Monday Guest

Summary

Dumb Blonde Podcast Episode: "Monday Guest" Featuring Tech N9ne

Release Date: April 21, 2025
Host: Bunnie XO
Guest: Tech N9ne (Travis Oguin)

---

1. Introduction and Guest Welcome

The episode kicks off with Bunnie XO enthusiastically welcoming Tech N9ne, highlighting his impressive journey in the music industry. [07:00]

Bunnie XO:
"Today, this man has built an empire, pushed the boundaries of independent rap, and outworked nearly everybody in the game. Mr. Tech Nine. Yes, ma'am in the house." [07:05]

Tech N9ne:
"Happy to be here, mama." [03:24]

---

2. Early Life and Upbringing

Tech N9ne delves into his childhood in Kansas City, Missouri, detailing his family's religious background and the challenges of growing up in a Christian household dominated by gospel music. [12:00]

Tech N9ne:
"My family, Christians, hardcore Christians. We live with my grandmother, my mother, her brothers and sisters lived in a house in the projects. 904 Michigan and Wayne Minor projects." [11:53]

---

3. Relationship with His Father and Family Influences

Tech discusses his sporadic relationship with his father, Carlton Cook, a LAPD officer who remained largely absent during his formative years. He credits his uncles and aunties for providing support and guidance.

Tech N9ne:
"I never felt a way about my dad at all. He was always tough, you know, and my uncles taught me a lot." [22:46]

---

4. Early Music and Dance Passion

From a young age, Tech was passionate about hip hop and dance, influenced by neighbors and the vibrant music scene adjacent to his home. His mother supported his interests, taking him to various cultural events that shaped his artistic expression. [13:35]

Tech N9ne:
"I was a dancer before I was writing rhymes, so I always wanted to do Michael Jackson." [13:07]

---

5. Struggles with Sexuality and Trauma

Tech candidly shares his experiences with early romantic encounters, including inappropriate relationships with a teacher during his teenage years. He reflects on how these experiences impacted his perception of relationships and personal growth.

Tech N9ne:
"I was in love, right, till she got married. We got caught by a student walking by." [36:55]

---

6. Meeting Travis and Starting Strange Music

The pivotal moment in the episode is the recounting of how Tech N9ne met Travis Oguin in 1998. Travis, with his business acumen, played a crucial role in helping Tech navigate the complexities of the music industry, leading to the founding of Strange Music.

Travis Oguin:
"I knew I wasn't gonna fail because I just can't accept failure. My wife never doubted me, but I couldn't stop." [93:29]

Tech N9ne:
"I love that you guys are doing this together. We built something from the ground up." [93:07]

---

7. Challenges in the Music Industry: Independent vs Mainstream

Tech and Travis discuss the hurdles they faced as an independent label, including financial strains and resistance from major labels. They emphasize the importance of retaining creative control and the benefits of being independent.

Travis Oguin:
"Distribution is constantly shifting and changing and how it's done. So, you just have to be smart and dissect the deals that are in front of you." [112:56]

Tech N9ne:
"If you work hard and perform, you actually get paid. There’s no middleman between us." [110:12]

---

8. Building the Fanbase: Juggalos and Metalheads

The conversation highlights the significance of the Juggalo community and metal fans in Tech's rise to prominence. Their unique and dedicated fanbase provided the support needed to sustain and grow Strange Music.

Travis Oguin:
"Their fan base was so intriguing to me because they were so devoted." [101:41]

Tech N9ne:
"2013 is when the Juggalos came and added a lot to our fan base." [103:38]

---

9. Touring and Performance Style

Tech elaborates on his intensive touring schedule, performing up to 250 shows a year. He shares insights into his high-energy performances, the physical demands of his style, and the strategies he employs to maintain vocal health and stamina.

Tech N9ne:
"We've done it so much that at the end of some tours, I've popped my gastrocnemius muscle on both sides from jumping." [127:38]

---

10. Struggles with Drugs and Sobriety

A deeply personal segment where Tech opens up about his past substance abuse, including heavy drinking and drug use during his early career. He discusses the turning point in 2006-2007 when he decided to embrace sobriety, influenced by concerns for his health and family.

Tech N9ne:
"Because Travis said, man, everybody's saying you're gonna die just like Jim Morrison, he said, I can't keep doing business with somebody that's gonna kill themselves." [132:57]

Bunnie XO:
"Congratulations on your sobriety." [138:49]

---

11. Tech N9ne's Creative Process and Upcoming Work

Tech provides an overview of his creative endeavors, including his upcoming album "5816 Forest," an audio series chronicling his life from ages 12 to 17. He emphasizes the therapeutic nature of his music and his commitment to authentic storytelling.

Tech N9ne:
"5816 Forest is an audio series with 17 episodes about my life on 5816 Forest from age 12 to 17." [153:03]

Bunnie XO:
"I can't wait for that." [153:20]

---

12. Closing Remarks and Future Aspirations

As the episode concludes, Tech and Travis reflect on their journey, the impact of their music on fans, and their aspirations for the future. Tech expresses no plans to retire, driven by his passion for music and the responsibility he feels towards his audience.

Tech N9ne:
"I still get excited when I hear good songs like that one I just saw Jelly do with his other guys." [55:04]

Travis Oguin:
"It's a journey to get to this point, and we're not stopping anytime soon." [95:09]

Bunnie XO:
"Thank you, Tech and Travis, for sharing your incredible story. We're excited to see your continued growth." [162:00]

---

Notable Quotes:

• Tech N9ne:
  "Quincy Jones told me, 'Rap what you know, and people will forever feel you.'" [39:00]
  "I transformed my pain into my music; it's therapeutic for me and my listeners." [47:09]

• Travis Oguin:
  "We were independent way before it was cool, way before it was sexy. We were independent out of necessity." [112:55]
  "The creative accounting that goes on with streaming and the way majors handle artists is twisted." [118:14]

---

Conclusion

This episode of Dumb Blonde provides an intimate look into Tech N9ne's life, from his challenging upbringing and early struggles with substance abuse to his triumphant rise in the independent music scene alongside Travis Oguin. Their candid discussions shed light on the complexities of the music industry, the importance of authentic fan connections, and the transformative power of music as a form of healing and expression.

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Note: Advertisements and promotional sections were excluded to focus solely on the podcast's main content.

Transcript

[Bunny]

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[Tech N9ne]

Happy to be here, mama.

[Bunny]

Dude, I'm so stoked you're here. I had a bucket list, and it was Dolly Parton, Joyce Meyers, and Tech9.

[Travis Oguin]

Whoa.

[Bunny]

I've done Dolly. Haven't done. Haven't done Joyce yet. And then I've finally got you here. So I'm just, like, so stoked. I know you're a busy man.

[Tech N9ne]

Oh, yeah. Gotta keep it that way. You know what I mean? Time waits for no man ever.

[Bunny]

My dad always says, rolling Stones gather no moss.

[Tech N9ne]

Oh, yeah.

[Bunny]

Yeah. So I've always lived my life by that, like. But I finally. And you know, now that I've gotten a little bit older, have learned how to kind of, like, slow it down a little bit.

[Tech N9ne]

But, yeah, we were just talking about vacationing, you know, taking some time for yourself.

[Bunny]

Yeah, I'm gonna go to Monaco and see the Harry Bush ladies that. That you were telling me about.

[Tech N9ne]

That they might not be alive now. You know, they were pretty old.

[Bunny]

Tech was telling me he just went to Monaco, and I was like. Or he told me you went to, like, Ibiza or something. I was like, did they have any nude beaches? And he's like, no, but we did go to one in Monaco.

[Tech N9ne]

Yeah, we went to one in Mon. And it's always really old people. Yeah, that. That are free.

[Bunny]

Yeah.

[Tech N9ne]

You know, it's not like on the movies you see. It's all young people, Perkins.

[Bunny]

The geezers have no shame. All right? And I think once you hit that age, you're allowed to just let it. You let your freak flag fly, and.

[Tech N9ne]

The dudes are never in. We always see the dudes from the Back, you know? You know.

[Bunny]

Oh, man, we don't just pass on the news.

[Tech N9ne]

It's like a place, like, right on the nude beach where you can sit down and eat and drink. You know what I mean? People are like, walking by. You're like, what.

[Bunny]

Who the Is eating on a nude beach?

[Tech N9ne]

Us.

