Aaron Dontez Yates (born November 8, 1971), better known by his stage name Tech N9ne (pronounced "tech nine"), is an American rapper. In 1999, he and business partner Travis O'Guin founded the record label Strange Music. He has sold over two million albums and has had his music featured in film, television, and video games. In 2009, he won the Left Field Woodie award at the mtvU Woodie Awards. His stage name originated from the TEC-9 semi-automatic handgun, a name given to him by rapper Black Walt due to his fast-rhyming chopper style. Yates later applied a deeper meaning to the name, stating that it stands for the complete technique of rhyme, with "tech" meaning technique and "nine" representing the number of completion. Despite minimal mainstream success himself, he has featured many mainstream artists on his albums including E-40,

Ice Cube An ice cube is a small piece of ice, which is typically rectangular as viewed from above and trapezoidal as viewed from the side. Ice cubes are products of mechanical refrigeration and are usually produced to cool beverages. They may be p ...

Three 6 Mafia Three 6 Mafia is an American Hip hop music, hip hop group from Memphis, Tennessee, formed in 1991. Emerging as a horror-themed underground hip hop group, they would eventually go on to enjoy mainstream success. The group's 1995 debut album ''Mys ...

, B.o.B., Twista,

Busta Rhymes Trevor George Smith Jr. (born May 20, 1972), known professionally as Busta Rhymes, is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, record producer and actor. Chuck D of Public Enemy gave him the moniker Busta Rhymes, after NFL and CFL wide receiver ...

, Kendrick Lamar,

Lil Wayne Dwayne Michael Carter Jr. (born September 27, 1982), known professionally as Lil Wayne, is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, and record executive. His career began in 1995, at the age of 12, when he was signed by rapper Birdman, joining ...

, T-Pain,

Snoop Dogg Calvin Cordozar Broadus Jr. (born October 20, 1971), known professionally as Snoop Dogg (previously Snoop Doggy Dogg and briefly Snoop Lion), is an American rapper. His fame dates back to 1992 when he featured on Dr. Dre's debut solo single, " ...

, The Game,

Wiz Khalifa Cameron Jibril Thomaz (born September 8, 1987), better known by his stage name Wiz Khalifa, is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, and actor. He released his debut album, ''Show and Prove'', in 2006 and signed to Warner Bros. Records in 20 ...

, CeeLo Green, T.I., 2 Chainz,

Corey Taylor Corey Todd Taylor (born December 8, 1973) is an American musician, songwriter and actor. He is the lead vocalist of the heavy metal band Slipknot, in which he is designated #8, as well as the lead vocalist and guitarist for the rock band Ston ...

of Slipknot,

Eminem Marshall Bruce Mathers III (born October 17, 1972), known professionally as Eminem (; often stylized as EMINƎM), is an American rapper and record producer. He is credited with popularizing Hip hop music, hip hop in Middle America (United Sta ...

Logic Logic is the study of correct reasoning. It includes both formal and informal logic. Formal logic is the science of deductively valid inferences or of logical truths. It is a formal science investigating how conclusions follow from prem ...

, and

Boyz II Men Boyz II Men (pronounced ''boys to men''), also known as B2M, is an American vocal harmony group from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, best known for emotional ballads and a cappella harmonies. They are currently a trio composed of baritone Nathan ...

Early life

Yates was born and raised in

Kansas City, Missouri Kansas City (abbreviated KC or KCMO) is the largest city in Missouri by population and area. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the city had a population of 508,090 in 2020, making it the List of United States cities by populat ...

. He began rapping at a very early age, and would rap the letters of his name in order to remember how to spell it. His father Carlton Cook was estranged from the family and his mother suffered from

epilepsy Epilepsy is a group of non-communicable neurological disorders characterized by recurrent epileptic seizures. Epileptic seizures can vary from brief and nearly undetectable periods to long periods of vigorous shaking due to abnormal electrica ...

and

lupus Lupus, technically known as systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), is an autoimmune disease in which the body's immune system mistakenly attacks healthy tissue in many parts of the body. Symptoms vary among people and may be mild to severe. Commo ...

when he was a child, which emotionally affected him and inspired him to "search for God". He would explore abandoned buildings with his best friend, hoping to catch a

ghost A ghost is the soul or spirit of a dead person or animal that is believed to be able to appear to the living. In ghostlore, descriptions of ghosts vary widely from an invisible presence to translucent or barely visible wispy shapes, to re ...

on film. He attended Southwest High School in Kansas City.

