I will assume that this is the first time for many that forumers here have seen this interview..
http://www.411mania.com/music/columns/69607/411-Music-Interview:--Tech-N9ne.htm
411 Music Interview: Tech N9ne
Posted by Tony Farinella on 02.22.2008
411's Tony Farinella sits down with Kansas City's Tech N9ne for an exclusive interview!
In my interview with Tech N9ne, he describes himself as inside out, and when you talk to him, it's easy to see what he's talking about. He's raw, real, and very, very honest. In his career, he's collaborated with some of the biggest names in hip-hop. He also helped put together a lot of the music in Alpha Dog. Needless to say, Tech N9ne is not afraid to try out anything in the music business. In my interview with Tech N9ne, we talked about his career, Kansas City, American Idol, and a whole lot more.
TONY: When you first started out in the music industry, did you ever envision having this kind of success?
Tech N9ne: When I set out to do this Tech N9ne thing, I planned for it to be for the whole world. I wanted it to be a style that everybody could feel. I wanted it to be for everybody, and that's what the name means. And I have expectations that supersede where I am right now, because the object is to get it to the rest of the world. And we've been doing it. It's speeding up rapidly, and it's growing like a forest fire, but if I went to Japan right now, they wouldn't be in a frenzy. And that's what I'm trying to do. I'm trying to do this globally. So, when I started this, yes, I wanted to get it to the rest of the people. It's not a cocky thing ... it's just that I feel like I have a story, and over the years as I've grown wiser, a lot of my stories have matured. I really feel like they need to hear my stories now. I just wrote a song last night called Hope for a Higher Power. And everybody's always been questioning the bible, but if people find out that the laws are bogus, what's gonna keep law and order? My stories have matured, and I really want to get them to the rest of the world now.
TONY: Everyone knows that you love Kansas City, and you're proud of the fact that you grew up in Kansas City. Why is that so important to you?
Tech N9ne: Kansas City is my comfort zone. My mother is here, my whole family is here, and this is what I know like the back of my hand. I have a place in L.A. and I've been there for years, but it's nothing like the feeling that I feel when I'm in Kansas City. And I don't feel like I'm at home in LA. I feel like this is home, and I can come to Kansas City and visit my aunts, uncles, and cousins and mother. And before my grandmother passed, she was here. We migrated from Texas, years ago, before I was born I guess, and this is where we stay, this is where we lay, and this is my comfort zone. And that's why I speak on Kansas City so highly, because I'm totally comfortable here. People say I shouldn't be, because they call it killer city ... everybody's dying like crazy, and I'm high profile, but this is my comfort zone, and I have no worries, because I have a lot of love here .. just as well as hate, but not as much hate as love. This is my family, this is my love, and this is my comfort zone.
TONY: In the past couple of years, we've been hearing an awful lot about the Kansas City entertainment scene. I mean, you're from Kansas City and so is the director of the Saw films. Do you think Kansas City is starting to finally get some respect?
Tech N9ne: I think so, man. A lot more people are starting to look toward us. I think that Tech N9ne makes 'em see something different, but when Nelly and Chingy and all those people popped from St. Louis, which is just three hours away from Kansas City, that made people open their eyes a lot, because those were big numbers coming from those places. And then when they see Tech N9ne and they see something totally different, they're like, "Wow. What the hell is going on in Missouri?" So, yeah, I think it's making a lot of people look toward Missouri.
TONY: I'm sure it's so hard to describe, but what is it about the musical process that you enjoy so much?
