This is one of the Best Interview I've ever read from Tech. He talks about Chicago and Kansas City connection. And why KC is more like the Bay....
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http://chibangin.invisionzone.com/index.php?showtopic=3860
(*) Indicates credit to each member's question
Q: What label is “EverReady The Religion” dropping on? (*Face97)
A: The album's dropping on Strange Music/Universal/Fontana. I wouldn't have it any other kinda way without having 100% creative control. I would not have anybody tellin' me what direction to go or which way I gotta look or which way I gotta sound. That's why we choose the independent route and have Universal distribution, because I can't stand to have some kinda other suit tryin' to tell me I can't say that or I can't do that.
Q: What are some of the guest appearances on "EverReady"? (*123456)
A: We have E-40 on a song called Jellysickle. I met E-40 years ago back in the day when the clique first came out. They did like a little Midwest tour and I was with ‘em. I ran back into him back a little around '97 when I hooked up with Yukmouth. Yukmouth always been E-40 and them's family you know what I'm sizzlin'? So 40 came through and did that for me out of love, because at the height of his career, he didn't have to come down and do nothin' for me, but he did. I love him for that you know what I'm sizzling? Later on in the album I got this song called My World and it's featuring Brotha Lynch Hung and my boy Dalima. Brotha Lynch murdered it. If you're familiar with Brotha Lynch, you'll know when you hear this, this is something brand new from Brotha Lynch and it's insanely beautiful mayn. I had to have 3 lyrical killers on the song….Brotha Lynch the first verse, Dalima the second verse and me the third verse. All 3 different planets colliding, so it's wonderful.
Q: Did you work with Traxster in the studio or did he just send you the beat? (*tecca)
A: Traxster actually sent me some beats. I was stationed in L.A. at the time and my boy Soren Baker hooked me up with Trax. We came down there and kicked it with Traxster and E.C.illa, checking out E.C.illa ya know what I'm sizzlin'? They showed me a lot of love mayn. I went to Traxster's studio, they took me to some famous barbeque spot out there. I forgot what it's called. I hooked up with Traxster through Soren Baker and it's been tight ever since. I heard he got some new beats for me. He did ‘My World' and it's monstrous man. It's one of the gems on my album. He ain't even heard it yet. We got to send him a copy of the album, because I just got the first copy back. It's wonderful. He came through for me on ‘My World' because that is a gem on my album ya dig?
Q: I know you've explained why you haven't been as financially successful as other rappers, but can you think of anything you can do differently that will help bring you out to the mainstream? (*Sokratez)
A: I'ma tell you what Quincy Jones told me in '97. When I signed with Quincy in '97 on Quest and Warner Bros., he sat me down in his house in Bel Air, California and told me “Tech always rap what you know. If you rap what you know, people will forever feel you.” So what I learned, is that I can only give myself man no matter what comes with it. Whether it be the red hair, without the red hair, with the paint on my face or without the paint on my face, I'm three dimensional. I'm the king, the clown and the G. So if me is not enough, then I'm in trouble because that's all I can give brotha.
Q: Do you feel EverReady will be your international breakthrough? (*Face97)
A: I truly do. I believe “EverReady” is my best work ever and that's big to say next to “Anghellic“and “Absolute Power”. I think internationally it's been growing since Anghellic. We wouldn't have been able to go over to Melbourne , Australia , Sydney , Australia and then New Zealand . We just got back from Denmark too, it's been spreadin' like a forest fire. I'm doin' stuff with cats over in Turkey . A guy by the name of Chaza just sent me the CD that I did with him awhile back. I ain't never been to Turkey ya know what I'm sizzlin'? Kotton Mouth Kings talkin' bout takin' me to Japan . They said people feelin' me over there and I never been over there. We really been spreading internationally, but I think “EverReady” is gonna put the stamp on it.