History

1991–2001: Beginnings and founding Strange Music

Early in his career, Yates was a member of a group formed in 1991 called Black Mafia. He saw glimpses of success in the group 57th Street Rogue Dog with their single "Let's Get Fucked Up." As a member of the group Nnutthowze, Aaron Yates signed with

Perspective Records Perspective Records is an American record label, launched in 1991 by the producing team Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis, through a joint venture with A&M Records—which Jam & Lewis had had a prosperous working relationship with throughout the 1980s, w ...

in 1993. However, the group disbanded soon after being released from the label. Yates signed with Qwest Records briefly before moving to JCOR Records. In 1997, Yates joined the group the Regime, which was formed by rapper Yukmouth. The following year, he was featured on the

soundtrack A soundtrack is recorded music accompanying and synchronised to the images of a motion picture, drama, book, television program, radio program, or video game; a commercially released soundtrack album of music as featured in the soundtrac ...

for the film

Gang Related ''Gang Related'', alternatively known as Criminal Intent, is a 1997 American action crime thriller film written and directed by Jim Kouf starring James Belushi, Tupac Shakur, Dennis Quaid, Lela Rochon, David Paymer and James Earl Jones. The film ...

. Yates appeared on the song "The Anthem" by

Sway & King Tech Sway & King Tech is an American hip hop duo composed of Bay Area rapper Sway and DJ King Tech. Also known as Flynamic Force or Sway & Tech, they are the hosts of the nationally syndicated show, ''The Wake Up Show''. In addition to their ra ...

in 1999, which also featured artists RZA,

, Xzibit, Pharoahe Monch,

Jayo Felony James Savage (born December 18, 1969), better known by his stage name Jayo Felony, is an American rapper from southeast San Diego, California. Career In 1994 Jayo Felony was signed to the label owned by Jam Master Jay from RUN DMC called J ...

Chino XL Derek Keith Barbosa (born April 8, 1974), better known by his stage name Chino XL, is an American rapper, and actor. He has released four solo studio albums, in which his most recent – '' Ricanstruction: The Black Rosary'' – won the 2012 HH ...

KRS-One Lawrence "Kris" Parker (born August 20, 1965), better known by his stage names KRS-One (; an abbreviation of "Knowledge Reigns Supreme Over Nearly Everyone") and Teacha, is an American rapper from New York City. He rose to prominence as part of ...

, and

Kool G. Rap Nathaniel Thomas Wilson (born July 20, 1968), better known by his stage name Kool G Rap (or simply G Rap), is an American rapper from Queens, New York City. He began his career in the mid-1980s as one half of the group Kool G Rap & DJ Polo and as ...

. Later that year, he and business partner Travis O'Guin founded the record label Strange Music.

2001–2005: Underground success

In 2001, Yates released the studio album ''

Anghellic ''Anghellic'' is the third studio album by American rapper Tech N9ne from Kansas City, Missouri. It was released on August 28, 2001 via Universal Music Group imprint JCOR Entertainment, and was re-released as ''Anghellic: Reparation'' in 2003 vi ...

'' on JCOR Records. After disputes arose about the promotion of the album, Yates and his label severed ties with the JCOR with a deal that allowed them to retain the rights to the album. The next year, he released '' Absolute Power'', under a 50–50 joint venture between Strange Music and M.S.C. Music & Entertainment (which was founded by former Priority Records head Mark Cerami). The album 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." was started by the rapper and his label. The campaign, 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 Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is a trade organization that represents the music recording industry in the United States. Its members consist of record labels and distributors that the RIAA says "create, manufacture, and/ ...

2006–2011: Independence and Tech N9ne ''Collabos''

In 2006, Yates released the album ''

Everready (The Religion) ''Everready (The Religion)'' is the fifth studio album by rapper Tech N9ne. The album was released in 2006 as a "Collector's Edition" CD that contains a second CD featuring 14 songs from Tech N9ne as well as other Strange Music artists. "Jellysic ...

''. The following year, he released ''

Misery Loves Kompany ''Misery Loves Kompany'' is the sixth studio album by rapper Tech N9ne, and the first release in the "Collabos" series. Background The album was recorded in one month and was released on July 17, 2007. It features 17 tracks featuring artists su ...