Tech N9ne: The beats. I am not a producer when it comes to beats. Of course I have beats in my head, like the beat Riotmaker came out of my head in a dream that I had, and I conveyed that to a producer. But the beats mean everything to me, man. If there's no pulse, there's no life. What I mean by that is the beat has to bang and you have to be able to feel that beat. The beats are the things that inspire me to write when I write. When I first heard this beat that I heard last night for Hope for a Higher Power, as soon as I heard it, I knew that that was what I was gonna call it. The beats, they talk to me, man. It's crazy. I'm gonna tell you the process really quick: I'm speaking on this beat that I just wrote last night, Hope for a Higher Power for my new album Killer, and Travis, I came by the office and he gave me some new beat Cd's and said, "I want you to listen to these." So, I got in the car on my way to the studio, and he called me and said, "You gotta listen to number two, man." Travis has been around me for years, so he pretty much knows what I love, and I played number two, and I lost it. I called Travis up and said, "Travis, lock that in for me. I'm calling it Hope for a Higher Power." As soon as I heard it, that's what it told me to write. And that's how it happens to me. The beats talk to me. And if the beats don't talk to me, I won't choose it. They had this one called King, and it had the same sample that Puffy used for You Can Hate Me Now, and they just thought I would love it. And I'm like, "No, that's so me four years ago." And everybody was like, "How come you're not picking this beat?" But it didn't speak to me. And the beats have to speak to me. If there's no pulse and no life, people will not listen if that shit don't bang.
TONY: It seems like once music is in your blood, it never leaves you. Do you think that's the case for you?
Tech N9ne: I really do. I think that's why a lot of rappers when they say they're gonna retire, they come right back, because it's in your blood. Jay-Z can take a hiatus, Too Short can take a hiatus, Tech N9ne can take a hiatus, but it's in your blood, man. You see everybody else doing it, and you're like, "I'm a showoff, man." I can tell you a story in a weird ass style to make you wanna listen. And I don't know if I'll ever be able to stop doing that. I'm writing Killer like it's my last rap album, because I wanna do this rock 'n' roll thing called Kabosh. But, think about it, I'm gonna be doing the rap and then Kabosh. I'm not gonna be able to shake that. It's in your blood, and I think that goes for a lot of artists who consider themselves artists.
TONY: Talk to me a little bit about the importance of having a good live show.
Tech N9ne: The thing about the live show, man, is I had schooling. I went to Ice Cube concerts, LL Cool J concerts, Public Enemy concerts, N.W.A concerts. I've been to all those concerts. I mean, I saw James Brown, Roger Troutman. I haven't seen Michael Jackson at all, and I hate that I missed the Victory tour back then, but I got a lot of schooling in hip-hop from watching Public Enemy, N.W.A, so on and so forth. And that stuck with me. And I think that's why our fan base will come back to see us four times a year if they have to, because the shows keep changing. It's so important for an MC to be able to command a crowd. And a lot of MC's don't know that, because a lot of MC's probably don't look at themselves as MC's. They probably look at themselves like, "OK, I made a hit, so I gotta go out here and get on this stage and do thirty minutes and then go." A lot of 'em don't know any better, so you can't hate them for that, because a lot of these cats are young and they don't know what it means to really perform and really captivate a crowd, because a lot of these people you see on television, they don't tour as much as we do, and they don't tour as much as they should with hits like they have. And the labels, you think they would help them with that, but a lot of these youngsters, they don't know that they have to captivate a crowd. And people walk away saying, "Eh, I like the song, but the show was horrible." So a lot of them don't have that schooling that I was lucky to have. And I think it's very important to know how to captivate a crowd. And I do.
TONY: If you're going to collaborate with someone, what needs to stand out?
Tech N9ne: When I choose somebody for my albums, it's because I adore their music. It's not because, "Ohh, I'll get these big names on my album and maybe their fans will buy it." When I seek out to go get Ice Cube, when I seek out to go get Scarface, when I seek out to go get D-12 or Eminem, it's because I'm a fan of their music. I would love to do a song with Outkast, because I adore their music. I would love to do songs with Slipknot or System of a Down, because I love their music. Shinedown, I love their music. So, the people I reach out to are people that I know can do what I do or can hang with what I do, or I really respect what they do. Shawnna, the female rapper from DTP, I reached out to her this time, because she is treacherous on the mic. When I choose somebody, I don't choose them for name recognition ... I choose them for what they can do, because I adore what they do.
