Sometimes it takes a while for trendsetters, for artists ahead of their time and for genius to be appreciated by the masses. Tech N9ne is on the verge of bucking these bromides.
The Kansas City rap king has sold more than 500,000 albums independently, performed in front of more than half a million people in the last three years and established himself as one of underground rap’s most respected artists. With the impending release of his third national album, the monumental Everready (The Religion), Tech N9ne is poised to graduate from one of rap’s best-kept secrets to a major international superstar.
After experiencing a number of professional setbacks while promoting his critically acclaimed Anghellic and Absolute Power albums, Tech N9ne felt that Everready (The Religion) was an affirmation of his staying power. “I wanted to name it Everready because if you look at the old Eveready batteries, their logo included nine lives,” Tech explains. “That album title symbolizes nine lives, another life after death. I’ve had a lot of deaths in the music industry and there’s still life after all that. The Religion, the reason I subtitled it that is because I want this album to be something that’s being studied or praised. It’s like calling it a doctrine.”
Such a mandate is a natural conclusion after listening to Everready (The Religion). The album teams with blockbuster songs and stellar production. “Jellysickle,” for instance, features Bay Area rap legend E-40 and a thumping, addictive club-ready beat from superproducer Rick Rock (Jay-Z, Fabolous). Despite the track’s freshness, it made Tech N9ne think back to his early material.
“It reminded me of an old Tech N9ne, like ‘Mitch Bade,’” he reveals. “It’s like a 2006 ‘Mitch Bade,’ so I had to talk about the same thing: jealous people, stupid people. Kansas City is a place where hatred is at an all-time high. I thought it would capture that persona of the ghetto.”