Q: What or who inspired your fast rap style? (*FrumDay1)
A: I think it's when you think of the Midwest . Actually when I laid my first rhyme in '85, I was in 7 th grade man. I think with the Midwest , I try to put it all into perspective when I think of Twista, Bone Thugs N Harmony, Shawnna bussin', Eminem and all of us. We get it from every direction. We got the music from the East Coast, West Coast and Down South. We get it from everywhere and then being right here in the middle, that's musical overload, lyrical overload. So I'm thinking we have so much to say and less time to say it, so that's how it started. The first person I ever heard do somethin' with the flip of the tongue and made me wanna do it was Slick Rick. It was a song called ‘Lick the Balls' man and this the first time I'm ever sayin' this. I was like whoa, that's dope! So I started writing my raps like ‘bop bitty bop bitty bop', like a horse was trottin' or somethin'. When I first heard Twista he was in the Guiness Book of World Records. I was like wow, there's someone else who's on that shit. One thing 40 told me back in the day, he was like “I remember some cat tried to tell me I bit some of his (twista) stuff” He said “when we on this side of the planet thinkin' about somethin', somebody's doin't it somewhere else.” It's because we grew up in the same time frame, watched the same movies, TV shows and cartoons. It's a lot of similarities man and I love that about the Midwest from Crucial Conflict to Cap-1, everybody man. The flip of the tongue I think is cause we right in the middle and I love to be apart of it.
Q: ‘Yada, Yada, Yada' is probably one my favorite songs all time. The hook is incredible and the realism in which you speak is uncanny. What motivated you more than anything to get at an old friend like that? (*Sokratez)
A: Yada, Yada, Yada Yada was inspired by people doin' you dirty man. If anybody knows me personally, they know I'm a little piece of love and a pit full of demons. If we weren't a pit full of demons, then the soldiers would be over here partyin' with us at our shows then over there dyin' and shit. Day by day I write my life as it progresses, as it gets worse. Who ever does somethin' sideways to me is gon' hear it because that's all I can write is my feelings. I'm not one of those MC's that just records 60 songs and chooses 12 out of 60 and is like “okay that's the album”. No, I put my album together. I wrote 18 songs for this album, so I put 18 songs on there. So with Yada, Yada, Yada, when Don Juan came at me sideways, I had to speak on it. Keep in mind when you speak on things like that about niggas on the street, you gotta accept the consequence. When I'm writing that, I know what the consequences can be. I know that a nigga can see me on the street and handle me or get handled. I can only write what I know from my heart. ‘Yada Yada' was sparked by a nigga that was shady and I still feel the same way.
Q: Why don't you pursue 'Lejo' who was on the classic "Now Its On" to do a song, rather than waiting for him to come to you? (*Till Tha World Split )
A: It's hard when you doing more than a 150 shows a year all over the world. I lost my wife like that. We moved out to L.A. 2 years ago man and took a month for us to find our house. Once we found our house, that same week I had to go on a 56 city tour. When I got back man she felt like I was a stranger dog. We had been married for 9 years man, almost made it to 10. Everything ends with 9 with me, somehow some funny way God is a comedian. When I'm gone like that, Lejo still gon' be in the street doin' his thing, hustlin', whatever and I lost contact with him. I seen him at a club not too long ago and he was like “man I ain't even rappin' no more” and I'm like Lejo you too talented for that man and he's like “I'm getting my money on man”. You gotta keep in mind these are street niggas. With street niggas, if it don't happen real quick for ‘em, they on to the next thing. Luckily, I'm deep rooted in it, an MC. I did that Wake Up Show and all that MC shit. I don't do it no more, cause I put my mufuckin' time in. Everybody ain't deep rooted in rap like that. With Lejo he just got that talent to do it like crazy, but I ain't been able to find him man. I hope that we can do a ‘Now It's On '07' or somethin', I don't know man. I can only hope.
Q: Who is the producer(s) that gave you those strong horns, where when you hear those songs they make you 'think' of Kansas City by that eerie/gritty sound which is Kansas City ? (*Till Tha World Split )
A: I think me and Don Juan were a good pair. I told him I wanted to do ‘Psycho Bitch,' like hey man I got this idea to take the Michael Myers theme and put it on top of the beat of ‘Part Time Suckas' by KRS One and call it ‘Psycho Bitch'. Don Juan put that shit together beautiful. Also Icy Rock came through and gave me the eeriness of ‘This Ring' and Whiteboy Will came through with some shit like ‘Sinister Tech'. That was then, but now it gets even more eerie with Seven, my white homeboy from Wichita , Kansas came through and did ‘Come Gangsta' and ‘Sleeping Beauty' for me. He just did some sick shit for me mayn and its Tech N9ne to the 20th power with Seven ya dig? So I'm kickin' it like a donkey man.