TONY: Talk to me a little bit about the importance of self-respect and standing by your beliefs.
Tech N9ne: You have to stand by your beliefs, because ... it's a song called Hip-Hop by Dead Prez that Dave Chappelle walked out to every night on his show. In that song, they say something like, "But then if you a liar-liar, pants on fire, wolf-crier, agent wit' a wire, I'm gon' know it when I play it." And the fans know fraudulent. So, if you contradict yourself in your song, people will know that you're fraudulent. My family raised me Christian and my mom married a Muslim when I was 12, so I had to stop eating pork, stop having Christmas, and it was hard on a kid. One thing that Islam taught me while I was there from 12-17 before I ran away, man, it taught me to always back up what you say, because people will dissect that. And I always have to rap what I know, and I always have to explain what I'm saying. And it's very important to have that self respect. When I say something in Absolute Power, I'll refer to it in later albums so people will know. And I'm not that meticulous where I can tell a lie and keep it going, because if you tell a lie, sooner or later, you're going to run into a brick wall. But it's very important to write what you know and mean what you say, because people are listening.
TONY: The thing I really admire about you is the fact that you express so much of yourself in your lyrics. When I listen to your music, I feel like I really know you. As an artist, how rewarding is that?
Tech N9ne: I'm inside out. I always tell the fans I'm inside out, and I think that's what they appreciate. What I mean by inside out is my insides are out here and I don't hide anything. Quincy Jones told me years ago, "Tech, always rap what you know, because people will forever respect you." What do I know better than anything? Myself. So, I'm inside out. If I go through some shit with my wife, I put it out there and talk about it. She hates it, she says people party to her pain, but I can't help it. I have to rap what I know and to be inside out, I think that's what made Tech N9ne. And human beings are the same people, which is different at the same time, but we all eat, drink, spit, shit, piss, cry. So, if I write something that's sentimental, a gang of people are gonna feel it, because they feel the same way and because we're so similar. I think it's wonderful that I chose to be the one that's inside out and open up to my fans. I'm not afraid to show my vulnerable side, and I'm not afraid to talk about how much I would love to cry. I have a song on my new album called One Good Time, where I'm talking about how I haven't been able to shed a tear since I was 14. And all the funerals I've been to, through the gang banging shit and everything, and all the deaths I've witnessed, which is the reason I don't go to funerals anymore, not being able to cry, and I'm not afraid to tell my fans, "If I could cry one good time, I could wash away my pain and maybe free my mind." I'm just inside out, man, and I can't think of any other way to be, bro.
TONY: As an artist, what motives you?
Tech N9ne: Life. Living life. I write my life, so, with that said, I write about the things I go through daily, or the things I went through in the past. Life. That's the one thing that drives me. I always tell people there's no such thing as writer's block. You can cure writer's block by reading a book or going out and having something happen to your ass. I can talk to my people, because I'm out there partying with them. Life is what teaches me what to write, and as my life progresses, that means I have more to talk about. I mean, think about it, this time I'm doing 32 songs, and I told my people on the website the other day, "I write my life, so if I'm doing 32 songs, that means I been living a hella life." I'm doing a lot of living. So I'm out here on tour, I'm out here with the fans, and I'm out here in the clubs. I'm everywhere, man, you know what I mean? Life teaches me what to write, and I go out there and have it happen to me. And that's what I think it is that drives me.
TONY: What do you think about shows like American Idol? Does it ever bother you that certain musicians have this golden opportunity that maybe you never had?
Tech N9ne: I thought about it back when it first started, but that's their thing, so I love that they're doing their thing to the fullest. But the thing is ... rap is one of the biggest forms of music in America, and they have nothing to do with rap. It's collaborated with country artists ... it's collaborated with rock 'n' roll . I mean, think of Aerosmith and Run DMC, Public Enemy and Anthrax, System of a Down and Wu-Tang, Nelly and Tim Mcgraw, you know what I mean, man? So, my only problem with American Idol is where is hip-hop? If this is American, everybody is influenced by hip-hop, whether it be commercials, Coca-Cola, Sprite, basketball, everything. If it's so American, where is the hip-hop? And if they had hip-hop, a lot of these singers wouldn't win. I don't hate on American Idol, I let them do their thing, they've produced some wonderful artists, but if it's so American, where's rap?