''. Yates announced that the album was the first in a series of "Tech N9ne Collabos" albums that feature a wide range of guest appearances. The following year, Yates released the album '' Killer''. That September, he exceeded one million album sales over his entire catalog. Yates remarked of the accomplishment that, "It just reminded me of all the work we'd done in the past, up until now ..I don't think it's sunken in yet. I've been celebrating for the last two days because that's a hell of an accomplishment. I've been planning success all my life. I'm not even a bit surprised, I'm happy about it. That just means I was right." Yates released his second ''Collabos'' album, '' Sickology 101'', in April 2009. Yates later performed at the

Rock The Bells Rock the Bells was an annual hip-hop festival that originally took place in Southern California only, but has since toured throughout the world. The concert featured a line-up of high-profile alternative hip-hop artists, often headlined by a mor ...

2009 Festival and the tenth annual Gathering of the Juggalos. That October, he released ''

K.O.D. ''K.O.D.'' (Acronym and initialism, initialism for ''King of Darkness'') is the ninth studio album by American rapping, rapper Tech N9ne; it was released on October 26, 2009, by Strange Music. The album features guest appearances from Three 6 Ma ...

'', an acronym for King of Darkness. The album featured a dark overtone, as Yates was dealing with the illness of his mother. An EP of new songs over unused beats from the ''K.O.D.'' album was released in 2010 as '' The Lost Scripts of K.O.D.''. Later that year, Yates released his third ''Collabos'' album, ''

The Gates Mixed Plate ''The Gates Mixed Plate'' is the tenth studio album by rapper Tech N9ne, which was released on July 27, 2010. It is the third album in the rapper's "Collabos" series, following the 2009 album ''Sickology 101''. The album's name is in reference to ...

''. In October, he released his second EP '' Seepage''. On December 23, he released his first mixtape '' Bad Season''.which was later released in retail CD form with a modified track list and without DJ Scream. On June 7, 2011, Yates released '' All 6's and 7's''. The album features several hip-hop artists as well as rock artists including B.o.B, E-40,

, Hopsin, T-Pain,

Jay Rock Johnny Reed McKinzie Jr. (born March 31, 1983), better known by his stage name Jay Rock, is an American rapper, singer and songwriter from Los Angeles. He signed to indie label Top Dawg Entertainment (TDE), in 2005. Under TDE, Rock secured a rec ...

Mint Condition Mint condition is an expression used to denote the quality of a pre-owned good as displaying virtually no imperfections and being in pristine condition relative to its original production state. Originally, the phrase related to the way collect ...

, Twista,

, Yelawolf and Deftones and many others. In 2011, Yates told 411mania.com that after ''All 6's And 7's'' he planned on releasing his fourth album in the ''Collabos'' series titled ''

Welcome to Strangeland ''Welcome to Strangeland'' is the twelfth studio album, and the fourth in the "Collabos" series, by rapper Tech N9ne. It was released on November 8, 2011, the rapper's 40th birthday. Background In April 2011, Tech N9ne spoke about the album i ...

'', featuring guest appearances from everyone on Strange Music, followed by the long-awaited K.A.B.O.S.H. and 816 Boyz albums. Then, in July 2011, Yates said in a blog post that

Rick Ross William Leonard Roberts II (born January 28, 1976), known professionally as Rick Ross, is an American rapper. Prior to releasing his debut single, "Hustlin'", in 2006, Ross was the subject of a bidding war, receiving offers from Diddy's Bad ...

has agreed to do a song with him for the K.A.B.O.S.H. album and that he is also hoping to have a collaboration with

Jay-Z Shawn Corey Carter (born December 4, 1969), known professionally as Jay-Z, is an American rapper, record producer, entrepreneur, and founder of Manhattan-based conglomerate talent and entertainment agency Roc Nation. He is regarded as one o ...

on that album. In the same blog post, he said that the K.A.B.O.S.H. album will be a rock album. In another blog post several weeks later, he confirmed that he will begin work on the album after completing ''Welcome to Strangeland''. Following his tour, he announced that he was about to begin work on ''Welcome to Strangeland'' and '' Klusterfuk'', confirming producers for both projects. ¡Mayday! is to entirely produce ''Klusterfuk''. He said he will then begin work on the K.A.B.O.S.H. album.Welcome to Strangeland and Klusterfuk Producers
blog.therealtechn9ne.com. August 2011 Tech N9ne is featured on Lil Wayne's ninth studio album ''

Tha Carter IV ''Tha Carter IV'' is the ninth studio album by American rapper Lil Wayne, released on August 29, 2011, through Young Money Entertainment, Cash Money Records and Universal Republic Records. Recording sessions for the album began in late 2008, sh ...