Q: Why do so many Kansas City producers/artist try to 'emulate' or 'imitate' the bay sound, other than "were in the middle and take sounds from everywhere"? (*Till Tha World Split )
A: I don't know man it's kinda hard for me to say what brought Kansas City that Bay Area feel. When Mr. Flamboyant and E-40 hit in Kansas City …that was a long time ago. Niggas went crazy and ever since then it's just been Bay Area oriented. I think what Kansas City niggas adore about Bay Area niggas is the pimp, playa, hustla type of attitude and swagger. Niggas poppin' they collars and shit. I really can't pinpoint it for real, it just happened one day and been goin' ever since. “ Kansas City /The Bay Area”, ask them Bay Area niggas, they be down here.
Q: In my eyes you and Twista are the Midwests biggest rap Icons why haven't you all done a song together yet? (*Sokratez)
A: Twista actually came through for me on this album (EverReady), but it didn't make the album because I needed the protools before my deadline. He actually did the song, it's called ‘Welcome to the Midwest '. What perfect people to have on ‘Welcome to the Midwest ' than Tech N9ne and Twista just hittin' you with it from the get go. Twista came through and murdered it for me and they sent it back to me in mp3 so we can hear what he did. You know it's hard to get two bosses in the same spot at the same time as busy as Twista is and as many shows as I'm doing. I guess his manager Rawle couldn't get it back to us in time for our deadline. It ain't they fault because it's tight they makin' moves. It hurt me a little bit because my fans really wanted it to happen. I wanted it to happen and his fans wanted it to happen. The thing is, when we go after the single, it's gonna be like the third single. We gonna go ahead and put Twista, get the protools in time so we can mix it. We'll have it for the video man. You still gonna get it, just not on "EverReady" ya dig?
Q: How do you think the music differs from Chi compared to Kansas City ? (*wardedout)
A: I don't think that Chicago is the Bay Area. Kansas City is the Bay Area (laughs). That's why Luni Coleon can come down here and stay for a couple years. That's why Killa Tay can come here day in, day out. E-40 can come down and do concert after concert. It's ironic that Mac Dre died in Kansas City due to some street shit because they love him here. When you walk in the club everybody's gettin' hyphy, goin' stupid. It's crazy that Kansas City has more of a Bay Area feel. Now Chicago , it's kinda hard for me to pinpoint it because they got Twista and Common, that's two different spectrums. You got Kanye West, it's so much comin' from there. I can't really pinpoint Chicago , it's so damn diverse. Now Kansas City is diverse too, but the majority is gangsta Bay Area shit. I swear to God, I think that's the difference.
Q: Why did you wanna do a Q&A on a Chicago site? (*chief enforcer)
A: My music is for everybody. When I say that, I don't just say that as being cocky or whatever, but Tech N9ne is everything. That's what my name means, T-E-C-H, short for “technique”. The number 9….the number of completion…9 months completes a pregnancy…”the whole 9 yards”…”a cat has 9 lives”. After 9 everything is doubled and tripled. I feel like people all over the world should get Tech N9ne and that is my mission. Why shouldn't Chicago get it if Chicago is apart of everybody and Tech N9ne is everything, why wouldn't I? Why wouldn't Chicago fans want to bang me? Because Chicago is apart of everyone and Tech N9ne is everything. My mission is to get it to the rest of the world.
Q: Who is the first Chicago artist you ever heard of? (*meanmug)
A: Man that's hard to say. Back in the early 90's (laughs) like '90, '91 I was down in New Orleans at the B.R.E. convention and we were stayin' at the Sheridan hotel. There was this cat by the name of Cabrini Joe. I didn't know what Cabrini meant then. He was hard and he had a strong voice like MC Ren. I was watchin' the nigga and he had rhinestones in his ball cap. That was the first time I ever saw some shit like that. He was a real playa type nigga, gangsta nigga ya know what I'm sizzlin'? I'm like where you from dog? I dig your flow. He was like “I'm from Chicago man, that's why they call me Cabrini Joe” I'm like what's Cabrini? He's like “Cabrini Greens, is like a projects there”. Later on when I saw “Candy Man”, I was like ahhhhhhh, Cabrini Greens. He was the first Chicago artist I heard of if I'm not mistaken. I could have my time off, because I don't know exactly when Common and Twista hit the streets. I heard from Twista when he was really really young and there was a song called Mista Tung Twista and he wore a black hat flipped up in the front. I heard about him, but I don't know what year it was.