[Bunny]

You know what? I can't. I can't even talk because I used to go to swingers clubs in Vegas and eat the buffet there.

[Tech N9ne]

Okay, well, let me tell you something about strip clubs. You know, strip club food. Yeah, I used to eat strip club food. You know, they have chefs in there making those steaks.

[Bunny]

Yeah. So I used to. I grew up in Vegas, so I used to work in the strip clubs in Vegas and some of them would have five star restaurants where we would have to wear, like, gowns to go sit with our guests in there. Food was fire, dude.

[Tech N9ne]

It's an establishment. They got to have the right food.

[Bunny]

I just feel like a nude beach, you know, with just all the. The bush flying around, would be a little weird.

[Tech N9ne]

That's exactly what you'll see. Bush. Bush.

[Bunny]

Yeah.

[Tech N9ne]

You see no young folks, no people in shape. I'm talking. This is. This is my experience, what I've seen over the years.

[Bunny]

Yeah.

[Tech N9ne]

Because I'm usually with people that say, hey, man, let's go to the new beach. I'm like, you don't want to see the new beach? Please, come on, let's go to the new beach. Okay, let's.

[Bunny]

You know, you don't gotta twist my arm.

[Tech N9ne]

You don't want to do it. It's not what they think. The ones I've seen. Yeah, I've seen. I've seen one. What's over the. What's. What's. What's that place over there, Travis. Where? St. Thomas. And it starts with an M. And if St. Martin. St. Martin. There you go. I seen one in St. Martin.

[Bunny]

Oh, we're going. We were actually gonna go there for my birthday. See, we gotta go. The nude beach is calling me. So they have one in St. Martin.

[Tech N9ne]

Yeah, we. We call it. We. I'm black. They call it Saint Martin.

[Bunny]

Okay. Okay. Oh, I don't know. Is it Martin or Martin.

[Tech N9ne]

I don't know, like Martin.

[Bunny]

Okay, I see. I might be pronouncing it wrong.

[Travis Oguin]

We.

[Tech N9ne]

Over in St. Martin.

[Bunny]

I'm not with the bougie shit, so I don't know. I've never been there. So it could be Saint Martin.

[Tech N9ne]

No, it's not good. A lot of people call it Saint Martin. We call it Saint Martin. Sorry.

[Bunny]

So did you go to the nude beach there? I. I'm. I'm curious.

[Tech N9ne]

We were at the place, eating. That's off the beach.

[Bunny]

Okay. You're always eating at these nude beaches, Zach. I'm seeing a pattern here.

[Tech N9ne]

That's funny. I'm Scorpio. But it has nothing to do with that. It's usually people with me. I know it sounds like an excuse. You know, it's just me just zeroing in on the nude beaches.

[Bunny]

No, no, no.

[Tech N9ne]

People with me that I take on tour with me, you know, they're like, hey, they got a nude beach. I'm not just touching down. Like, where are the nude beaches?

[Bunny]

Listen, I am. I'm that person. So it's okay. No shame.

[Tech N9ne]

But if you want to see it, you know what I'm saying? You go see it. It. What you think? Yeah.

[Bunny]

All right.

[Tech N9ne]

Well, from what I've seen, maybe somewhere in Dubai is different. I don't know.

[Bunny]

Maybe.

[Tech N9ne]

You know, maybe in Africa is different. I don't know.

[Bunny]

Have you been to Dubai yet?

[Tech N9ne]

Nope, not yet.

[Bunny]

I haven't either. But I heard the women out there are just to die for. Like, just beautiful, gorgeous.

[Tech N9ne]

Yeah, I found. I found mine in Puerto Rico.

[Bunny]

There you go. I love how much you love your girl.

[Tech N9ne]

Yeah, man.

[Bunny]

Every chance you get, you get to give her 10 years. 10 years? Yeah.

[Tech N9ne]

That's how we got married in our 10th year.

[Bunny]

Oh, my gosh. I love that. So you guys just recently got married?

[Tech N9ne]

Yeah, July 20th.

[Bunny]

Oh, congratulations.

[Tech N9ne]

We're newly wedged.

[Bunny]

Man, I love that.

[Tech N9ne]

But I think a lot of people, you know, they. The song said, why do fools fall in love? You know, people just. I don't. Only fools rush in and this, that, and other.

[Bunny]

Yeah.

[Tech N9ne]

I think what I learned from being married before, when I was 22 and I had those two babies at 22 that we were talking about earlier.

[Bunny]

Yep. And we're going to get into all that.

[Tech N9ne]

Yeah, yeah, yeah. I think I've. You know, we got married, of course, because we loved each other, but, you know, it was for our baby. You know, she's like, I want to have a baby. You know, I don't want to have a baby out of the wetlock type of thing. You know what I'm saying? But what I learned from then to now is I think that people don't take time with each other, you know, to date each other, and then, you know, it takes time to move in. Some people just jump right in, and you don't find out about each other, you know, I'M saying in a short period of time, like you should.

[Bunny]

No, you did it right. You did it right.

[Tech N9ne]

Different chemical levels and stuff. You know, saying that happen. Not just with women either. I'm just talking about with. No. Well, you know what I mean, you don't know if are crazy. You don't know nothing. You don't know what happens when she's PMSing. You don't know none of this.

[Bunny]

Yeah.

[Tech N9ne]

I'm saying if you don't put time and learn how to deal with it and not fight negative with negative. You know what I mean? I didn't know that when I was younger.

[Bunny]

Yeah. You have to learn your person.

[Tech N9ne]

Yeah.

[Bunny]

Jay and I actually got married 30 days after meeting each other and the first three years of our relationship. I don't know how we made it. Like, I talk about it on the podcast all the time. Like, it was so toxic because it was two people who. Two fucking strangers who from two different backgrounds. I'm a Vegas girl, he's a Nashville boy trying to figure out life together. And, you know, if I could go back and do it again, I would wait to get married and just kind of, you know, learn each other because people don't do that anymore. Like, it literally people. Everything is like. We're in the microwave era.

[Tech N9ne]

Yeah.

[Bunny]

So it's like everybody wants everything now, you know?

[Tech N9ne]

Right. Right.

[Bunny]

So you and your girl.

[Tech N9ne]

I heard somebody snoring, and I saw the dog. The dog?

[Bunny]

Yeah, he's right here.

[Tech N9ne]

In my mind. I was looking around like hell.

[Bunny]

Asleep.

[Tech N9ne]

Right.

[Bunny]

The co host.

[Tech N9ne]

I didn't want to lose contact with you, but, you know, but I'm like. In my mind, I'm like, who the hell is Nor?

[Bunny]

He's literally the co host.

[Tech N9ne]

I know that ain't Travis.

[Bunny]

No, it might be. He. He's. He's literally.

[Tech N9ne]

He's over there alone to throw your voice for your friends for their parties.

[Bunny]

Yeah. He's literally grown up in this chair. So he'll sit here the whole podcast, but you'll hear him snoring every once in a while. You'll see me shake him.

[Tech N9ne]

Sore doesn't snore.

[Bunny]

It's his house, so the snore doesn't come through.

[Tech N9ne]

Comfortable with your voice. And, you know, he's. He's comfor.

[Bunny]

That's my baby. So tech. I have done for the past two days nothing but research. You and you. He's like, okay. He got nervous. No, it's. You know, what did you find?

[Tech N9ne]

The drugs and the liquor and I.

[Bunny]

Found all of it. But.

[Tech N9ne]

And the women all over the world, did you find all that? I'm telling you, I had to grow out of.

[Bunny]

I'm telling you, though, I think you have such a testimony, and it really makes me understand you more. It makes me understand the music more. And I just want to take all of my listeners on that journey with you because it's really a beautiful ride that you've been on.

[Tech N9ne]

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Bunny]

Like, you have worked your ass off to be where you're at.

[Travis Oguin]

Totally.

[Bunny]

I mean, I think it's just so cool the. That you've gone through and that you've.

[Tech N9ne]

Risen from when you know you have something special inside. It don't matter how many obstacles are in your way.

[Bunny]

Yeah.

[Tech N9ne]

Because you push them out of the way.

[Bunny]

Yes.

[Tech N9ne]

And people that try to create the obstacles because they don't understand, you'll look back and they'll all be shaking your hand. I didn't mean to make that rhyme, but.

[Bunny]

No, it's just you're. You're a poet and didn't know it.