TONY: Talk to me a little bit about the importance of the Internet and communicating with your fans on Myspace.
Tech N9ne: It's so important to have a presence on the Internet. You had a lot of people that were against downloading, and we were the only people that told people to download Absolute Power for free, and then we guaranteed they would go buy it. And we won. No matter what the RIAA was saying at the time, we still did it, and if it wasn't for Myspace and all the Internet sites, we wouldn't have fans in Denmark or Australia, and we wouldn't be going to Canada on this next run we're doing with Paul Wall. It's very important for an artist to have a presence on the Internet, man, because I've gotten a lot of fans from that source, and it's growing like a forest fire. And I talk to them as much as I can to let them know that I'm right there with them, and I think it's very important for an artist, because it means record sales, merchandise sales, and longevity
TONY: Talk to me a little bit about some of your favorite collaborations. You have worked with so many great musicians, so I'm sure it's hard to pinpoint certain talent.
Tech N9ne: Roger Troutman, rest his soul. I listened to his music since I was a little boy, and I was able to do Twisted with him right here in Kansas City in my home boy's basement, and he was a really cool guy before he died. I look back on that. I look back on Detroit when D-12 took me in and showed me a lot of love. I look back when I did the Anthem with Eminem. And Rizza and Xzibit. The list goes on, man. It's a lot of high points in my life, but unfortunately the song that I did with 2pac, I wasn't able to be in the studio with him, because we were gonna do it when he was alive and then he died, and they called me and asked me if I still wanted to do it and sent the track to me, so I didn't get to actually be in the studio with him, but I met him a couple times from 1992 to 1993. I ran into him at clubs and talked to him, but I didn't get to really work with him in the studio together. But that was a huge opportunity for me. There's a lot things I can say. MC Ren from N.W.A, we did a song with Yukmouth together, and I was a big N.W.A fan, man. I've had a full life when it comes to collaboration, man, and I have a long road ahead of me. Who's to say if I'll ever get to do something with System of a Down and Slipknot and so on and so forth. And I'm looking forward to it, man.
TONY: What was it like working on Alpha Dog?
Tech N9ne: When Nick Cassavetes called the number on the back of our CD, Absolute Power, he loved my music so much, him and his wife, that they called us ... he's Italian, and he said, "I fucking love your music. I would really love for you to do my movie." So, we went out to L.A. to meet him, and he gave me the damn movie. He gave me this million dollar movie and had me fly it back to Kansas City to where I was scared to put it through the little thing at the airport, because I thought it would erase. I got back to Kansas City and I had no idea, I didn't tell him I didn't know how to score a movie, but I had friends like QD3, that's what they do, so when I got the movie, I called Quincy and said, "I just got this job with Nick Cassavetes, and I have no idea how to do it." And he was like, "Tech, it's easy ... it's Pro Tolls. Once you learn it, you're gonna love it." So he taught me how to do it, me and my boy, and we put a lot of that music into the movie, man. And it's about looking at the screen, feeling the scene, and creating music around it, man, and it was a weird thing how we did it. There's a lot of music in there that I did with the composers, where you don't even know it's me, because we did a lot of stuff for that movie, man, that a lot of people don't know we did. And the process is just looking at the scenery, and if you feel like you know music, you can place it there. Caribou Lou seemed like a perfect song to have at a party where the Skinhead guy came through looking for Johnny Truelove. And Slither, when they were in the hotel hiding, Truelove and his girl, and they're about to have sex, it was perfect for Slither. I can keep going, but it's all about the scenery. If you feel like you know music, you'll do it well. And I think we did it well.