Q: Any plans to collaborate with any other Chi artists Psycho Drama, Twista, etc.? (wardedout) / Any plans of working with any Chi artists besides Twista? (*tecca)
A: I'd love to do some more shit together with Twista. We'll murder together, murder together. Let me repeat, MURDER! I'd love to get some muthafuckin beats from Kanye West. He's so fuckin' talented, it's wonderful. I see Shawnna every once in awhile. We did a couple of shows with Luda . She gave me love like “what's up Tech”. Everytime I hear her on somethin' new, she gets better and better man. I always had in my head what female rappers I liked the best, but lately what I been hearin, I'm like damn, she bustin' like a nigga. I always loved that about a female rapper. I love the chicks that can be girlie, but bust like a nigga. Maybe I'll run into Shawnna soon, I think she's way talented man. It's a whole spectrum of niggas out there that's doin' something though. Those are my ones right off the top.
Q: Do you ever get writers block? If so, what do you do to get inspired? (*yungdash)
A: Hell nah, I never get writers block. I cured writers block years ago. For MC's that don't know, the cure is to read somethin' or have somethin' happen to you man. There's no such thing as writers block. The only block there can be is style block. There's no such thing in my eyes and my writing that blocks me from subject matter. If I'm stumped on subject matter, all I gotta do is call a family member, go out to the clubs or get with a bitch or somethin'. All I gotta do is go to the office and hear that the IRS is calling me saying that I owe them $9,000 or your baby's momma wants more money for child support, so you gotta go to court. You just have somethin' happen to you, there's no writers block.
Q: What the hell do you smoke to come up with the some the songs you write? (*chief enforcer)
A: (laughs) Believe it or not I stopped smokin' in '98. Yukmouth of the Luniz blew me out. Anybody who ever smoked with Yukmouth will understand why I would be able to say “Yukmouth smoked me the hell out”. Now I over did ecstasy in '99. I almost died, 15 pills in one night. So a lot of my fans know I dabbled with ecstasy, shrooms and acid from time to time. They know that, so that's what it is……sometimes. (laughs)
Q: Are you planning to tour on the East Coast? (*eklypised)
A: They puttin' it together right now as a matter of fact. I'm about to be up in Boston, Philadelphia andeverywhere. A lot of my fans been waiting on me because I ain't been there since the Jay-Z tour called the Liquid Mix tour. I ain't been to the East ever since and I know it's a lot of money up there waitin' on us. A lot of fans are like “when you comin' to visit us Tech, what the hell”. So I'm bout to be up there soon. I think it starts in November, so I'm bout to hit the East mayn.
Q: Do you have plans of signing a new deal with anyone? (*meanmug)
A: I am Strange Music, me and Travis O'Guin, we're partners. We split everything in half, so not only am I an artist, I'm part owner of Strange Music. Strange Music is me, so if I leave Strange Music, I leave myself. That's impossible. No, I won't be jumpin' ship away from myself, that makes no sense. This is gonna be very huge for me and Travis O'Guin this time out because we got no middle man, the Universal checks come straight to us. We ain't got no nigga runnin' tryin' to run with our money and you can't go kill him. You would kill him if he was in the street. That's the code of the street. If a nigga think somethin' wrong with his money, over $800,000, aw man off with his head. But in this business you can't because they'll take you away from your little ones. Everybody knows if Mark Cerami turned up dead with his head cut off, they gon' say Tech N9ne and them. It's gon' be an investigation and they gon' find me and Travis' DNA somewhere hittin' a nigga in the mouth breakin his teeth and I'm cuttin' my mufuckin knuckles. The next thing you know, I'm goin' up state and I can't be with my children, so you gotta let these niggas run with your money man? One of my songs on “EverReady” is called ‘This Is Me', the 20th selection on the album. I say: “It's like it's a trap…rap/when you spend your scratch/and you get with your partner on the coast and somehow you'll never get it back/and you can't get him with a gat/cause if you do that/the state will separate you from your brats/you aggress chillin with the killas and rats” You can't go get these mufuckas (major companies).
Q: If you could turn back the clock to change one important decision you made in your career - what would you do better, spoken from today's sight? (*Face97)
A: I wish I would have met Travis O'Guin before. I wouldn't have made as many mistakes as I did puttin' my trust in assholes….beasts….swindlers….cheaters. I wish I would have met Travis O'Guin back in '90. By now, we would have been on the Tech N9ne's Greatest Hits. I would have been an executive kickin' it like a donkey. I been fuckin' strivin' to be this cat for my children, they are the biggest Tech N9ne fans I know. I been strivin' to be huge for them, so I can take them to islands and show them new things. They're spoiled brats right now, but I love it.