[Tech N9ne]

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Bunny]

But no, it's so real. So let's bring it back to your growing up in Kansas City. You grew up on the Missouri side, correct?

[Tech N9ne]

Born and raised in Kansas City, Missouri.

[Bunny]

Take me on that journey with you and your family and like, kind of like your. Your upbringing and your background.

[Tech N9ne]

Yeah, my family, Christians, hardcore Christians. You know, we live with my grandmother, my mother, her brothers and sisters lived in a house in the projects. 904 Michigan and Wayne Miner projects. You know what I mean? And I couldn't really listen to rap music in that house. It was all gospel, but I found rap next door at the Reese's house next door. My Uncle Ike and all them. I was. I was crazy about hip hop early on.

[Bunny]

So at a young age, you just knew that that was like instilled in your soul.

[Tech N9ne]

I was. I was born in Wayne Minor. From birth till 10 years old, we moved away. So from birth to 10, I was there in Wayne Minor and I found so much music outside of my house. But what really stuck with me was the hip hop that was coming from next door.

[Bunny]

Do you think that was because you weren't allowed to listen to secular music growing up?

[Tech N9ne]

I never thought about it like that. I just thought it was something that really made my hips hop, you know what I'm saying? Hip hop is about dancing. When you think about a hip hopping, you dancing. And I was a dancer before I was writing rhymes, so I always wanted to do Michael Jackson. And this is way after Wayne Miner, though. But, yeah, I wanted to, you know, do whatever dances I saw outside, you know, from the older people around me.

[Bunny]

When did you get into dance? Was that at a young age or Was that after 10?

[Tech N9ne]

I remember fourth grade, my mom buying me break dance clothing. You know, loose breakdance clothing with white gloves and everything and shoes. And me being in the talent show, pop locking to a song called Scorpio by Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five. Scorpio. Cause I was a Scorpio. I guess I was aware. I really liked the song Scorpio. Mama want to dance with Scorpio. I can't even picture that right now being in fourth grade saying, I want to dance with Sugar Hill Gang. Scorpio.

[Bunny]

I love it, though. I was doing a virgin at 5, so it's okay.

[Tech N9ne]

Oh, like a virgin?

[Bunny]

Yeah, yeah. I got in trouble. Listen, Madonna was huge in the 80s, okay?

[Tech N9ne]

I was in way minor. I was trying to kiss at 5.

[Bunny]

So I read about that. And if you could take me on this journey. So you grew up in this really religious household. Your grandma was very religious and, you know, you had that spiritual influence on you or. Religious influence.

[Tech N9ne]

Yes.

[Bunny]

But you had cousins that took you to a drive in theater.

[Tech N9ne]

No, that was my Uncle Ike.

[Bunny]

Okay, Uncle Ike.

[Tech N9ne]

That was my Uncle Ike.

[Bunny]

Uncle Ike.

[Tech N9ne]

Oh, you talking about it.

[Bunny]

Let's talk about Uncle Ike.

[Tech N9ne]

Uncle Ike. My savior, I swear. You know what I mean? He's still here today.

[Bunny]

Oh, awesome. I love that.

[Tech N9ne]

He took me to the drive in show with him and his friends on a. On a weekend. And I was so young. I was five. I was so young that they put me on the ground under their feet with like a rug or a towel over me or something on the floorboard. And they had their feet on my back to get me in. They got me in. I remember they let me up. They say, dante is. That's my middle name. Dante. You know what I'm saying? They call me Donnie for short. Like, Donnie. People gonna laugh that don't know my name is Donnie, you know? Yeah, but they say, donnie, don't piss yourself now. When you see what comes on the screen, I'm like, what are you talking about? And it was. It was triple X movie. And I remember it being Tarzan and Jane. And Jane just kept getting by these gorillas.

[Bunny]

But you're five.

[Tech N9ne]

Yes, yes, yes, yes.

[Bunny]

I mean, Uncle Ike, what the hell's going on?

[Tech N9ne]

He was young, too.

[Bunny]

Oh, okay.

[Tech N9ne]

I get it.

[Bunny]

So he didn't like.

[Tech N9ne]

He's like 62 now.

[Bunny]

Yeah, yeah.

[Tech N9ne]

So, yeah, he Was young too.

[Bunny]

Yeah.

[Tech N9ne]

So, you know, I remember.

[Bunny]

See that?

[Tech N9ne]

At first it was traumatizing.

[Bunny]

Right.

[Tech N9ne]

Because I remember it starting off and everything. I didn't know what was going on. I'm talking about they showing it going in and out and everything.

[Bunny]

I remember it like at the drive in movies.

[Tech N9ne]

Yeah.

[Bunny]

Cinderella at mine, Triple X.

[Tech N9ne]

You know what I'm saying? It's like after, after. After a certain time at night, they would show. Maybe it was Fairyland Drive in. I don't know. I forgot which one we went to because I was so young.

[Bunny]

Yeah. What a different time of life. Right.

[Tech N9ne]

They showed Triple X films after a certain time. Right. You don't know. Yes.

[Bunny]

Even Travis. Oh, damn.

[Tech N9ne]

Well, we're gonna look into that. Yeah, I was there.

[Bunny]

No, I believe you.

[Tech N9ne]

I'm talking about, like, at the drive in, the big screen. They snuck me in. You know what I mean?

[Bunny]

I know, and I 100 believe you. I just feel bad because at five, that's got to be a lot.

[Tech N9ne]

They were. They were creating a sexual monster, Right? Yeah, exactly. I didn't know it.

[Bunny]

Right.

[Tech N9ne]

You know what I'm saying? Paired with the Humphrey Brogard pictures on tv. You know what I'm saying? Here's looking at you, kid, and kissing and all that kind of thing. You know, I was trying that at five.

[Bunny]

Right.

[Tech N9ne]

You know?

[Bunny]

Well, you're acting out what you were learning, you know, you didn't know. Nobody told you, like, hey, this is wrong, or, hey, you're not supposed to feel these things or the influence from.

[Tech N9ne]

What I see, you know?

[Bunny]

Absolutely.

[Tech N9ne]

And that I didn't piss on myself like they said. But I remember. I remember Tarzan being upset that Jane kept on wanting to go out into the jungle and get by the gorillas.

[Bunny]

What a memory. What a memory. Do you feel like you took that with you through life, though? Like, how would I remember this? Like, to apply it, to tell it.

[Tech N9ne]

No, I would never want to be in the jungle. I don't know.

[Bunny]

He's like, no, no, no. But I mean, like, the possessiveness is what I mean. Like, you know how, like, you said Tarzan was possessed?

[Tech N9ne]

Never. Never have. They said Scorpios are jealous. That's never been me.

[Bunny]

Really?

[Tech N9ne]

I've never been jealous. You know, in my time before I hung my player jerseys up like tapestry. You know, I used to share women with my fellow friends.

[Bunny]

Yes.

[Tech N9ne]

You know, they're like, she was with me first. But if. You know, because sometimes people on tour, they love the circus.

[Bunny]

Oh, I know. Yes. I've been on tour with all the.

[Tech N9ne]

Boys and all the people in it. Even the bus driver.

[Bunny]

Really? The bus driver was getting action.

[Tech N9ne]

No, I ain't telling them no bus driver.

[Bunny]

I'm saying, I was like, damn, we gotta hook up.

[Tech N9ne]

Even the bus driver. You know what I'm saying? From what I witnessed, you know?

[Bunny]

Gotcha.

[Tech N9ne]

Nobody is left, you know?

[Bunny]

Yeah.

[Tech N9ne]

Unsatisfied. Unless they don't want to.

[Bunny]

Right, of course. Of course. All consensual.

[Tech N9ne]

That's the only thing about podcasts, you know, it turns into interrogation sometimes.

[Bunny]

No, no, no. Never, Never.

[Tech N9ne]

No, no, no. Not. Not from you. I'm long winded. Oh, no. So I get to talk.

[Bunny]

I love it.

[Tech N9ne]

But I'm saying. I was saying to finish what I was saying, I would share back then, you know, I mean, I was never a jealous Scorpio, you know, when I'm dating a woman or whatever. But it taught me later when I found my maturity, mid-40s. It took a while.

[Bunny]

Yeah.

[Tech N9ne]

I always say I met a morph. I met a morph. And that morph that I made in my life was maturity. And that's when I started feeling like I didn't want to share that energy with everybody.

[Bunny]

Right.

