Q&A With Tech N9ne – How To Stay Bumpin With Promo Independently

Tech N9ne  is an American rapper from Kansas City, Missouri. In 1999, Yates and Travis O’Guin founded the record label Strange Music. Throughout his career, Yates has sold over one million albums and has had his music featured in film, television, and video games. In 2009, he won the Left Field Woodie award at the mtvU Woodie Awards. His stage name originated from the TEC-9 semi-automatic handgun, given to him by rapper Black Walt due to his fast rhyming style. Yates later applied a deeper meaning to the name, claiming that it stands for the complete technique of rhyme, with ‘tech’ meaning technique and ‘nine’ representing the number of completion.

WWSMAG: How’d you get the name Tech N9ne?
TN: An OG from Kansas City gave me the name back in ’88. It stuck with me, I never changed it.

How’s the Strange Music promotion going?
We got people on the streets everywhere. We got street promotion, billboards, fliers, hand to hand fliers, everything. We in the streets mayne.

So when did you get your actual start? Like when did you start rapping for real?
Seventh grade, I let someone listen to me rap for real. Before that I was beat boxing, pop locking and breakdancing.

So did you ever have a regular nine to five?
I worked at a bunch of different restaurants starting at age 14, then I did a bunch of odd jobs with my uncle cleaning hospitals and shit. I sold a little dope after that, and I stopped. I couldn’t do it, it wasn’t me. I wasn’t a natural dope boy at all. I’m a flow boy as you can see.

How do you feel about the new phase of self-promotion in the music industry today?
I love it, if it wasn’t for twitter my project wouldn’t have blown up like it did. All the collaborations were from twitter and Facebook. Thank God for it. It’s easier for the kids these days; we didn’t have technology like that, where you can put something on YouTube and get a million hits. It’s a lot easier to get heard by people. I was in LA last month, at a wonderful hotel, and I was in the lobby eating, and Danny Glover walked by. I was like “oh shit” and he looked at me and said “hey man.” I was like, damn, Danny Glover just spoke to me. The next day on Twitter, I got a tweet from him saying “hey Tech, it was nice to meet you.” Now if I need Danny Glover for something, I can just tweet him. Technology is crazy. I’m forty; I’ve been around since the analog days. I’m late in all the apps and shit, but I love twitter though.

So I know you get a lot of video play, but I barely hear you on the radio, why?
Man, I get no love from the radio.

Would you recommend staying independent, or trying to get signed to a major label?
Whatever you can do. I don’t see any other way, but staying independent. Getting your own money, being in control of your own destiny, but whatever way you can get it, get it.

If you had a chance, would you get sign to a major label?
No. The only thing we need is radio promotion. Everything else is set.

What’s the best way to promote yourself?
Touring, music, merchandise, stay on the road. That the way to do it. Be knocking on people’s doors “hello, hello, I’m here, I got a show.” Stay on the road and let the fans know you’re here. But, make sure the music is good. People love music that has a pulse. Keep it banging.