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http://chibangin.invisionzone.com/index.php?showtopic=3860
(*) Indicates credit to each member's question
Q: What label is “EverReady The Religion” dropping on? (*Face97)
A: The album's dropping on Strange Music/Universal/Fontana. I wouldn't have it any other kinda way without having 100% creative control. I would not have anybody tellin' me what direction to go or which way I gotta look or which way I gotta sound. That's why we choose the independent route and have Universal distribution, because I can't stand to have some kinda other suit tryin' to tell me I can't say that or I can't do that.
Q: What are some of the guest appearances on "EverReady"? (*123456)
A: We have E-40 on a song called Jellysickle. I met E-40 years ago back in the day when the clique first came out. They did like a little Midwest tour and I was with ‘em. I ran back into him back a little around '97 when I hooked up with Yukmouth. Yukmouth always been E-40 and them's family you know what I'm sizzlin'? So 40 came through and did that for me out of love, because at the height of his career, he didn't have to come down and do nothin' for me, but he did. I love him for that you know what I'm sizzling? Later on in the album I got this song called My World and it's featuring Brotha Lynch Hung and my boy Dalima. Brotha Lynch murdered it. If you're familiar with Brotha Lynch, you'll know when you hear this, this is something brand new from Brotha Lynch and it's insanely beautiful mayn. I had to have 3 lyrical killers on the song….Brotha Lynch the first verse, Dalima the second verse and me the third verse. All 3 different planets colliding, so it's wonderful.
Q: Did you work with Traxster in the studio or did he just send you the beat? (*tecca)
A: Traxster actually sent me some beats. I was stationed in L.A. at the time and my boy Soren Baker hooked me up with Trax. We came down there and kicked it with Traxster and E.C.illa, checking out E.C.illa ya know what I'm sizzlin'? They showed me a lot of love mayn. I went to Traxster's studio, they took me to some famous barbeque spot out there. I forgot what it's called. I hooked up with Traxster through Soren Baker and it's been tight ever since. I heard he got some new beats for me. He did ‘My World' and it's monstrous man. It's one of the gems on my album. He ain't even heard it yet. We got to send him a copy of the album, because I just got the first copy back. It's wonderful. He came through for me on ‘My World' because that is a gem on my album ya dig?
Q: I know you've explained why you haven't been as financially successful as other rappers, but can you think of anything you can do differently that will help bring you out to the mainstream? (*Sokratez)
A: I'ma tell you what Quincy Jones told me in '97. When I signed with Quincy in '97 on Quest and Warner Bros., he sat me down in his house in Bel Air, California and told me “Tech always rap what you know. If you rap what you know, people will forever feel you.” So what I learned, is that I can only give myself man no matter what comes with it. Whether it be the red hair, without the red hair, with the paint on my face or without the paint on my face, I'm three dimensional. I'm the king, the clown and the G. So if me is not enough, then I'm in trouble because that's all I can give brotha.
Q: Do you feel EverReady will be your international breakthrough? (*Face97)
A: I truly do. I believe “EverReady” is my best work ever and that's big to say next to “Anghellic“and “Absolute Power”. I think internationally it's been growing since Anghellic. We wouldn't have been able to go over to Melbourne , Australia , Sydney , Australia and then New Zealand . We just got back from Denmark too, it's been spreadin' like a forest fire. I'm doin' stuff with cats over in Turkey . A guy by the name of Chaza just sent me the CD that I did with him awhile back. I ain't never been to Turkey ya know what I'm sizzlin'? Kotton Mouth Kings talkin' bout takin' me to Japan . They said people feelin' me over there and I never been over there. We really been spreading internationally, but I think “EverReady” is gonna put the stamp on it.
Q: What or who inspired your fast rap style? (*FrumDay1)
A: I think it's when you think of the Midwest . Actually when I laid my first rhyme in '85, I was in 7 th grade man. I think with the Midwest , I try to put it all into perspective when I think of Twista, Bone Thugs N Harmony, Shawnna bussin', Eminem and all of us. We get it from every direction. We got the music from the East Coast, West Coast and Down South. We get it from everywhere and then being right here in the middle, that's musical overload, lyrical overload. So I'm thinking we have so much to say and less time to say it, so that's how it started. The first person I ever heard do somethin' with the flip of the tongue and made me wanna do it was Slick Rick. It was a song called ‘Lick the Balls' man and this the first time I'm ever sayin' this. I was like whoa, that's dope! So I started writing my raps like ‘bop bitty bop bitty bop', like a horse was trottin' or somethin'. When I first heard Twista he was in the Guiness Book of World Records. I was like wow, there's someone else who's on that shit. One thing 40 told me back in the day, he was like “I remember some cat tried to tell me I bit some of his (twista) stuff” He said “when we on this side of the planet thinkin' about somethin', somebody's doin't it somewhere else.” It's because we grew up in the same time frame, watched the same movies, TV shows and cartoons. It's a lot of similarities man and I love that about the Midwest from Crucial Conflict to Cap-1, everybody man. The flip of the tongue I think is cause we right in the middle and I love to be apart of it.