[Tech N9ne]

Anymore. It was a tour that I went on with JL and Joey and all these artists that we had on the label that they saw me breaking up with all my women all over the world, you know what I mean? Like, I found somebody. I want to try something different, you know, I never seen these women again. They were coming for just one thing, and it wasn't for a tech N show.

[Bunny]

Right.

[Tech N9ne]

You know?

[Bunny]

Yeah.

[Tech N9ne]

And it happened later on in my life, like I said, At 45, you know, respecting myself and feeling like I didn't want to share that with everybody anymore. Like, this dick ain't this dick ain't this dick ain't for free. You know, like Kendrick said, you know, and not that you can pay for it and get it.

[Bunny]

I'm just saying, I mean, if they could, it's all right. No, no, no, no, no, no. He said, no, no, no. So let's circle back to your childhood. Your dad was absent in your life, but he was lapd.

[Tech N9ne]

Yeah. Carlton Cook, rest his soul. Lapd.

[Bunny]

What was your relationship like with him?

[Tech N9ne]

I seen him every 10 years throughout my life, you know, Cuz, you know, my mom was 16 when she had me, and I guess my dad had several women in town, you know, and she was one of them. And I remember seeing him when I was like 6. I wrote on his. I wrote on his. I remember Riding on his motorcycle with him in the projects. Then he moved to la. I see him for some years. I seen him again when he. When I was 14. He would have parties at his mom's house in the hood. When he came home, they would celebrate Cook coming back home. And I would see him having different ethnicities of women on the couch, waiting to meet him upstairs. While he's with somebody upstairs. One would come down and the other one would go up. I watched it all night, you know, this is when I was 14. Atomic Dog was out at the time. I remember, you know, sneaking in the kitchen and drinking some of the liquor and stuff, like the bad kids, dude, you know, And I saw women crying, leaving crying, you know what I mean? But after that, I didn't see him for another long time. I think I became tech 9 within those. That 10 year period. I remember him saying something to me like on the phone. He's like, hey, man, another 10 years is coming up. We got to see each other.

[Bunny]

You know, that had to be hurtful as a child though, to like, you know, I. I don't know how you handled trauma or pain as a child, but, you know, most people would be like, you know, kind of resentful that their dad wasn't a part of their life.

[Tech N9ne]

It wasn't my life. No, it wasn't my life because I had my uncles, I had my aunties, I had my mom. Yeah, I never did, I never did feel away about my dad because I felt like later on I understood where my mom stood with him. Doesn't make it okay, right? You know, he never taught me how to drive or, you know, how to do things, the men. But my uncles did, you know what I'm saying? They tried to teach me a lot of things that they could, you know, but I never felt a way about my dad at all. I don't know why. Maybe I was always happy to see him. Yeah, Carlton Cook, he's always. He was, he was, he was a. He was a gangster to me. He was always tough, you know, And I had brothers that were older than me. Poochie and Cortez, a little bit younger than me, you know, Sister Marvella and El Reese and all these kids out in Cali that I didn't meet until 93, you know, when I. When I got my first deal with Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis. All this stuff is intertwined in my story.

[Bunny]

Yes, absolutely. And we're gonna get there. We're still focusing on baby tech right now.

[Tech N9ne]

Yeah, baby tech. Well, I saw a lot of things. You know what I mean? But I only saw my father in certain periods of my life, you know.

[Bunny]

So let's zero in on your mom a little bit here, because I know your mom's a huge influence in your music and in your life. And, you know, growing up in a household with her wasn't easy because she did have epilepsy. Epilepsy. And also. Was she diagnosed schizophrenic?

[Tech N9ne]

That was later on, before she died. Yes.

[Bunny]

Okay.

[Tech N9ne]

Later on in her life. But early on, she had her first seizure when she was 18, waiting for my father to come pick her up for prom. He stood her up.

[Bunny]

Oh.

[Tech N9ne]

And she had her first seizure. That's what my aunties told me.

[Bunny]

Yeah.

[Tech N9ne]

So I think I do need water.

[Bunny]

Go ahead, take a sip. So growing up with a mom who, you know, was going through, you know, having epilepsy, and then, you know, your father not being there all the time, your mom did get into another relationship that was somewhat abusive, and you guys had to leave. Can you take me on that journey where you guys were moving around, trying to get away from her ex at the time?

[Tech N9ne]

That's Charles Wade. No, that was during my third grade period.

[Bunny]

Okay.

[Tech N9ne]

Third and fourth grade, I think.

[Bunny]

I love how you. I wasn't laughing. I just love how you just can remember everybody, like, first and last name.

[Tech N9ne]

Like, it's like, oh, I lived it.

[Bunny]

Yeah.

[Tech N9ne]

And I had to hear them fighting in the next room. And, you know, my dad moved away and we moved away from Wayne Minor when I was 10 in the 50s, 59th and School Parkway. And that's when she met Abul Hassan Rasool Khalifa. It was a couple of boyfriends in between there. Guy named Nugee. I remember he had a. He was really. He always had on really good cologne. He had a George Washington Afro, you know, big back here. You know, Remember Nugee? They probably like, how does he remember these thing.

[Bunny]

Yeah.

[Tech N9ne]

Because I would be in the car with them when we're going places, you know, Nuji. She dated Nuji for a while, and then I guess she met Hassan around that time. She wasn't dating Nuji anymore, and she married him. When I was 12. She married Abul Hassan Rasul Khalifa. So my Christian mother. My devout Christian mother had so much love for a man that she married a Muslim.

[Bunny]

Wow.

[Tech N9ne]

And, you know, Muslims and Christians been having quarrels since day one, you know, when in actuality both worship the same God.

[Bunny]

Yeah. You know Allah.

[Tech N9ne]

Yeah, yeah. It's just. Allah is just a Arabic word for God. Just a different Language.

[Bunny]

Yes.

[Tech N9ne]

You know, but the Christians at the time thought Allah was a man. You know, we won't get into that.

[Bunny]

Yeah.

[Tech N9ne]

Just talking about God being a man and.

[Bunny]

Right.

[Tech N9ne]

Universe. I don't want to piss anybody off.

[Bunny]

No, you're fine. I mean, we talk about everything on this podcast, but so that he wasn't the abusive relationship that.

[Tech N9ne]

No, he was not. Charles Wade was so. Charles Way when I was in third grade. Yeah, man, he was.

[Bunny]

So you had to witness that, you know, amongst having your dad, you know, in and out of your life.

[Tech N9ne]

Yes.

[Bunny]

You know, dealing with the sexual stuff and then how.

[Tech N9ne]

Wade was a gangster. He had gangster white walls on his Cadillac, gold tooth. I was real close with his son Chucky. I talked to him every once in a while still. He. I think he lives in Texas.

[Bunny]

I love that. He was a barber.

[Tech N9ne]

He. He was in jail. He was a barber as well. I mean, he was a barber. His father, Charles Wade, he's still alive. He found me because I found Chucky on tour. You know, people's like, your brother. I was in jail with your brother Chucky. I'm like, ah, Charles Wade Jr. Yes. Yes, yes, yes. Me and Chucky were always cool, though, because we were kids, you know, but his dad was turned up, you know, And I'm veering off because. Because I was talking to Chucky. Later on in my life, his dad got my number and called me and asked me for a pickup truck. I hung up.

[Bunny]

It's just crazy to me that you can traumatize a child like that and hurt a woman like that and then circle back years later and be like, hey, can you get me something?

[Tech N9ne]

Yeah, he got his karma. After beating my mama at her job, he went up TO A gas KP&L gas service where she worked downtown Kansas City, and got her outside and beat her up to where he busted her head and all kind of things and put her in the hospital, you know.

[Bunny]

Oh, my gosh.

[Tech N9ne]

Shortly after that, he robbed a bank and got 25 years.

[Bunny]

So good he did get his car.

[Tech N9ne]

And he got caught because they said he on the. On the scene of the crime. He drank a Sun Kiss and dropped.

[Bunny]

It, you know, and left his DNA. What an idiot. Talk about karma, though, coming around.

[Tech N9ne]

I'm sure he probably, like, that ain't true. Got him.

[Bunny]

So, you know, you and your mom finally get away from him, and mom marries a Muslim.

[Tech N9ne]

Yes.

[Bunny]

Take me on this journey, because how was that adjusting to having a new dad 24 7, and it wasn't about.

[Tech N9ne]

Having a new dad. All Of a sudden because, you know, I never really had one, you know.

