july 10, 2008
Tech N9ne, his label a killer combination
By JASON WHITLOCK
The Kansas City Star
File photo by AARON LINDBERG | The Kansas City Star
Tech N9ne at Sandstone in front of a hometown crowd.
Local rapper Tech N9ne’s decadelong battle for national respect and mainstream success elevated to an unprecedented plateau last week.
The 36-year-old independent rapper’s newest CD, “Killer,” charted at No. 12 on the latest Billboard top 200, selling an impressive 36,200 units in its first week. The 32-track double CD is the nation’s No. 1 indie album, the No. 4 hip-hop CD behind Lil Wayne, G-Unit and Three 6 Mafia and puts Tech on the same platform as some of the biggest names in the music industry.
“It’s wonderful to be amongst the likes of Lil Wayne, Kid Rock and Rihanna,” said Tech N9ne, who co-owns the Blue Springs-based label Strange Music that puts out his music. “We’ve been working hard to get here for a long time. This is just the beginning. There are bigger and better things to come from Tech N9ne and Strange Music. Just watch — here we come.”
In an industry severely damaged by the economy and digital file sharing, Tech N9ne’s ability to gain Billboard traction is rather remarkable. His music gets very little national radio airplay and virtually no video support from star-makers MTV and BET.
Despite that, “Killer” sold 14,000 more copies during its debut release than Tech N9ne’s 2006 studio album, “Everready” — a sign indicating Strange Music’s brand is growing stronger. Some industry insiders have pegged Strange as the new millennium No Limit Records, the Master P-run label that exploded out of Louisiana in the 1990s.
The strong showing of “Killer” comes on the heels of Minneapolis independent rap group Atmosphere making industrywide news in May, selling 36,500 units and cracking the Billboard Top 5 with its most recent release, “When Life Gives You Lemons.” Like Strange Music, Atmosphere’s label, Rhymesayers, has figured out how to move units and grow a rabid fan base while being ignored by radio and TV.
“We tour harder (and more often) than any other rap act,” said Travis O’Guin, Strange Music founder and president. “We evolve our merchandise to maintain strong sales, and we have an incredible internet presence with MySpace, Facebook, YouTube and other sites. These things allow us to reach out to fans, to bring the music to them and to keep them excited and involved.”
Strange Music’s independence from a major label creates the artist freedom that allows Tech N9ne to produce some of the most diverse music in the rap genre. Tech N9ne’s rap style defies definition. He bounces from traditional MC to storyteller to rock/rap to gangsta to dance/party to social commentator song to song.
“The major labels force their A&R people on the artists,” said Brian Shafton, president of Los Angeles’ RBC Records, a management consulting firm for music labels. “The majors force producers on the artist. That’s why much of the music sounds stale, the same. An independent artist can do, say, write whatever he believes. They can communicate what they want rather than what a corporation thinks needs to be said.”
What’s next for Tech N9ne and Strange Music is the shooting of a video for the single “Everybody Move,” and then some touring, followed by the release of albums by labelmates Skatterman and Snug Brim and Kutt Calhoun.
Tech N9ne, his label a killer combination
By JASON WHITLOCK
The Kansas City Star
File photo by AARON LINDBERG | The Kansas City Star
Tech N9ne at Sandstone in front of a hometown crowd.
Local rapper Tech N9ne’s decadelong battle for national respect and mainstream success elevated to an unprecedented plateau last week.
The 36-year-old independent rapper’s newest CD, “Killer,” charted at No. 12 on the latest Billboard top 200, selling an impressive 36,200 units in its first week. The 32-track double CD is the nation’s No. 1 indie album, the No. 4 hip-hop CD behind Lil Wayne, G-Unit and Three 6 Mafia and puts Tech on the same platform as some of the biggest names in the music industry.
“It’s wonderful to be amongst the likes of Lil Wayne, Kid Rock and Rihanna,” said Tech N9ne, who co-owns the Blue Springs-based label Strange Music that puts out his music. “We’ve been working hard to get here for a long time. This is just the beginning. There are bigger and better things to come from Tech N9ne and Strange Music. Just watch — here we come.”
In an industry severely damaged by the economy and digital file sharing, Tech N9ne’s ability to gain Billboard traction is rather remarkable. His music gets very little national radio airplay and virtually no video support from star-makers MTV and BET.
Despite that, “Killer” sold 14,000 more copies during its debut release than Tech N9ne’s 2006 studio album, “Everready” — a sign indicating Strange Music’s brand is growing stronger. Some industry insiders have pegged Strange as the new millennium No Limit Records, the Master P-run label that exploded out of Louisiana in the 1990s.
The strong showing of “Killer” comes on the heels of Minneapolis independent rap group Atmosphere making industrywide news in May, selling 36,500 units and cracking the Billboard Top 5 with its most recent release, “When Life Gives You Lemons.” Like Strange Music, Atmosphere’s label, Rhymesayers, has figured out how to move units and grow a rabid fan base while being ignored by radio and TV.
“We tour harder (and more often) than any other rap act,” said Travis O’Guin, Strange Music founder and president. “We evolve our merchandise to maintain strong sales, and we have an incredible internet presence with MySpace, Facebook, YouTube and other sites. These things allow us to reach out to fans, to bring the music to them and to keep them excited and involved.”
Strange Music’s independence from a major label creates the artist freedom that allows Tech N9ne to produce some of the most diverse music in the rap genre. Tech N9ne’s rap style defies definition. He bounces from traditional MC to storyteller to rock/rap to gangsta to dance/party to social commentator song to song.
“The major labels force their A&R people on the artists,” said Brian Shafton, president of Los Angeles’ RBC Records, a management consulting firm for music labels. “The majors force producers on the artist. That’s why much of the music sounds stale, the same. An independent artist can do, say, write whatever he believes. They can communicate what they want rather than what a corporation thinks needs to be said.”
What’s next for Tech N9ne and Strange Music is the shooting of a video for the single “Everybody Move,” and then some touring, followed by the release of albums by labelmates Skatterman and Snug Brim and Kutt Calhoun.