'' on the song "Interlude". The track features a verse from Tech and Andre 3000. During a radio interview with Funkmaster Flex in August 2010, Wayne stated that he and Tech N9ne formed a "brotherhood" when Yates visited him in jail. In a later interview, Tech N9ne claimed that he thinks the song will "awaken a lot of other people that wouldn't usually look isway" and "teach all the new fans how to become technicians."

2012–2015: EPs, ''Something Else'', and ''Special Effects''

In an interview with "Underground TV" posted on Tech N9ne's blog, Tech N9ne spoke about his 2012 plans, confirming the release of Klusterfuk, the ''K.A.B.O.S.H.'' album, and an untitled solo album to be released in 2012. He was featured on the song "Edge of Destruction" (which also features Twista) that appears on Machine Gun Kelly's first studio album " Lace Up". On September 18, Tech N9ne released an EP titled "E.B.A.H." (Evil Brain Angel Heart). On October 30, Tech N9ne released an EP titled ''

Boiling Point The boiling point of a substance is the temperature at which the vapor pressure of a liquid equals the pressure surrounding the liquid and the liquid changes into a vapor. The boiling point of a liquid varies depending upon the surrounding env ...

''. He announced his thirteenth studio album would be titled '' Something Else'' and would be released on June 25, 2013. The first song released from the album would be "B.I.T.C.H.", an acronym for ''Breaking In To Colored Houses'', which features rapper/singer T-Pain. The album would end up being released on July 30, 2013, to universal critical acclaim. The album, which is broken up into three portions — Earth, Water & Fire, features guest appearances from B.o.B, Big K.R.I.T.,

Cee Lo Green Cee or CEE may refer to: * C, third letter of the Latin alphabet * Cee, Spain, A Coruña, Galicia * Center for Excellence in Education, US * Central and Eastern Europe Central and Eastern Europe is a term encompassing the countries in the ...

the Doors The Doors were an American rock band formed in Los Angeles in 1965, with vocalist Jim Morrison, keyboardist Ray Manzarek, guitarist Robby Krieger, and drummer John Densmore. They were among the most controversial and influential rock acts ...

Game A game is a structured form of play, usually undertaken for entertainment or fun, and sometimes used as an educational tool. Many games are also considered to be work (such as professional players of spectator sports or games) or art (suc ...

, Kendrick Lamar, Serj Tankian, T-Pain,

Trae tha Truth Frazier Othel Thompson III (born July 3, 1980), better known by his stage name Trae tha Truth (or simply Trae), is an American rapper and record executive from Houston, Texas. Embarking on a musical career in 1998, he soon established himself ...

Snow Tha Product Claudia Alexandra Madriz Meza (born June 24, 1987) known professionally as Snow Tha Product, is an American rapper, singer, actress, youtuber, and podcaster. She was signed to Atlantic Records from 2012 until November 2018. Since then, she has ...

, and

, among others including several artists from Tech N9ne's Strange Music imprint. The album was supported by two singles, "So Dope (They Wanna)" and " Fragile". Tech N9ne announced a new "Independent Grind" tour in January 2014, which included Freddie Gibbs, Krizz Kaliko, and Jarren Benton. The tour dates were announced on January 30, 2014, and the tour ran from April 9 until June 28, wrapping up in Kansas City. Also in 2014, Yates released Strangeulation, the fifth album in his ''Collabos'' series and fourteenth album overall. In April 2015, Yates confirmed that

will be featured on a song titled "Speedom (Worldwide Choppers 2)." The song was released on April 20, 2015, as a single supporting his then-upcoming album, '' Special Effects'', which was released on May 4 of the same year. The rapper says Eminem collaborated on the track, free of charge, in exchange for Yates to guest on a track of his for an unknown project. Yates says he was "flabbergasted" that Eminem respected his music so much. On May 4, 2015, Tech N9ne released ''Special Effects'' to critical and commercial acclaim. The album features guest appearances from

, B.o.B,

, 2 Chainz, T.I., Hopsin, E-40,

Yo Gotti Mario Sentell Giden Mims (born May 19, 1981), known professionally as Yo Gotti, is an American rapper, songwriter, and record executive. In 1996, Gotti released his debut album ''Youngsta's On a Come Up'' under the alias Lil Yo. He went on to re ...

, Audio Push and

along with fellow Strange Music artists Krizz Kaliko, Big Scoob and Ces Cru. In addition, a ''Special Effects'' tour began in early April 2015. Tech is joined on tour by

Murs Murs may refer to: People * Marc Athanase Parfait Œillet des Murs (1804-1878), French ornithologist * Olly Murs (born 1984), English singer-songwriter * Murs (rapper) (born 1978), American rapper Places * Murs, Indre, France * Murs, Vaucluse, ...