[Bunny]

Right, right, right.

[Tech N9ne]

That was, that was constant. It was about coming from a Christian background and home to a Muslim home with no more bacon, no more sausage, no more Christmas, no more nothing.

[Bunny]

That's right. Oh, so they don't celebrate Christmas? I didn't know that either.

[Tech N9ne]

No, no, no, no, no. We wouldn't do it. None of that. I would have to go to my Christian family to have Christmas and all that. That was hard for a 12 year old, you know.

[Bunny]

Yeah.

[Tech N9ne]

And Hassan was nice to me, but I missed it as a youngster like we all do. Him trying to make me a stronger kid and not a mama's boy who still had his mama ironing his clothes at 12, you know what I mean? Start making me do everything. You know, if I was washing the dishes after a, you know, a get together or something, we would have at our house, if there was one, he would check the dishes and if there was one speck on a bowl, he'll dump all the dishes back in there and make me do all of them again, you know, until late, you know. I thought that was mean. He was trying to show me and toughen me up, you know, show me a different way of being independent as a human being, you know.

[Bunny]

Right.

[Tech N9ne]

And 13 came, 14 came. I'm up in school, I'm skipping school.

[Bunny]

When new gangs come into the. Come into play with you.

[Tech N9ne]

Say that again.

[Bunny]

When do like the gangs come into play?

[Tech N9ne]

Well, when, when she married Hassan, we moved on 58th and Forest. That turned into a blood neighborhood, right? You know, in the 80s, yes. And these were all of my friends. These are all the people I went to school with. These are people that I'm still connected to in my later years. You know, my friends, my brothers had nothing to do with gangs back then. It had everything to do with pop locking, right? You know, battling on the street. And then in 85 it stopped and it turned the 37th street fruit town, brimming from LA. Him and his brothers moved in our neighborhood.

[Bunny]

Gotcha.

[Tech N9ne]

You know what I'm saying? So that's where that happened. But in those years, 13, 14, 15, 16, I'm in school, fucking up. Got in trouble. Dating white girls at school, going to skipping parties at the white girl's house. I was dating at the time, you.

[Bunny]

Know, tech, a womanizer. No way. When did the womanizing start?

[Tech N9ne]

At 5. I was trying to kiss you, remember?

[Bunny]

Yeah, yeah, but I mean, like, when did it really start? Like, yeah, five. I think we all Play house and do. Do stuff like that.

[Tech N9ne]

The first. Okay, I'll get. Let me see. I can speak freely on here.

[Bunny]

Of course. Yes. And we can always cut anything that you don't.

[Tech N9ne]

You ain't got to cut nothing.

[Bunny]

Okay.

[Tech N9ne]

You know, I'm spontaneous. I don't care what it is, whatever.

[Bunny]

I love it.

[Tech N9ne]

Yeah. First time I came, I was 12, you know, on 59th and Swole Parkway.

[Bunny]

Yeah.

[Tech N9ne]

With a girl named Marlene. You know, she was my age, of course, you know, and it was the craziest feeling ever. And I knew it was supposed to happen because I saw it on the drive in movie. I saw, you know. You know, that it's supposed to happen. I remember she's saying, what is that? I was like, I don't know, but it's supposed to happen. You know, I remember saying that to her, you know?

[Bunny]

Did anybody ever sit down and have, like, the birds and the bees talk with you?

[Tech N9ne]

No.

[Bunny]

No.

[Tech N9ne]

You know what I'm saying? My Uncle Ike was the closest thing, right. Because he would tell me, dante, this one I'm with now, you know.

[Bunny]

Yeah.

[Tech N9ne]

Sticking it to her. I'm like, really? You know?

[Bunny]

You're like, I don't know what that means yet.

[Tech N9ne]

At 12, I knew, what the hell, Right?

[Bunny]

So can you. Okay, let's pause right there. So seventh grade. Something happens in seventh grade with the teacher. Can we go on that journey? Because that's about 12 years old, too, right? 13.

[Tech N9ne]

Well, I was going on 13. As I said. I was up 13, 14. She. I won't say no names. Yeah, she was young. She was 21. And whenever it all started, when I showed her a picture of my father as a cop, you know what I'm saying, I had a picture of him in his LAPD outfit. And after that, after class, whenever everybody's leaving out, I'll be in there. And she used to say, aaron is so cute. Because my first name is Aaron, of course. Aaron Dante Yates Donnie. Aaron is so cute. And she was. She was. She was beautiful, you know?

[Bunny]

Yeah.

[Tech N9ne]

And I was like, oh, thank you. But she used to do it every day. Aaron is so cute. Like, okay. You know, then I got to skipping lunch to go visit her while she's by herself, you know? And I'm just gonna leave it at that, you know, to be safe.

[Bunny]

Right.

[Tech N9ne]

But I was in love, right. Till she got married.

[Bunny]

But you guys ended up. And we can always cut this, too, if you want to, but you guys ended up getting caught, right?

[Tech N9ne]

We got caught by a student walking by. She said she told my sixth hour teacher. No, it wasn't my six hour teacher. It was sixth hour. Upstairs, Ms. Glenn's room was like courtroom class. So whenever something happened in school, they would have to come to court in her class in front of her big student body, you know?

[Bunny]

Right.

[Tech N9ne]

So they called me up to court class one day, not knowing what they want to talk to me about. I've never been to court class, you know, and Ms. Glenn, she's a black lady, she didn't want no fuck shit, you know what I'm saying? So she say, aaron, there's a student in here, the student was sitting right there that says, they walked by Ms. So and so's room and saw both of you kissing. And the whole crowd, the whole student body said, ooh, you know, I said, huh? Why would I be kissing a grown up? You know, I'm smart, you know, Saying she's like, I saw you, Aaron. I saw you. I said, you didn't see me, I was in lunch. No, you were in there kissing. I said, it's her story against mine, you know what I mean? And. And they called us to the office and called the teacher to the office too.

[Bunny]

Yeah. And I was sweating, I bet.

[Tech N9ne]

Then they saying, they said her name. This, this is alarming. And she's like, I would never. With a student, you know. I remember her, you know, like pleading her case and being real serious, you know, and nothing happened. We didn't get in trouble because I didn't tell.

[Bunny]

But you guys were having. Were you guys having sex?

[Tech N9ne]

Yes.

[Bunny]

In the classroom?

[Tech N9ne]

No.

[Bunny]

Okay.

[Tech N9ne]

After school. That's another story, you know what I'm saying?

[Bunny]

On school campuses, though.

[Tech N9ne]

No, no, no, no, no.

[Bunny]

Okay, okay.

[Tech N9ne]

Call home, see if you can help me after school. Can I help my teacher after school? And she'll bring me home, go to her house.

[Bunny]

It's so hard for me to wrap my brain around that because I know coming from a man's point of view, it's like, oh, you got to bag the teacher, the older chick. Like I said, I was in love, right? But if we switched places and it was a man doing that to a little girl, you know, like, it's hard for me to kind of wrap my head around that and I don't not be mad at her for what happened to you.

[Tech N9ne]

Yeah, yeah. You know, I appreciated it.

[Bunny]

Right.

[Tech N9ne]

She got married in my eighth grade year, and after that we didn't talk anymore, you know what I'm saying? After. You know what I'm saying? Because we did our thing before we got Busted. You know what I mean?

[Bunny]

Right.

[Tech N9ne]

So we didn't talk anymore after being in the principal's office, you know what I'm saying? Out of like.

[Bunny]

Well, because you guys were being watched, I'm sure, like heavily so.

[Tech N9ne]

I remember the last day of school in eighth grade, walking by her room, her classroom, and I walk by, I could see her in my peripheral. She had been married already and everything changed. Her name. When I passed the room, I heard a voice say, hey. I'm like, she's like, you're not gonna give me a hug? I'm not gonna see you again. You're going to the high school.

[Bunny]

Yeah.

[Tech N9ne]

When? Gave her a hug. Never seen her again.

[Bunny]

She never tried to reach out to you or anything after that?

[Tech N9ne]

No, I was, you know, I ran away like years after that, you know what I mean? From home and on a quest to become Technina, you know what I'm saying?

[Bunny]

So let's, let's dive into your love for horror.

[Tech N9ne]

Dark story. I didn't realize how dark it was, you know, so now it's dark to me. No, it's dark as.

