So we had to show them what to do with a black dude with a painted face and red, spiked hair. Got my third deal in '99 with Interscope and JCOR. Got my second record deal in '97 with Quincy Jones. I got my first record deal in '93 with Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis. TECH N9NE: '85 I wrote my first rhyme, but I started doing it professionally in '90. Thanks for having me, man.ĪLI: Man, you've been in the business for a long, long, long time.

We hope you enjoy this episode - we definitely enjoyed making it for you.ĪLI SHAHEED MUHAMMAD: It's good to have you here. Our interview winds through the highs and lows of Tech’s work and personal life, especially where those aspects intersect, and we end with Tech proclaiming his new album, called Planet, the best he’s ever made. As Ali know,s it can be a tricky balancing act to satisfy the people who love your work, and support the people who rely on you, but also take care of yourself. His fanbase is vast and vocal, and Tech is so connected to them that sometimes their demands on his time and creativity weigh him down. It wasn't until he formed his own record label, Strange Music, that he began to chart his own course, which has made him consistently, to this day, one of the highest paid acts in hip-hop. He started out in his hometown, Kansas City, and then he caught the ear of huge, national superstars with major label backing, like Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, and then Quincy Jones, who have a lot of expertise in their thing, but whose organizations didn't really know what to do with somebody like Tech N9ne - somebody who’s an objectively superior technical rapper with really evocative stories, but who also has spiked red hair and a painted face and just is in the midwest. We’re really happy that our first episode of Microphone Check on Spotify is with Tech N9ne, because he’s an individual who isn’t afraid to talk about real life, things like divorce and disappointment and how to create from a perspective of care.Īnd because his career, which is now in its third decade, traces the evolution of the rap industry.

LISTEN TO MICROPHONE CHECK: TECH N9NE ON SPOTIFY.

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