The metal album Tech N9ne calls his favourite
Kansas City rapper Tech N9ne is one of the most prolific hip-hop artists from the Midwest. The lyricist helped popularise the Chopper subgenre of rap and hasn’t stopped making hits since he first emerged in the late-1990s.
As a member of The Regime collective alongside stars such as Yukmouth and Dru Down, Tech N9ne quickly rose up the ranks of rap and hasn’t been a mainstay in the culture. Having collaborated with the likes of Eminem, RZA, KRS-One, Kool G Rap and Xzibit, Yates is a well-respected figure and has cemented his place in the hip-hop history books.
Since his debut album in 1999, the Kansas rhymer has released 15 studio albums and has had a great amount of success with projects such as All 6’s and 7’s, which debuted at number four in the Billboard 200 and received critical acclaim across the board.
That said, the eclectic nature of his music can be traced back to the lyricist’s early days when he consumed a broad range of genres. From funk to rock and soul, the ‘Am I A Psycho?’ emcee had a diverse taste in music.
Following the release of his twelfth studio album, the rapper gave a sit-down, in-depth interview in which he unveiled some of his favourite projects of all time and recalled the impact they had upon him when he first heard them.
Concerning his character, Tech N9ne showed is not the jealous type as he recalled hearing his rap counterpart DMX for the first time in 1998 and loving his style. Recounting where he was when he first heard the late legend, N9ne detailed, “I remember riding out in L.A. and hearing ‘Ruff Ryders Anthem’ for the first time in the backseat of Yukmouth of the Luniz’s Navigator. All the rappers were listening to it because it was new. It was like a New York nigga that was flipping, and he had style and an aggressive flow.”
DMX’s hoarse tone and forceful delivery were something that no other rapper could achieve, and they were traits that made his music satisfyingly sinister. Recounting his reaction to the late Yonkers emcee, Tech N9ne continued, “I was like, ‘Damn! Dark Man X is always on dark shit!’ It’s crazy to see another nigga on that subliminal, crazy shit. And he had them banging ass beats by Swizz Beatz. That opened me up to Flesh of My Flesh, Blood of My Blood and all that shit.”
However, Tech N9ne’s love for dark music didn’t begin and end with DMX. In fact, it wasn’t restricted to just hip-hop. During his interview, the Kansas City native unveiled that he had a deep love for metal rock. More specifically, Slipknot and their self-titled 1999 album.
Tech loved the track ‘Wait And Bleed’ and appreciated the fusions of sounds that were featured in the project. Opening up about his experiences listening to Slipknot, the rhymer detailed, “That album was a mixture of everything from rap to rock. Corey [Taylor] was even rapping on that shit. I’ve been trying to get a song with Corey for a long time, but he’s always busy. But it will happen.”
As he concluded, he praised the band and their later albums, finishing, “It was like a clusterfuck, and I loved that about Slipknot. That’s why I became a fan. That first album opened me up to their other shit, like Vol. 3 (Subliminal Verses), and I love that album too. But their first album had ‘Wait and Bleed’ on it, and it caught me immediately. It’s just hardcore music. They sing, they yell. I love Slipknot. When I first saw them, I was like, ‘Wow! More psycho motherfuckers like myself!’ I loved it.”