[Bunny]

But you know what I think it is? This is why I say you have such a beautiful testimony. Because like you really are what you rap about. And it's like a lot of people, people can't say that they are.

[Tech N9ne]

I love my life, you know what I'm saying? And I found that out early on. Quincy Jones, he told me, yeah, rap what you know, and people will forever feel you. And what I know better than anything is myself, you know?

[Bunny]

Yes.

[Tech N9ne]

And I wrote about myself and my stories and what people have in common and they don't really know is emotion, right. So I tapped into emotion. That's why, that's how I got fans, you know, all my stories are true.

[Bunny]

Yes, absolutely. They are saying, except when you get.

[Tech N9ne]

To black in the sun and it turns into imagination, you know what I'm saying? Nipples and noodles and all that kind of trapped in psycho's body. It has a bit of imagination in there, you know what I mean? Yes. But it comes from a place.

[Bunny]

Yes.

[Tech N9ne]

I don't blame my teacher for anything that's happened to me in my life because.

[Bunny]

Right.

[Tech N9ne]

I didn't look like, I didn't look at it as molesting because I was in love.

[Bunny]

Right.

[Tech N9ne]

You know what I'm saying? But in true it is.

[Bunny]

And her, she groomed you?

[Tech N9ne]

Yeah.

[Bunny]

You know, and I mean, I'm sorry, but a 21 year old looking at a 13, 14 year old like that is there's no.

[Tech N9ne]

But I already came at 12, though, with Marlene.

[Bunny]

Right. No, and I get that, and I love that already.

[Tech N9ne]

You know what I'm saying?

[Bunny]

But I love that you didn't internalize it as being molested, you know, but responsibly, I have to say, you know, like, if that was a man doing that to a little girl, we would all lose our minds.

[Tech N9ne]

You know, I heard stories later on that I wasn't the only one.

[Bunny]

See what I'm saying? It's predatory. It's very.

[Tech N9ne]

Some of my homies say, you know, so and so hit, too. I'm like, huh?

[Bunny]

What? She was just getting it in.

[Tech N9ne]

Yeah.

[Bunny]

The fact that they even still let her work at the school is just wild.

[Tech N9ne]

But like I said, she was 21.

[Bunny]

Yeah, well, but what I'm saying is, like, after she. You guys got caught and them still letting her work there, that would never fly. This. This.

[Tech N9ne]

Because it was. It was written off. Like, that student was just talking some, right?

[Bunny]

Yeah, absolutely.

[Tech N9ne]

And they didn't see that.

[Bunny]

Yeah.

[Tech N9ne]

They seen me give her a hug or something.

[Bunny]

Yeah, for sure.

[Tech N9ne]

You know what I mean? I don't recall what we said, but, yeah, whatever we said, it was like, okay, yeah.

[Bunny]

You know, well, let's switch gears to a lighter subject and let's talk.

[Tech N9ne]

It's cool. We can go dark as much as you want.

[Bunny]

We're. It's gonna. We're gonna go through phases. So let's talk about your love for horror. You got introduced to it by your mom.

[Tech N9ne]

My Christian mama.

[Bunny]

How that blew my mind whenever I read that.

[Tech N9ne]

So cool. She's. I miss her so much, man. She was so cool. Marisu Yates, before she became Marisu Yates Khalifa. You know, let me see. I was born in 71. She took me to go see Carrie in 76.

[Bunny]

Yes.

[Tech N9ne]

You know, Halloween. Halloween premiered in Kansas City in 78. I was there. She took me.

[Bunny]

Yes.

[Tech N9ne]

My Christian mama took me to. You know, Kansas City has 100 houses around late September, October, Halloween. We have Main Street Morgue. We have Dr. Deadly's. We used to have Dr. Deadly's Hunted Hospital, the Edge of Hell. We still got the Edge of Hell, the Beast, all these kind of houses for, you know, attractions for people who like the darkness, you know, she took me to all that when I was young.

[Bunny]

That's amazing to me because I grew up strict Pentecostal, and we were not allowed to listen to secular music. Anything that had to do with Halloween could never partake in it. Like, so that was really cool of her to Let you be able to experience some sort of like.

[Tech N9ne]

I remember her dating my uncle Ike's friend, Daniel Whitney, and him being the one taking us to this haunted house, Main Street Morgue. And I remember us walking in. I was young, young man, you know what I'm saying? I keep on going back to five. A lot of shit happened when I was five, dude. You know what I'm saying? Really early on, I remember walking into Main Street Morgue, and when you come in, you turn right and you go up some stairs. They had a black light. I didn't know what a black light was. I was young and I looked at their faces and their eyes were glowing and their face looked crazy. And it kind of scared me. But I appreciated it because I was already going to the movies and stuff like that, you know what I mean? On the scary tip, my mom showed me all the things that scared me as a kid, like clowns at the Ringling Brothers, Barnum and Bailey Circus or the Ararat Shrine Circus. She took me to all that. I had a fear for clowns when I was younger.

[Bunny]

Do you think that's why you wore face paint later on in life? Yeah, because it was like embracing a fear.

[Tech N9ne]

Yeah, that's exactly what it was.

[Bunny]

Yeah.

[Tech N9ne]

I became everything that Marty Suye's Khalifa showed me. Her having epilepsy, you know, when she married Hassan, when she started having seizures, he put her in the psychiatric ward. And my Christian family hated him for it because we've dealt with it since she was 18 and she never had to go to a psychiatric ward. So he thought that was the best thing for her. Because after you have a grandma seizure, the after effects is you talking out of your mind, you know what I'm saying? So I used to have to come visit her there at Western Missouri when Menorah had one off. 63rd Research Psychiatric center, all of them in Kansas City. I went to go visit my mom.

[Bunny]

Wow.

[Tech N9ne]

And when they see me wearing hospital scrubs on stage, you know, I mean, all that, the clown, the hospital scrubs, the darkness, the nut house, Lyrically, Michael Myers and all that kind of shit is from Marty Suye's Khalifa. It created Tech9. Thank you, Mama. You know what I'm saying? Because it saved my life. Everything I built from her and her pain, I internalized that shit and turned it into tech 9, you know what I mean? And when people come to my house now and they see my clown shrine with all the Michael Myers stuff and all the, you know, I have Reagan, like a life size Reagan from The Exorcist right there. It says, sorry, we did. On her hand, she's holding the sign that says, sorry, we're dead. I have this in my house and people like, what's up with all this devil? I said, it ain't devil. My mom taught me early on when I was younger that these toys, these dark toys that you see, don't think of them any other kind of way than you think of your GI Joe toys or your Star wars toys or when you see Barbie and Ken. It's plastic and you can't give it any energy at all. And people believe that you can, that you'll have dark energy in your house. And when you look at my shrine, that's Mari Suye's Khalifa right there. And it reminds me, her birthday is October 26th. She's in that kind of fall kind of feel. So when the fall comes and Halloween, it just a reminder of my mom. I became the clown, painted my face. Early on in 90, 94, I painted my face for the first time. You know what I mean? I got my face painted, that is. And now when you see the clown with the red nose on a stage, you know, the mask I use now, you know, is just what that clown with that paint and that clown in my head has transformed into. And it gets worse and worse over the years. You know what I mean? Not within me, though. I just know what that darkness feels like of my mom being in a psychiatric ward and having the seizures and seeing her busting her head wide open from falling out on the floor and hitting her head on the bathroom. I mean, the bathtub, you know what I mean? I've seen the puddles of blood, her laying in them, getting beat up, all that stuff. I can. I. I know what that darkness is.

[Bunny]

Yeah.

[Tech N9ne]

So I make the clown look like something hideous like that. You know what I mean?

[Bunny]

You turned your trauma into triumph.

[Tech N9ne]

Yes.

[Bunny]

Is pretty much what you did. I did the same thing, but in a different way. Not with the clowns and stuff like that, but it's like you. You alchemized your pain. And that's so beautiful that you, you know, were able to have that consciousness to do that instead of letting it.

[Tech N9ne]

Consume you or drive me crazy.

[Bunny]

Right.

[Tech N9ne]

You know what I mean?

[Bunny]

But did you ever fear that you would end up in a place like your mom if you let the. If you let it.

[Tech N9ne]

No.

[Bunny]

Consume you?

[Tech N9ne]

I never felt like I would end up in a psychiatric ward because I've always been super cerebral.

[Bunny]

Right.

