "Rain]] by Music/YokoKanno sped up to produce [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iviaSSEdHtE "The Rain"]]. At the very end, the clip slows down and Mai Yamane's distinctive voice can be heard.
132	** He used a sample from a cartoon once. [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-jrXZosPw7w "He's a Mental Giant" sampled the title lines from a 1930's Walter Lantz cartoon called "Boy Meets Dog".]]
133	** "Speedom ([=WWC2=])" uses "Freedom" by Richie Havens.
134	* SequelSong: "Midwest Choppers 2", "Worldwide Choppers", and "Speedom ([=WWC2=])" to "Midwest Choppers".
135	** "Psycho Bitch II" and "Psycho Bitch III" to "Psycho Bitch", naturally.
136	* SerialKiller: "Trauma" is written from the point-of-view of a serial killer, [[CardCarryingVillain boasting about how evil he is]] and that he's more deranged than "Jeffrey Dahmer and UsefulNotes/CharlesManson combined".
137	* ShoutOut: Tech references a lot of movies in his lyrics and he seems to have a very particular fondness of ''Film/PootieTang''.
138	** Has made several to Music/TheDoors, of whom he is a ''massive'' fan. So much so that he even named his label Strange Music as a reference to their album ''Music/StrangeDays''.
139	* SpikyHair: Tech donned this type of hairstyle starting in 1999 or 2000, when ''Anghellic'' was in production. Bonus points for it being crimson red/blood red. Labelmate Skatterman gave him the moniker "Red Head Wonder" because of this. After 6 years with this hairstyle, he chopped it off back in 2005.
140	* {{Spoonerism}}: "Mitch Bade" is one for '''B'''itch '''M'''ade
141	** "Bass Ackwards" is goddamned ''full'' of them.
142	* StartOfDarkness: "Going Bad" counts as this, considering he has been jumping from label to label in the late 90's.
143	* ThisIsASong: "Sickology 101", on which Tech and guest rappers Crooked I and Chino XL break down the styles of rapping they're using.
144	* TakeThat: "The Industry Is Punks" from ''Absolute Power'', is one to the entire industry, as well as "F.T.I." from ''Anghellic: Reparation''. "Going Bad" is also one of these mostly to Creator/WarnerBrosRecords[=/=]Creator/WarnerMusicGroup and Qwest Records, well at least the third verse.
145	* TooKinkyToTorture: In his verse on "Am I a Psycho?", [=N9ne=] pictures extremely graphic, disturbing sex scenes where he is the bottom.
146	* UpdatedRerelease: A non-video game example in the form of ''Anghellic: Reparation''. The original ''Anghellic'' was released by JCOR Entertainment, but was rereleased by Strange Music Inc. with the ''Reparation'' subtitle, as well as a few new songs.
147	* WolverinePublicity: Collaborates with a ton of old school and new school rap artists, either on their albums or on his own. Also worked with rock bands like Music/{{Deftones}} and Music/HedPE. As of recent years, he started calling himself "The Herder" because he's worked with a lot of music's biggest names.
148	* WordSaladLyrics: Often verging on IndecipherableLyrics.
149	** [[LampshadeHanging Lampshaded even]] on "Caribou Lou":
150	-->Yep in my white tee and Nike's
151	-->You might sight me slightly hyph and
152	-->Might see dry heave
153	-->Die we shall not need i-v's
154	-->Beside me Siamese
155	-->(Tech!)
156	-->(Huh?)
157	-->(You're not making any sense)
158	-->I might make her wanna sah-wing her Prada
159	-->But once I get up on the mic and do my thing I got her
160	-->(TECH!!)
161	-->Hey batta batta batta batta, sah-wing a batta
162	-->He can hit, he can hit, he can hit, sah-wing a batta

Context Music / TechN9ne