, Chris Webby, Krizz Kaliko, Zuse, and King 810.

2015–2017: ''Strangulation Vol. II'', ''The Storm'', ''Dominion'', and ''Strange Reign''

On November 20, 2015, Tech N9ne released '' Strangeulation Vol. II'', the sixth album in his ''Collabos'' series and 16th album overall. The album features the entire roster of Strange Music at the time along with JL, Ryan Bradley, and Tyler Lyon. On January 11, 2016, Tech released a remix of

Marilyn Manson Brian Hugh Warner (born January 5, 1969), known professionally as Marilyn Manson, is an American rock musician. He came to prominence as the lead singer of the band which shares his name, of which he remains the only constant member since it ...

's song " The Beautiful People" for

Dr. Dre Andre Romelle Young (born February 18, 1965), known professionally as Dr. Dre, is an American rapper and record producer. He is the founder and CEO of Aftermath Entertainment and Beats Electronics, and previously co-founded, co-owned, and w ...

's The Pharmacy on

Beats 1 Apple Music 1, previously branded as Beats 1, is a 24/7 music radio station owned and operated by Apple Inc. It is accessible through iTunes or the Apple Music app on a computer, smartphone or tablet, smart speaker (such as the Apple HomePod) ...

radio. In spring 2016, Tech N9ne went on tour with fellow Strange members for another Independent Powerhouse Tour. In December 2016, Tech N9ne released his 17th album, '' The Storm'', the followup to his 1999 debut album '' The Calm Before The Storm''. In January 2017, Tech N9ne announced his seventh Collabos album titled ''Dominion'', released April 7, and stated plans to release a second album in his Collabos series the same year. In March, Tech began the Strictly Strange '17 tour with fellow Strange Music artists. The same month, Tech announced on radio station GoMN plans to release his next solo album, ''Planet'', in 2018. On June 20, 2017, Tech earned his first platinum record in 18 years for ''Caribou Lou.'' Tech N9ne released the eighth Collabos album, '' Strange Reign'', on October 13, 2017, marking it the second album release that year.

2018–present: ''Planet'', ''N9na'', ''EnterFear'', and ''Asin9ne''

On March 2, 2018, Tech N9ne released ''

Planet A planet is a large, rounded astronomical body that is neither a star nor its remnant. The best available theory of planet formation is the nebular hypothesis, which posits that an interstellar cloud collapses out of a nebula to create a you ...

'', making this his 20th studio album. On April 19, 2019, Tech N9ne released '' N9na'', making this his 21st studio album. Nearly a year later, on April 10, 2020, his 22nd album, '' Enterfear'' was released. On July 29, 2020, he was featured on " CMFT Must Be Stopped", a single by Slipknot vocalist

. On October 23, 2020, Tech N9ne released a new project titled ''Fear Exodus''. On October 8, 2021, Tech N9ne released an album titled ''"

Asin9ne ''Asin9ne'' (stylized in all caps) is the twenty-third studio album by American rapper Tech N9ne. It was released on October 8, 2021 via Strange Music. Production was handled by Wyshmaster, Freek Van Workum, ItsNicklus, Paul Salva, Ervin Pope, The ...

"''. The album features guest appearances from

, Mumu Fresh,

, Russ, E-40,

X-Raided Anerae Veshaughn Brown (born July 30, 1974), better known by his stage name X-Raided, is an American rapper from Sacramento, California, United States. In 1992, Brown was sentenced to 31 years in prison on murder charges, which Brown denied, mai ...

, as well as wrestler turned actor

Dwayne Johnson Dwayne Douglas Johnson (born May 2, 1972), also known by his ring name The Rock, is an American actor and former professional wrestler. Widely regarded as one of the greatest professional wrestlers of all time, he was integral to the develop ...

. Tech N9ne features on fellow Kansas City area musician

Samantha Fish Samantha Fish (born January 30, 1989) is an American singer-songwriter and guitarist from Kansas City, Missouri. While often cited as a blues artist, Fish's albums and live shows feature multiple genres, including rock, country, funk, bluegra ...

's 2021 album '' Faster'', rapping on the song "Loud".

Artistry

Yates is known for his dynamic rhyme schemes and speed rap abilities known as the Chopper style.