[Tech N9ne]

You know what I'm saying? Like A thinker, you know. And always I was so. I've always been so logical thoughts and stuff like that that I always feared having an aneurysm or something, you know?

[Bunny]

Yes.

[Tech N9ne]

Because it never stops.

[Bunny]

Right.

[Tech N9ne]

Sometimes I have to do mantras to go to sleep to make it stop, you know?

[Bunny]

Right.

[Tech N9ne]

But I never thought I would end up in a psychiatric ward. I wanted to be a psycho, a psychiatrist, to figure, you know what I'm saying? Yeah. I wanted to understand a lot of things. You know, I studied serial killers early on in school. You know, I bought books, you know, Manson and Ted Bundy and, you know, saying the.44 caliber killer, you know, saying it's. It's all these things I studied because my mom said I was her angel sitting down to help people, you know. So I wanted to find out about my opposition, which would be evil because I am angel, you know what I'm saying? What you. What I got right there, you know? And I never thought I would lose my mind. And I never lost my mind. I don't think I lost my mind. Travels would know if I lost my mind.

[Bunny]

Not intentionally. Maybe on a party like what's going.

[Tech N9ne]

On in his brain. But I ain't never lost my mind.

[Bunny]

Right, Right. Gotcha. So can we talk about. I read somewhere that you have an obsession with the number nine and the birth of Tech nine. Did that come from that?

[Tech N9ne]

When I got my name in 88 from the gangster named Black Walt, I didn't have a name when I wrote my first three verse rhyme, you know what I'm saying? The New Breed. I was my first rhyme. I was just going with my middle name. D O N T E Z Z. I didn't have nothing, you know. So he was in a group called Black Mafia. He had Mac 10, not Mac 10. Ice Cube. This is.

[Bunny]

Oh, I was like, I love Mac 10. That's my brother too.

[Tech N9ne]

This was a Mac 10 early on in Kansas City, you know, know, before Mac 10 came out, you know.

[Bunny]

Right, the OG yeah.

[Tech N9ne]

You know, we started calling him Shorty Mac, you know what I'm saying? Later on in life, you know what I'm saying? But when I. When they heard me do New Breed, my three verse rhyme, my first three verse rhyme, they were like, man, we gotta find you a name, bro. Black Mafia, man. We. We already got one gun. Let me look in the Guns and Elmo books and try to find you another one, you know. And they looked at Uzi, you know, saying that he's like, nah, now you got little Uzi. Vert, you know. Yeah, yeah, 12 gauge.

[Bunny]

Because you spit like an Uzi though, hu.

[Tech N9ne]

You know, you're trying to find something, you know, 12 gauge. I'm like, no. And then 12 gauge is loaded gun and I'm done by none. So shake that donkey. Button them big old legs. I ain't too hard to beg, you know. You know, people got that too, you know what I'm saying? We went AK47, we went through the whole book and there was no. Nothing in there. We didn't find anything. But it was a picture of a Tech 9 on the back. He's like, Tech 9? He said, because the way you spit, you know, I'm like, okay. He said, that's going to be your name till we find something else. But. But the way we spelled it, T, E, C H was short for technique. And after I started studying numerology, I found out that nine was the number of completion. Nine months completes a pregnancy. They said cats have nine lives. After nine, there's nothing else like it. It's double and triple or whatever.

[Bunny]

Yes.

[Tech N9ne]

You know what I'm saying? I became the complete technique of rhyme tech 9. Technique number nine, you know what I'm saying? Everything to be able to. I'm rooted in rap, but be able to adjust to any musical situation. You know what I mean?

[Bunny]

What? Your fan base shows that. Yes, your fan, but you have metal fans, you have Juggalo fans, you have hip hop heads.

[Tech N9ne]

Like, I mean, I got all of it.

[Bunny]

You've got it all? Yeah, it covers every.

[Tech N9ne]

That's how I. That's how I wanted it to be. I wanted to make Tech9 the emcee that can do anything.

[Bunny]

Yeah. When you first started rapping, was it always so fast or did you have to develop that style because your brain has got to fire at different frequency?

[Tech N9ne]

That's from years of practice doing it. But when I first started my. One of my first rhymes. So that's why they said it was like. So that's why they said, I don't let what I say. So that's why they said I make. It was like going like, you know what I'm saying? And I attribute that to listening to Slick Rick. People like, Slick Rick didn't rap like that. But yeah, you know, he'd be like, around this part of town with diamonds and your girl in front. I'm trying to enter in this rap thing because she haven't stopped. It's like. It's like he. He would do a little Jamaican, like toasting, like, don't Worry about the thing because Ricky Rick is bringing home the goods. I'm like, that's dope.

[Bunny]

Yeah.

[Tech N9ne]

So I turned that. Don't worry about a thing. Don't worry about a thing. I was like, that's like Jamaican. Don't worry about a thing. Don't worry about thing. Don't worry. It turned into chopping. You know what I'm saying? And when I say that to people, they're like, wow. You know what I'm saying? It was just like, don't worry about a thing. Don't worry about a thing. It was like. That's how I started rhyming, you know?

[Bunny]

It's almost like gibberish, kind of. Well, like a form of it.

[Tech N9ne]

Well, no.

[Bunny]

Okay.

[Tech N9ne]

Not when you. Speaking of tech9. Because I pride myself on clarity while speeding.

[Bunny]

Right, right, right. But it's like the double time is like how they do it and gibberish, correct or no?

[Tech N9ne]

I don't really know. I. I think they call it bebop. Okay. Yeah, bebop. You know, that's what. That's why Quincy Jones signed me in 97. He said, Your style remind me of bebop. But I think that's what you mean by gibberish.

[Bunny]

Well, there's a language, right? What is it? Pig Latin or gibberish that I'm thinking of, where they double up the words. Do you guys know what I'm talking about? Pig Latin, Okay.

[Tech N9ne]

Usually gibberish mean you can't hear it.

[Bunny]

Oh, gotcha. Okay. I thought. Well, I. I thought it was called gibberish, but maybe it's like another word for Pig Latin. Gibberish, though. But so Pig Latin, where they, like, double up the words is what I'm saying. Either way, it's fascinating how you do it because it's like I.

[Tech N9ne]

Right, right.

[Bunny]

I don't know how somebody's brain can just fire on me either.

[Tech N9ne]

Because that signal from your brain to your tongue.

[Bunny]

Yeah.

[Tech N9ne]

Takes work. It's hard.

[Bunny]

No, it's insane.

[Tech N9ne]

It's hard when. When I'm writing, you know, I have to put it on a Dictaphone recorder to see if it works. To see if the words work off of each other. You know what I mean? When I'm writing that style. Because that ain't the only style I do. But that's one of the ones that people know me from, from a song that I did in 98 called Questions on the Gang Related Soundtrack.

[Bunny]

Right?

[Tech N9ne]

And everybody. Why do I want to stick them with another hit up out of Abyss? They want to Know who that guy is? So since then. Since 98, everybody that wants to. Mostly everybody that wants A song from Tech9 wants the chopping. I'm so tired of racing. No, I'm so. I can race the best of them. You know what I'm saying? I've done songs with Eminem and Kendrick and everybody. You know what I'm saying?

[Bunny]

Yeah.

[Tech N9ne]

You know, but you're.

[Bunny]

I. I feel like you're at a point where you don't even need to prove yourself to anybody anymore.

[Tech N9ne]

I don't. I don't. I don't like.

[Bunny]

You are tech 9 people.

[Tech N9ne]

The younger generation want to race me because they grew up listening to me.

[Bunny]

Right.

[Tech N9ne]

They want a song.

[Bunny]

They want something to prove.

[Tech N9ne]

Yeah. Yeah. So, you know, when. When I did a song with nf. Much love to nf, you know, his fans. When we did Trust. I'm dancing all over that, too. You know what I'm saying? That track, you know? You know, Techni. Nah. Next gang up, everybody knowing I'm a deaf brain God. That Lingua back then. Yeah. Leaving the Rebel Rock, you know, I'm talking some shit. This is what I give it such an incredible, wicked rush of aggressive. I'm really going, you know, as you should. And his fans, they was like, NF really stood up with tech 9, you know what I'm saying? That's something. That's a thing. He can hold his own with Tech9, you know what I'm saying? So I think a lot of guys coming up really want to race me at a time where I. I've raced my whole career.

[Bunny]

Yeah.

[Tech N9ne]

I'm tired of racing.