Q: ‘Yada, Yada, Yada' is probably one my favorite songs all time. The hook is incredible and the realism in which you speak is uncanny. What motivated you more than anything to get at an old friend like that? (*Sokratez)
A: Yada, Yada, Yada Yada was inspired by people doin' you dirty man. If anybody knows me personally, they know I'm a little piece of love and a pit full of demons. If we weren't a pit full of demons, then the soldiers would be over here partyin' with us at our shows then over there dyin' and shit. Day by day I write my life as it progresses, as it gets worse. Who ever does somethin' sideways to me is gon' hear it because that's all I can write is my feelings. I'm not one of those MC's that just records 60 songs and chooses 12 out of 60 and is like “okay that's the album”. No, I put my album together. I wrote 18 songs for this album, so I put 18 songs on there. So with Yada, Yada, Yada, when Don Juan came at me sideways, I had to speak on it. Keep in mind when you speak on things like that about niggas on the street, you gotta accept the consequence. When I'm writing that, I know what the consequences can be. I know that a nigga can see me on the street and handle me or get handled. I can only write what I know from my heart. ‘Yada Yada' was sparked by a nigga that was shady and I still feel the same way.
Q: Why don't you pursue 'Lejo' who was on the classic "Now Its On" to do a song, rather than waiting for him to come to you? (*Till Tha World Split )
A: It's hard when you doing more than a 150 shows a year all over the world. I lost my wife like that. We moved out to L.A. 2 years ago man and took a month for us to find our house. Once we found our house, that same week I had to go on a 56 city tour. When I got back man she felt like I was a stranger dog. We had been married for 9 years man, almost made it to 10. Everything ends with 9 with me, somehow some funny way God is a comedian. When I'm gone like that, Lejo still gon' be in the street doin' his thing, hustlin', whatever and I lost contact with him. I seen him at a club not too long ago and he was like “man I ain't even rappin' no more” and I'm like Lejo you too talented for that man and he's like “I'm getting my money on man”. You gotta keep in mind these are street niggas. With street niggas, if it don't happen real quick for ‘em, they on to the next thing. Luckily, I'm deep rooted in it, an MC. I did that Wake Up Show and all that MC shit. I don't do it no more, cause I put my mufuckin' time in. Everybody ain't deep rooted in rap like that. With Lejo he just got that talent to do it like crazy, but I ain't been able to find him man. I hope that we can do a ‘Now It's On '07' or somethin', I don't know man. I can only hope.
Q: Who is the producer(s) that gave you those strong horns, where when you hear those songs they make you 'think' of Kansas City by that eerie/gritty sound which is Kansas City ? (*Till Tha World Split )
A: I think me and Don Juan were a good pair. I told him I wanted to do ‘Psycho Bitch,' like hey man I got this idea to take the Michael Myers theme and put it on top of the beat of ‘Part Time Suckas' by KRS One and call it ‘Psycho Bitch'. Don Juan put that shit together beautiful. Also Icy Rock came through and gave me the eeriness of ‘This Ring' and Whiteboy Will came through with some shit like ‘Sinister Tech'. That was then, but now it gets even more eerie with Seven, my white homeboy from Wichita , Kansas came through and did ‘Come Gangsta' and ‘Sleeping Beauty' for me. He just did some sick shit for me mayn and its Tech N9ne to the 20th power with Seven ya dig? So I'm kickin' it like a donkey man.
Q: Why do so many Kansas City producers/artist try to 'emulate' or 'imitate' the bay sound, other than "were in the middle and take sounds from everywhere"? (*Till Tha World Split )
A: I don't know man it's kinda hard for me to say what brought Kansas City that Bay Area feel. When Mr. Flamboyant and E-40 hit in Kansas City …that was a long time ago. Niggas went crazy and ever since then it's just been Bay Area oriented. I think what Kansas City niggas adore about Bay Area niggas is the pimp, playa, hustla type of attitude and swagger. Niggas poppin' they collars and shit. I really can't pinpoint it for real, it just happened one day and been goin' ever since. “ Kansas City /The Bay Area”, ask them Bay Area niggas, they be down here.