Acknowledgements:
http://www.411mania.com/music/columns/69607/411-Music-Interview:--Tech-N9ne.htm
http://www.411mania.com/music/columns/69607/411-Music-Interview:--Tech-N9ne.htm
411 Music Interview: Tech N9ne
Posted by Tony Farinella on 02.22.2008
411's Tony Farinella sits down with Kansas City's Tech N9ne for an exclusive interview!
In my interview with Tech N9ne, he describes himself as inside out, and when you talk to him, it's easy to see what he's talking about. He's raw, real, and very, very honest. In his career, he's collaborated with some of the biggest names in hip-hop. He also helped put together a lot of the music in Alpha Dog. Needless to say, Tech N9ne is not afraid to try out anything in the music business. In my interview with Tech N9ne, we talked about his career, Kansas City, American Idol, and a whole lot more.
TONY: When you first started out in the music industry, did you ever envision having this kind of success?
Tech N9ne: When I set out to do this Tech N9ne thing, I planned for it to be for the whole world. I wanted it to be a style that everybody could feel. I wanted it to be for everybody, and that's what the name means. And I have expectations that supersede where I am right now, because the object is to get it to the rest of the world. And we've been doing it. It's speeding up rapidly, and it's growing like a forest fire, but if I went to Japan right now, they wouldn't be in a frenzy. And that's what I'm trying to do. I'm trying to do this globally. So, when I started this, yes, I wanted to get it to the rest of the people. It's not a cocky thing ... it's just that I feel like I have a story, and over the years as I've grown wiser, a lot of my stories have matured. I really feel like they need to hear my stories now. I just wrote a song last night called Hope for a Higher Power. And everybody's always been questioning the bible, but if people find out that the laws are bogus, what's gonna keep law and order? My stories have matured, and I really want to get them to the rest of the world now.
TONY: Everyone knows that you love Kansas City, and you're proud of the fact that you grew up in Kansas City. Why is that so important to you?
Tech N9ne: Kansas City is my comfort zone. My mother is here, my whole family is here, and this is what I know like the back of my hand. I have a place in L.A. and I've been there for years, but it's nothing like the feeling that I feel when I'm in Kansas City. And I don't feel like I'm at home in LA. I feel like this is home, and I can come to Kansas City and visit my aunts, uncles, and cousins and mother. And before my grandmother passed, she was here. We migrated from Texas, years ago, before I was born I guess, and this is where we stay, this is where we lay, and this is my comfort zone. And that's why I speak on Kansas City so highly, because I'm totally comfortable here. People say I shouldn't be, because they call it killer city ... everybody's dying like crazy, and I'm high profile, but this is my comfort zone, and I have no worries, because I have a lot of love here .. just as well as hate, but not as much hate as love. This is my family, this is my love, and this is my comfort zone.
TONY: In the past couple of years, we've been hearing an awful lot about the Kansas City entertainment scene. I mean, you're from Kansas City and so is the director of the Saw films. Do you think Kansas City is starting to finally get some respect?
Tech N9ne: I think so, man. A lot more people are starting to look toward us. I think that Tech N9ne makes 'em see something different, but when Nelly and Chingy and all those people popped from St. Louis, which is just three hours away from Kansas City, that made people open their eyes a lot, because those were big numbers coming from those places. And then when they see Tech N9ne and they see something totally different, they're like, "Wow. What the hell is going on in Missouri?" So, yeah, I think it's making a lot of people look toward Missouri.
TONY: I'm sure it's so hard to describe, but what is it about the musical process that you enjoy so much?