Soren Baker Soren Baker is an American journalist who has spent his career covering hip-hop. Best known for his six years as one of the main editors of The Source, Baker has had more than 3,500 articles published in such publications as The New York Times, ...

of VH1 states that Yates' techniques "showcase his wide-ranging, mind-blowing flows." Baker characterizes Yates' earlier work as "apocalyptic music, which discussed abortion and infidelity as much as his rapping prowess."

Allmusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Music ...

reviewer Jason Birchmeier calls his style "bizarre hardcore rap." Yates stated that he purposely creates flow patterns in order to sound like a percussion while he raps. After hearing an instrumental he would come up with different kinds of patterns and then "fill in" the actual lyrics. Yates says that he is influenced by old school hip hop, and specifically cites

N.W.A N.W.A (an abbreviation for Niggaz Wit Attitudes) was an American hip hop group whose members were among the earliest and most significant popularizers and controversial figures of the gangsta rap subgenre, and the group is widely considered ...

, Public Enemy, Boogie Down Productions, Eric B. & Rakim,

Schoolly D Jesse Bonds Weaver Jr. (born June 22, 1962), better known by the stage name Schoolly D (sometimes spelled Schooly D), is an American rapper from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Career Schoolly D teamed up with DJ Code Money in the mid-1980s. His ...

, and

Just-Ice Joseph Williams Jr. (born June 22, 1965), better known by the stage name Just-Ice, is an American rapper from New York City. A former bouncer at punk clubs, Williams was the first of the New York rappers to embrace gangsta rap, and when he bur ...

. He is also interested in other genres of music, and lists

The Doors The Doors were an American rock band formed in Los Angeles in 1965, with vocalist Jim Morrison, keyboardist Ray Manzarek, guitarist Robby Krieger, and drummer John Densmore. They were among the most controversial and influential rock acts ...

, Jim Morrison,

Led Zeppelin Led Zeppelin were an English rock band formed in London in 1968. The group comprised vocalist Robert Plant, guitarist Jimmy Page, bassist/keyboardist John Paul Jones, and drummer John Bonham. With a heavy, guitar-driven sound, they are ...

Elton John Sir Elton Hercules John (born Reginald Kenneth Dwight; 25 March 1947) is a British singer, pianist and composer. Commonly nicknamed the "Rocket Man" after his 1972 hit single of the same name, John has led a commercially successful career a ...

AC/DC AC/DC (stylised as ACϟDC) are an Australian rock band formed in Sydney in 1973 by Scottish-born brothers Malcolm and Angus Young. Their music has been variously described as hard rock, blues rock, and heavy metal, but the band calls it ...

Metallica Metallica is an American heavy metal band. The band was formed in 1981 in Los Angeles by vocalist/guitarist James Hetfield and drummer Lars Ulrich, and has been based in San Francisco for most of its career. The band's fast tempos, instrume ...

, Floetry, Outkast, CeeLo Green, and Gnarls Barkley as influences. He has remarked generally that "I love beautiful music, beautiful music no matter what type".

In popular culture

Films

Yates' songs have appeared in the

film A film also called a movie, motion picture, moving picture, picture, photoplay or (slang) flick is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, feelings, beauty, or atmospher ...

s ''Born 2 Race'', ''

'', ''

Alpha Dog ''Alpha Dog'' is a 2006 American crime film written and directed by Nick Cassavetes based on the true story of the kidnapping and murder of Nicholas Markowitz in 2000. The cast includes Emile Hirsch, Justin Timberlake, Ben Foster, Shawn Ha ...

'', ''Our Heroes: The 25 Best Black Sports Movies (Ever)'', and ''The Life of Lucky Cucumber''. Yates was originally set to

score Score or scorer may refer to: *Test score, the result of an exam or test Business * Score Digital, now part of Bauer Radio * Score Entertainment, a former American trading card design and manufacturing company * Score Media, a former Canadian ...

the entire film ''Alpha Dog'', but the studio decided to replace some of his music with more commercially known songs. In 2009, his song "Let's Go" was used in an online promotional short film for AXE body spray. Yates also appears as an actor in the films '' Vengeance'' and '' Night of the Living Dead: Origins 3D''. Yates starred in the musical "Alleluia: The Devil's Carnival", which had a limited theater release July 2015. On November 25, 2015, Tech released "Shine", a song for the Jaco Pastorius documentary, ''Jaco''.

Video games

Several of Yates' songs are featured in the

video games Video games, also known as computer games, are electronic games that involves interaction with a user interface or input device such as a joystick, controller, keyboard, or motion sensing device to generate visual feedback. This feedbac ...