Q: In my eyes you and Twista are the Midwests biggest rap Icons why haven't you all done a song together yet? (*Sokratez)
A: Twista actually came through for me on this album (EverReady), but it didn't make the album because I needed the protools before my deadline. He actually did the song, it's called ‘Welcome to the Midwest '. What perfect people to have on ‘Welcome to the Midwest ' than Tech N9ne and Twista just hittin' you with it from the get go. Twista came through and murdered it for me and they sent it back to me in mp3 so we can hear what he did. You know it's hard to get two bosses in the same spot at the same time as busy as Twista is and as many shows as I'm doing. I guess his manager Rawle couldn't get it back to us in time for our deadline. It ain't they fault because it's tight they makin' moves. It hurt me a little bit because my fans really wanted it to happen. I wanted it to happen and his fans wanted it to happen. The thing is, when we go after the single, it's gonna be like the third single. We gonna go ahead and put Twista, get the protools in time so we can mix it. We'll have it for the video man. You still gonna get it, just not on "EverReady" ya dig?
Q: How do you think the music differs from Chi compared to Kansas City ? (*wardedout)
A: I don't think that Chicago is the Bay Area. Kansas City is the Bay Area (laughs). That's why Luni Coleon can come down here and stay for a couple years. That's why Killa Tay can come here day in, day out. E-40 can come down and do concert after concert. It's ironic that Mac Dre died in Kansas City due to some street shit because they love him here. When you walk in the club everybody's gettin' hyphy, goin' stupid. It's crazy that Kansas City has more of a Bay Area feel. Now Chicago , it's kinda hard for me to pinpoint it because they got Twista and Common, that's two different spectrums. You got Kanye West, it's so much comin' from there. I can't really pinpoint Chicago , it's so damn diverse. Now Kansas City is diverse too, but the majority is gangsta Bay Area shit. I swear to God, I think that's the difference.
Q: Why did you wanna do a Q&A on a Chicago site? (*chief enforcer)
A: My music is for everybody. When I say that, I don't just say that as being cocky or whatever, but Tech N9ne is everything. That's what my name means, T-E-C-H, short for “technique”. The number 9….the number of completion…9 months completes a pregnancy…”the whole 9 yards”…”a cat has 9 lives”. After 9 everything is doubled and tripled. I feel like people all over the world should get Tech N9ne and that is my mission. Why shouldn't Chicago get it if Chicago is apart of everybody and Tech N9ne is everything, why wouldn't I? Why wouldn't Chicago fans want to bang me? Because Chicago is apart of everyone and Tech N9ne is everything. My mission is to get it to the rest of the world.
Q: Who is the first Chicago artist you ever heard of? (*meanmug)
A: Man that's hard to say. Back in the early 90's (laughs) like '90, '91 I was down in New Orleans at the B.R.E. convention and we were stayin' at the Sheridan hotel. There was this cat by the name of Cabrini Joe. I didn't know what Cabrini meant then. He was hard and he had a strong voice like MC Ren. I was watchin' the nigga and he had rhinestones in his ball cap. That was the first time I ever saw some shit like that. He was a real playa type nigga, gangsta nigga ya know what I'm sizzlin'? I'm like where you from dog? I dig your flow. He was like “I'm from Chicago man, that's why they call me Cabrini Joe” I'm like what's Cabrini? He's like “Cabrini Greens, is like a projects there”. Later on when I saw “Candy Man”, I was like ahhhhhhh, Cabrini Greens. He was the first Chicago artist I heard of if I'm not mistaken. I could have my time off, because I don't know exactly when Common and Twista hit the streets. I heard from Twista when he was really really young and there was a song called Mista Tung Twista and he wore a black hat flipped up in the front. I heard about him, but I don't know what year it was.
Q: Any plans to collaborate with any other Chi artists Psycho Drama, Twista, etc.? (wardedout) / Any plans of working with any Chi artists besides Twista? (*tecca)
A: I'd love to do some more shit together with Twista. We'll murder together, murder together. Let me repeat, MURDER! I'd love to get some muthafuckin beats from Kanye West. He's so fuckin' talented, it's wonderful. I see Shawnna every once in awhile. We did a couple of shows with Luda . She gave me love like “what's up Tech”. Everytime I hear her on somethin' new, she gets better and better man. I always had in my head what female rappers I liked the best, but lately what I been hearin, I'm like damn, she bustin' like a nigga. I always loved that about a female rapper. I love the chicks that can be girlie, but bust like a nigga. Maybe I'll run into Shawnna soon, I think she's way talented man. It's a whole spectrum of niggas out there that's doin' something though. Those are my ones right off the top.