Tech N9ne: The beats. I am not a producer when it comes to beats. Of course I have beats in my head, like the beat Riotmaker came out of my head in a dream that I had, and I conveyed that to a producer. But the beats mean everything to me, man. If there's no pulse, there's no life. What I mean by that is the beat has to bang and you have to be able to feel that beat. The beats are the things that inspire me to write when I write. When I first heard this beat that I heard last night for Hope for a Higher Power, as soon as I heard it, I knew that that was what I was gonna call it. The beats, they talk to me, man. It's crazy. I'm gonna tell you the process really quick: I'm speaking on this beat that I just wrote last night, Hope for a Higher Power for my new album Killer, and Travis, I came by the office and he gave me some new beat Cd's and said, "I want you to listen to these." So, I got in the car on my way to the studio, and he called me and said, "You gotta listen to number two, man." Travis has been around me for years, so he pretty much knows what I love, and I played number two, and I lost it. I called Travis up and said, "Travis, lock that in for me. I'm calling it Hope for a Higher Power." As soon as I heard it, that's what it told me to write. And that's how it happens to me. The beats talk to me. And if the beats don't talk to me, I won't choose it. They had this one called King, and it had the same sample that Puffy used for You Can Hate Me Now, and they just thought I would love it. And I'm like, "No, that's so me four years ago." And everybody was like, "How come you're not picking this beat?" But it didn't speak to me. And the beats have to speak to me. If there's no pulse and no life, people will not listen if that shit don't bang.
TONY: It seems like once music is in your blood, it never leaves you. Do you think that's the case for you?
Tech N9ne: I really do. I think that's why a lot of rappers when they say they're gonna retire, they come right back, because it's in your blood. Jay-Z can take a hiatus, Too Short can take a hiatus, Tech N9ne can take a hiatus, but it's in your blood, man. You see everybody else doing it, and you're like, "I'm a showoff, man." I can tell you a story in a weird ass style to make you wanna listen. And I don't know if I'll ever be able to stop doing that. I'm writing Killer like it's my last rap album, because I wanna do this rock 'n' roll thing called Kabosh. But, think about it, I'm gonna be doing the rap and then Kabosh. I'm not gonna be able to shake that. It's in your blood, and I think that goes for a lot of artists who consider themselves artists.
TONY: Talk to me a little bit about the importance of having a good live show.
Tech N9ne: The thing about the live show, man, is I had schooling. I went to Ice Cube concerts, LL Cool J concerts, Public Enemy concerts, N.W.A concerts. I've been to all those concerts. I mean, I saw James Brown, Roger Troutman. I haven't seen Michael Jackson at all, and I hate that I missed the Victory tour back then, but I got a lot of schooling in hip-hop from watching Public Enemy, N.W.A, so on and so forth. And that stuck with me. And I think that's why our fan base will come back to see us four times a year if they have to, because the shows keep changing. It's so important for an MC to be able to command a crowd. And a lot of MC's don't know that, because a lot of MC's probably don't look at themselves as MC's. They probably look at themselves like, "OK, I made a hit, so I gotta go out here and get on this stage and do thirty minutes and then go." A lot of 'em don't know any better, so you can't hate them for that, because a lot of these cats are young and they don't know what it means to really perform and really captivate a crowd, because a lot of these people you see on television, they don't tour as much as we do, and they don't tour as much as they should with hits like they have. And the labels, you think they would help them with that, but a lot of these youngsters, they don't know that they have to captivate a crowd. And people walk away saying, "Eh, I like the song, but the show was horrible." So a lot of them don't have that schooling that I was lucky to have. And I think it's very important to know how to captivate a crowd. And I do.
TONY: If you're going to collaborate with someone, what needs to stand out?
Tech N9ne: When I choose somebody for my albums, it's because I adore their music. It's not because, "Ohh, I'll get these big names on my album and maybe their fans will buy it." When I seek out to go get Ice Cube, when I seek out to go get Scarface, when I seek out to go get D-12 or Eminem, it's because I'm a fan of their music. I would love to do a song with Outkast, because I adore their music. I would love to do songs with Slipknot or System of a Down, because I love their music. Shinedown, I love their music. So, the people I reach out to are people that I know can do what I do or can hang with what I do, or I really respect what they do. Shawnna, the female rapper from DTP, I reached out to her this time, because she is treacherous on the mic. When I choose somebody, I don't choose them for name recognition ... I choose them for what they can do, because I adore what they do.
TONY: Talk to me a little bit about the importance of self-respect and standing by your beliefs.