Madden NFL 2006 ''Madden NFL 06'' is an American football video game which was released in 2005. It is also a launch game for the Xbox 360. It is the 16th installment of the Madden NFL series by EA Sports, named for noted color commentator John Madden. The produ ...

'', ''The Crew'', '' EA Sports MMA'', '' 25 To Life'', ''

WWE 2K18 ''WWE 2K18'' is a professional wrestling video game developed by Yuke's and published by 2K Sports. It is the nineteenth installment in the WWE game series (fifth under the ''WWE 2K'' banner) and a follow-up to '' WWE 2K17''. It was released wo ...

'', ''

EA Sports UFC 3 ''EA Sports UFC 3'' is a mixed martial arts fighting video game developed by EA Canada and published by EA Sports. Conor McGregor, one of the previous cover fighters of ''EA Sports UFC 2'', returned as the official cover fighter of the game. S ...

'', and '' Midnight Club: Los Angeles'', in the latter of which Yates is an unlockable character. In 2009, Yates and label mate Krizz Kaliko appeared in a promotional video for the ''

Fight Night Round 4 ''Fight Night Round 4'' is a boxing video game developed by EA Sports. It is the sequel to '' Fight Night Round 3'', released in 2006. It was released in 2009 for the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Windows Mobile and BlackBerry. The game's featured boxer ...

'' video game.

Television

Yates' music has appeared on the television shows '' Dark Angel'', ''

I'm From Rolling Stone ''I'm from Rolling Stone'' is a MTV reality television show directed by Norman Green. It began airing in January 2007 and was planned for ten episodes. Six aspiring music journalists were given the summer internships in hopes of getting a contri ...

'', '' My Super Sweet 16'', '' The Hills'', '' Spike Guys' Choice Awards'', and ''

Warren The Ape ''Warren the Ape'' is an MTV reality show parody which ran from June 14 to August 30, 2010 and aired at 10:30 p.m. The series is a spin-off of the IFC and Fox TV show '' Greg the Bunny'', and follows the titular character's life as he trie ...

''. In 2008, his song "Earthquake" was featured on an episode of MTV's ''

America's Best Dance Crew ''America's Best Dance Crew'', often abbreviated as ''ABDC'', was an American competitive dance reality television series that features both national and international dance crews. The show was produced by singer, record producer, and former ''Am ...

'' in which the crew had to visually convey the title of the song in their performance. On the August 15, 2009 Strikeforce event, Strikeforce: Carano vs. Cyborg,

MMA Mixed martial arts (MMA), sometimes referred to as cage fighting, no holds barred (NHB), and ultimate fighting, and originally referred to as Vale Tudo is a full-contact combat sport based on striking, grappling and ground fighting, incor ...

fighter Gilbert Melendez entered the arena to Tech N9ne's 2006 song "The Beast" for his bout with Mitsuhiro Ishida. His song "Riot Maker" was used as the official theme song for

Total Nonstop Action Wrestling Impact Wrestling (stylized as ''IMPACT! Wrestling''), is an American professional wrestling promotion based in Nashville, Tennessee. It is a subsidiary of Anthem Sports & Entertainment. Founded by Jeff and Jerry Jarrett in 2002, the prom ...

's 2010 '' Hardcore Justice'' pay-per-view. Yates also appeared on the 2011 BET Hip Hop Awards in the BET Cypher with B.o.B, Machine Gun Kelly, Kendrick Lamar, and Big K.R.I.T. In 2012, Tech N9ne appeared on the

MTV MTV (Originally an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable channel that launched on August 1, 1981. Based in New York City, it serves as the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group, part of Paramount Media Networks, a di ...

game show ''Hip Hop Squares'' for three episodes. In 2013, Tech N9ne's song "Demons" appeared in the pilot episode of '' Ironside''. On June 24, 2014, Tech N9ne appeared on ''

Jimmy Kimmel Live! ''Jimmy Kimmel Live!'' is an American late-night talk show, created and hosted by Jimmy Kimmel, broadcast on ABC. The nightly hour-long show debuted on January 26, 2003, at Hollywood Masonic Temple in Hollywood, California, as part of ABC's ...

'' to perform "Fragile", "He's A Mental Giant", and "Stamina". In late 2014, Yates appeared on ''Wild n Out'' as captain of the Black Team. In May 2015, "Give It All" from the album ''Special Effects'' was used during

Inside the NBA ''Inside the NBA'', branded for sponsorship purposes as ''Inside the NBA presented by Kia'', is the postgame show for '' NBA on TNT'' broadcasts. The program features host Ernie Johnson with analysts Kenny Smith, Charles Barkley, and Shaquille ...