Q: Do you ever get writers block? If so, what do you do to get inspired? (*yungdash)
A: Hell nah, I never get writers block. I cured writers block years ago. For MC's that don't know, the cure is to read somethin' or have somethin' happen to you man. There's no such thing as writers block. The only block there can be is style block. There's no such thing in my eyes and my writing that blocks me from subject matter. If I'm stumped on subject matter, all I gotta do is call a family member, go out to the clubs or get with a bitch or somethin'. All I gotta do is go to the office and hear that the IRS is calling me saying that I owe them $9,000 or your baby's momma wants more money for child support, so you gotta go to court. You just have somethin' happen to you, there's no writers block.
Q: What the hell do you smoke to come up with the some the songs you write? (*chief enforcer)
A: (laughs) Believe it or not I stopped smokin' in '98. Yukmouth of the Luniz blew me out. Anybody who ever smoked with Yukmouth will understand why I would be able to say “Yukmouth smoked me the hell out”. Now I over did ecstasy in '99. I almost died, 15 pills in one night. So a lot of my fans know I dabbled with ecstasy, shrooms and acid from time to time. They know that, so that's what it is……sometimes. (laughs)
Q: Are you planning to tour on the East Coast? (*eklypised)
A: They puttin' it together right now as a matter of fact. I'm about to be up in Boston, Philadelphia andeverywhere. A lot of my fans been waiting on me because I ain't been there since the Jay-Z tour called the Liquid Mix tour. I ain't been to the East ever since and I know it's a lot of money up there waitin' on us. A lot of fans are like “when you comin' to visit us Tech, what the hell”. So I'm bout to be up there soon. I think it starts in November, so I'm bout to hit the East mayn.
Q: Do you have plans of signing a new deal with anyone? (*meanmug)
A: I am Strange Music, me and Travis O'Guin, we're partners. We split everything in half, so not only am I an artist, I'm part owner of Strange Music. Strange Music is me, so if I leave Strange Music, I leave myself. That's impossible. No, I won't be jumpin' ship away from myself, that makes no sense. This is gonna be very huge for me and Travis O'Guin this time out because we got no middle man, the Universal checks come straight to us. We ain't got no nigga runnin' tryin' to run with our money and you can't go kill him. You would kill him if he was in the street. That's the code of the street. If a nigga think somethin' wrong with his money, over $800,000, aw man off with his head. But in this business you can't because they'll take you away from your little ones. Everybody knows if Mark Cerami turned up dead with his head cut off, they gon' say Tech N9ne and them. It's gon' be an investigation and they gon' find me and Travis' DNA somewhere hittin' a nigga in the mouth breakin his teeth and I'm cuttin' my mufuckin knuckles. The next thing you know, I'm goin' up state and I can't be with my children, so you gotta let these niggas run with your money man? One of my songs on “EverReady” is called ‘This Is Me', the 20th selection on the album. I say: “It's like it's a trap…rap/when you spend your scratch/and you get with your partner on the coast and somehow you'll never get it back/and you can't get him with a gat/cause if you do that/the state will separate you from your brats/you aggress chillin with the killas and rats” You can't go get these mufuckas (major companies).
Q: If you could turn back the clock to change one important decision you made in your career - what would you do better, spoken from today's sight? (*Face97)
A: I wish I would have met Travis O'Guin before. I wouldn't have made as many mistakes as I did puttin' my trust in assholes….beasts….swindlers….cheaters. I wish I would have met Travis O'Guin back in '90. By now, we would have been on the Tech N9ne's Greatest Hits. I would have been an executive kickin' it like a donkey. I been fuckin' strivin' to be this cat for my children, they are the biggest Tech N9ne fans I know. I been strivin' to be huge for them, so I can take them to islands and show them new things. They're spoiled brats right now, but I love it.
We would like to thank Tech N9ne and the ChiBangin Community for helping make this ChiBangin.com interview possible! Anyone who was not able to be apart of this interview will have a chance to participate in future ChiBangin.com Q & A sessions. All past interviews are documented and archived in the Interviews Section here. Remember, what sets ChiBangin.com's interviews apart from other interviews is that YOU get to ask the questions to the artists!
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