Tech N9ne: You have to stand by your beliefs, because ... it's a song called Hip-Hop by Dead Prez that Dave Chappelle walked out to every night on his show. In that song, they say something like, "But then if you a liar-liar, pants on fire, wolf-crier, agent wit' a wire, I'm gon' know it when I play it." And the fans know fraudulent. So, if you contradict yourself in your song, people will know that you're fraudulent. My family raised me Christian and my mom married a Muslim when I was 12, so I had to stop eating pork, stop having Christmas, and it was hard on a kid. One thing that Islam taught me while I was there from 12-17 before I ran away, man, it taught me to always back up what you say, because people will dissect that. And I always have to rap what I know, and I always have to explain what I'm saying. And it's very important to have that self respect. When I say something in Absolute Power, I'll refer to it in later albums so people will know. And I'm not that meticulous where I can tell a lie and keep it going, because if you tell a lie, sooner or later, you're going to run into a brick wall. But it's very important to write what you know and mean what you say, because people are listening.
TONY: The thing I really admire about you is the fact that you express so much of yourself in your lyrics. When I listen to your music, I feel like I really know you. As an artist, how rewarding is that?
Tech N9ne: I'm inside out. I always tell the fans I'm inside out, and I think that's what they appreciate. What I mean by inside out is my insides are out here and I don't hide anything. Quincy Jones told me years ago, "Tech, always rap what you know, because people will forever respect you." What do I know better than anything? Myself. So, I'm inside out. If I go through some shit with my wife, I put it out there and talk about it. She hates it, she says people party to her pain, but I can't help it. I have to rap what I know and to be inside out, I think that's what made Tech N9ne. And human beings are the same people, which is different at the same time, but we all eat, drink, spit, shit, piss, cry. So, if I write something that's sentimental, a gang of people are gonna feel it, because they feel the same way and because we're so similar. I think it's wonderful that I chose to be the one that's inside out and open up to my fans. I'm not afraid to show my vulnerable side, and I'm not afraid to talk about how much I would love to cry. I have a song on my new album called One Good Time, where I'm talking about how I haven't been able to shed a tear since I was 14. And all the funerals I've been to, through the gang banging shit and everything, and all the deaths I've witnessed, which is the reason I don't go to funerals anymore, not being able to cry, and I'm not afraid to tell my fans, "If I could cry one good time, I could wash away my pain and maybe free my mind." I'm just inside out, man, and I can't think of any other way to be, bro.
TONY: As an artist, what motives you?
Tech N9ne: Life. Living life. I write my life, so, with that said, I write about the things I go through daily, or the things I went through in the past. Life. That's the one thing that drives me. I always tell people there's no such thing as writer's block. You can cure writer's block by reading a book or going out and having something happen to your ass. I can talk to my people, because I'm out there partying with them. Life is what teaches me what to write, and as my life progresses, that means I have more to talk about. I mean, think about it, this time I'm doing 32 songs, and I told my people on the website the other day, "I write my life, so if I'm doing 32 songs, that means I been living a hella life." I'm doing a lot of living. So I'm out here on tour, I'm out here with the fans, and I'm out here in the clubs. I'm everywhere, man, you know what I mean? Life teaches me what to write, and I go out there and have it happen to me. And that's what I think it is that drives me.
TONY: What do you think about shows like American Idol? Does it ever bother you that certain musicians have this golden opportunity that maybe you never had?
Tech N9ne: I thought about it back when it first started, but that's their thing, so I love that they're doing their thing to the fullest. But the thing is ... rap is one of the biggest forms of music in America, and they have nothing to do with rap. It's collaborated with country artists ... it's collaborated with rock 'n' roll . I mean, think of Aerosmith and Run DMC, Public Enemy and Anthrax, System of a Down and Wu-Tang, Nelly and Tim Mcgraw, you know what I mean, man? So, my only problem with American Idol is where is hip-hop? If this is American, everybody is influenced by hip-hop, whether it be commercials, Coca-Cola, Sprite, basketball, everything. If it's so American, where is the hip-hop? And if they had hip-hop, a lot of these singers wouldn't win. I don't hate on American Idol, I let them do their thing, they've produced some wonderful artists, but if it's so American, where's rap?