's "Tip-Off" for Game 4 of the Eastern Conference Finals.

Endorsements

In May 2018, it was announced that Yates had teamed with

Boulevard Brewing Company Boulevard Brewing Company is a brewery located in Kansas City, Missouri. The Brewers Association currently ranks the American arm of Boulevard's parent company, Duvel Moortgat USA, as the 12th largest craft brewery, and the 18th largest active ...

, a brewery based in his hometown of Kansas City, to create a new beer. The beer was released on June 18 in the

Kansas City The Kansas City metropolitan area is a bi-state metropolitan area anchored by Kansas City, Missouri. Its 14 counties straddle the border between the U.S. states of Missouri (9 counties) and Kansas (5 counties). With and a population of more th ...

, Wichita,

Denver Denver () is a consolidated city and county, the capital, and most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Its population was 715,522 at the 2020 census, a 19.22% increase since 2010. It is the 19th-most populous city in the Unit ...

, and

Oklahoma City Oklahoma City (), officially the City of Oklahoma City, and often shortened to OKC, is the capital and largest city of the U.S. state of Oklahoma. The county seat of Oklahoma County, it ranks 20th among United States cities in population, and ...

markets. The beer is named Bou Lou as reference to his song "Caribou Lou", which is also a cocktail with overproof rum (The song specifically mentions Bacardi 151, which has been discontinued.), Malibu, and pineapple juice . The beer is a

wheat beer Wheat beer is a top-fermented beer which is brewed with a large proportion of wheat relative to the amount of malted barley. The two main varieties are German ''Weizenbier'' and Belgian ''witbier''; other types include Lambic (made with wild ye ...

with

pineapple The pineapple (''Ananas comosus'') is a tropical plant with an edible fruit; it is the most economically significant plant in the family Bromeliaceae. The pineapple is indigenous to South America, where it has been cultivated for many centuri ...

and

coconut The coconut tree (''Cocos nucifera'') is a member of the palm tree family (Arecaceae) and the only living species of the genus ''Cocos''. The term "coconut" (or the archaic "cocoanut") can refer to the whole coconut palm, the seed, or the f ...

flavors. On July 9, Bou Lou went on sale in the St. Louis market.

Personal life

Yates was married in 1995, but separated in 2005. Yates filed for a divorce in 2015 and it was finalized in November 2017, 12 years after they were initially separated. Yates is an avid supporter of Kansas City culture and the metro area's pro sports teams, including the

Kansas City Chiefs The Kansas City Chiefs are a professional American football team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Chiefs compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) West division. The t ...

Kansas City Royals The Kansas City Royals are an American professional baseball team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Royals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. The team was founded as an expans ...

, and

Sporting Kansas City Sporting Kansas City, often shortened to Sporting KC, is an American men's professional soccer club based in the Kansas City metropolitan area. The administrative offices are located in Downtown Kansas City, Missouri, and the team clubhouse and ...

. Before the Chiefs played in the 2019 AFC Championship game, he released a song titled "Red Kingdom".

Discography

; Studio albums * '' The Calm Before the Storm'' (1999) * '' The Worst'' (2000) * ''

'' (2001) * '' Absolute Power'' (2002) * ''

'' (2006) * '' Killer'' (2008) * ''

'' (2009) * '' All 6's and 7's'' (2011) * '' Something Else'' (2013) * '' Special Effects'' (2015) * '' The Storm'' (2016) * ''

'' (2018) * '' N9na'' (2019) * '' Enterfear'' (2020) * ''

'' (2021) ; ''Collabos'' series * ''

'' (2007) * '' Sickology 101'' (2009) * ''

'' (2010) * ''

'' (2011) * '' Strangeulation'' (2014) * '' Strangeulation Vol. II'' (2015) * ''

Dominion The term ''Dominion'' is used to refer to one of several self-governing nations of the British Empire. "Dominion status" was first accorded to Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Newfoundland, South Africa, and the Irish Free State at the 1926 ...

'' (2017) * '' Strange Reign'' (2017)

Filmography

Documentaries

Film

Television

Awards and nominations

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:N9ne, Tech 1971 births Living people Midwest hip hop musicians Rappers from Kansas City, Missouri African-American male rappers American music industry executives 20th-century American rappers 21st-century American rappers 20th-century American male musicians 21st-century American male musicians 20th-century African-American musicians 21st-century African-American musicians Indie rappers Horrorcore artists Rap rock musicians Hardcore hip hop artists