TONY: Talk to me a little bit about the importance of the Internet and communicating with your fans on Myspace.
Tech N9ne: It's so important to have a presence on the Internet. You had a lot of people that were against downloading, and we were the only people that told people to download Absolute Power for free, and then we guaranteed they would go buy it. And we won. No matter what the RIAA was saying at the time, we still did it, and if it wasn't for Myspace and all the Internet sites, we wouldn't have fans in Denmark or Australia, and we wouldn't be going to Canada on this next run we're doing with Paul Wall. It's very important for an artist to have a presence on the Internet, man, because I've gotten a lot of fans from that source, and it's growing like a forest fire. And I talk to them as much as I can to let them know that I'm right there with them, and I think it's very important for an artist, because it means record sales, merchandise sales, and longevity
TONY: Talk to me a little bit about some of your favorite collaborations. You have worked with so many great musicians, so I'm sure it's hard to pinpoint certain talent.
Tech N9ne: Roger Troutman, rest his soul. I listened to his music since I was a little boy, and I was able to do Twisted with him right here in Kansas City in my home boy's basement, and he was a really cool guy before he died. I look back on that. I look back on Detroit when D-12 took me in and showed me a lot of love. I look back when I did the Anthem with Eminem. And Rizza and Xzibit. The list goes on, man. It's a lot of high points in my life, but unfortunately the song that I did with 2pac, I wasn't able to be in the studio with him, because we were gonna do it when he was alive and then he died, and they called me and asked me if I still wanted to do it and sent the track to me, so I didn't get to actually be in the studio with him, but I met him a couple times from 1992 to 1993. I ran into him at clubs and talked to him, but I didn't get to really work with him in the studio together. But that was a huge opportunity for me. There's a lot things I can say. MC Ren from N.W.A, we did a song with Yukmouth together, and I was a big N.W.A fan, man. I've had a full life when it comes to collaboration, man, and I have a long road ahead of me. Who's to say if I'll ever get to do something with System of a Down and Slipknot and so on and so forth. And I'm looking forward to it, man.
TONY: What was it like working on Alpha Dog?
Tech N9ne: When Nick Cassavetes called the number on the back of our CD, Absolute Power, he loved my music so much, him and his wife, that they called us ... he's Italian, and he said, "I fucking love your music. I would really love for you to do my movie." So, we went out to L.A. to meet him, and he gave me the damn movie. He gave me this million dollar movie and had me fly it back to Kansas City to where I was scared to put it through the little thing at the airport, because I thought it would erase. I got back to Kansas City and I had no idea, I didn't tell him I didn't know how to score a movie, but I had friends like QD3, that's what they do, so when I got the movie, I called Quincy and said, "I just got this job with Nick Cassavetes, and I have no idea how to do it." And he was like, "Tech, it's easy ... it's Pro Tolls. Once you learn it, you're gonna love it." So he taught me how to do it, me and my boy, and we put a lot of that music into the movie, man. And it's about looking at the screen, feeling the scene, and creating music around it, man, and it was a weird thing how we did it. There's a lot of music in there that I did with the composers, where you don't even know it's me, because we did a lot of stuff for that movie, man, that a lot of people don't know we did. And the process is just looking at the scenery, and if you feel like you know music, you can place it there. Caribou Lou seemed like a perfect song to have at a party where the Skinhead guy came through looking for Johnny Truelove. And Slither, when they were in the hotel hiding, Truelove and his girl, and they're about to have sex, it was perfect for Slither. I can keep going, but it's all about the scenery. If you feel like you know music, you'll do it well. And I think we did it well.
Acknowledgements:
http://www.411mania.com/music/columns/69607/411-Music-Interview:--Tech-N9ne.htm