[Bunny]

Yeah.

[Tech N9ne]

I can do it, you know, saying, token, no, I can't. I can't give it away, you know, Token. Well, I'd say it. Token sent me one, and we're racing.

[Bunny]

Yeah. You're gonna. So you're gonna let him race you even though you're tired of it, or is it just.

[Tech N9ne]

Yeah, I still race, motherfuckers.

[Bunny]

Yeah, but I mean, you're tired of it.

[Tech N9ne]

Sure. I can still. Of course I'm tired, but I still go when I. If it's. If it's worth me going. If it's worth me going.

[Bunny]

Yeah.

[Tech N9ne]

You know, saying, like, me and Jelly got songs we didn't have. I didn't have to race.

[Bunny]

Yeah. You know, we could just do music very melodic and.

[Tech N9ne]

Yeah, I can sing.

[Bunny]

You know, Preacher was amazing.

[Tech N9ne]

Yeah, man.

[Bunny]

It's like Platinum and FU2.

[Tech N9ne]

Yeah. Which.

[Bunny]

You guys did that in the. In a hospital, right? The video Was in a hospital, right?

[Tech N9ne]

Yeah. Yeah. Easier for you, you know?

[Bunny]

Yeah.

[Tech N9ne]

You know, it's. We can do, you know. Do you know somebody in pain? I know somebody, you know, saying, we got to sing and play. You know what I'm saying?

[Bunny]

Yeah. Do you prefer that over having to rap fast?

[Tech N9ne]

I love writing songs that people can say. Now when it comes to the technicians, they can say all my shit. Okay. I don't see how. Because it's hard for me. Like, a song like, so dope Want to sit beside a sick and seductive Tennessee Something so sinister Seek a sick Something like a centipede it's like I try to make it to where nobody can do it. The motherfuckers can do it, dude.

[Bunny]

Right?

[Tech N9ne]

But I like to do. I like to do music where I don't have to race everybody. You know, Ronnie Ratke, for instance. He does good old.

[Bunny]

Good old Ronaldo.

[Tech N9ne]

Ronnie Rackey, I love him to death, man. Oh, I. I do a song. I do the song. The big song we got, you know.

[Bunny]

Yeah.

[Tech N9ne]

Called Ronald and.

[Bunny]

Which you did phenomenal in that.

[Tech N9ne]

Yeah, yeah. But I sent him something before that where I'm just doing my singing. I'm singing, you know, and he was like, this is dope, man. It's so dope. You know, the first four bars I was singing, so dope. But then some weeks went by. He's like, hey, man, can I talk to you for a minute? I'm like, yeah. He's like, you're singing at the top of yours, and then when yours is over, I come in singing this. Like, to me, it's too much singing, you know? And I said, okay, so I'll go in the studio the next day and I'll just rap, you know. He said, yeah, let's try that. You know what I'm saying? But before, like, when, after I hung up, like 10 minutes later, he said. He texted me. He said, how about you just scrap that and just come in shredding? I'm like.

[Bunny]

Well, because Ronnie, still. And this is no disrespect to you, Ronnie, he's one of our friends also, but he still has something to prove when it comes to rapping.

[Tech N9ne]

Yeah, but.

[Bunny]

But he doesn't have the longevity.

[Tech N9ne]

But I'm tell you, that's how I found that, because I was looking for metal choppers and I watched the world burn. I was like, yeah, yeah, he got it already. He knows how to fucking do it. You know what I'm saying? So when he said that, I called X Rated one of our Artists. I said, man, he want me to change my first four bars. He said it's too much singing. He's like, man, them, man, they stared at you, man. You know, like, nah, I don't think it's that. I just think it was too much singing.

[Bunny]

Right.

[Tech N9ne]

So he changed it, you know, he had me change it and just come in chopping, you know, saying, what is up in your mind? Are you thinking the devil is making the karma that people are evil and never know? Demon designer, the opposite of a divine. No. Yes. You know what I'm saying? Yeah, he was right. But he wanted me to race because that's what he knows. From Tech9, from Worldwide Choppers.

[Bunny]

Right?

[Tech N9ne]

We put out Royal Rod choppers some years late, from years ago. And that went platinum.

[Bunny]

Yes.

[Tech N9ne]

With like 12 people on it. You know what I'm saying? It was Busta Rhymes on it. It was Twister. It was Yellow Wolf. It was. Oh, I remember USO's.

[Bunny]

Yeah.

[Tech N9ne]

JL. It was people from Istanbul on it. You know what I'm saying? It's like Jaza, you know, so many people on it.

[Bunny]

If you could do another Worldwide Choppers with other people on it, what artists would you bring on it?

[Tech N9ne]

Okay, here's the story.

[Bunny]

Mimi, can you hit that?

[Tech N9ne]

I never said this around Travis, but I gotta tell.

[Bunny]

Travis is in the corner watching.

[Tech N9ne]

So I did another Worldwide Choppers, too.

[Bunny]

Okay.

[Tech N9ne]

My idea was to get Eminem on it. He did it.

[Bunny]

Wow.

[Tech N9ne]

When he sent the verse in, you know, Chris Calico got it before Eminem.

[Bunny]

We love Chris.

[Tech N9ne]

I didn't want to listen to Chris Calico verse because I didn't want to be influenced by it. So I never listened to it. I did my verse without listening to nobody.

[Bunny]

Wow.

[Tech N9ne]

Always started off. And I send my stuff to people so it can be a greater song. A lot of artists won't do that because they don't want to be outdone. I feel like, like Eminem say, my spot is forever reserved. I don't give a. We we going. If you do better than me, it makes for a better song. That's what I think, you know? So when we got the Eminem verse, I already had people putting fillers out to get Daddy Yankee on it. I was scared to ask Wayne about Nicki Minaj, but I wanted her on it.

[Bunny]

That was her.

[Tech N9ne]

And I had people on it that never been heard before. Like Gabby Gabb from Atlanta, Georgia, a female rapper with Nicki. You know what I'm saying? I was gonna put females on it. Want it. You Know what I'm saying? Who else did I. Oh, I was going for Kulega over in Germany. Travnim said, man, with Eminem, you can't put all those no name on there, you know what I'm saying?

[Bunny]

Which I do understand. Where from a business point of view, I do understand.

[Tech N9ne]

I do too.

[Bunny]

Yeah.

[Tech N9ne]

But if we did though, I think it would turned out just like Worldwide choppers. Platinum speed on with Eminem. Ain't even platinum, ain't even gold, I don't think. Right, you know what I'm saying? Because people love it. But they said this is not worldwide choppers. And I had to lie and say, come up with some shit like we're the dopest rappers worldwide, motherfuckers.

[Bunny]

Right?

[Tech N9ne]

You know what I'm saying? We're the dopest choppers worldwide, you know what I'm saying? It's like, okay, we get it now, they fuck with it. I don't know what the numbers are on the trappers, but you know what I'm saying, it ain't Worldwide Choppers.

[Bunny]

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[Tech N9ne]

Yes, we do.

[Bunny]

You did drop it. I've never heard numbers on it.

[Tech N9ne]

Like, it's like, let me see, what did I see last on YouTube? The views was like 28 million or something. Like, I don't know.

[Bunny]

I mean that's nothing to scoff.

[Tech N9ne]

48 million. It was one of them. Yeah, just on the. Just on the. Just on the audio, you know.

[Bunny]

So it only ended up just being just you and Eminem on the track or a couple other people.

[Tech N9ne]

It was me, Eminem and my brother Chris Calico.

[Bunny]

Okay, gotcha.

[Tech N9ne]

So like I said, I never listen. Listen to Chris Calico's verse. Verse until after I finished my verse and I had my engineer, Ben, we call him Benjineer. Yeah, let me hear Calico's verse in the studio. I was like, holy, Yes.

[Bunny]

I love Chris and his wife.

[Tech N9ne]

I think my label wanted it to just be me and Eminem and I get that. You know what I'M saying, but Chris, my brother, you know what I'm saying? I'm like, okay, if you do something dope. And Eminem even said his verse was dope. You know what I'm saying? So when you listen to Speed em now. And we dedicated it to Richie Havens, rest his soul. You know, his estate said yes to use freedom. We call it Speed them, you know, And I don't even know why we was talking about that, but.

[Bunny]

No, I love that. So we were talking about how you actually became Tech9, where you got your name from the choppers.

[Tech N9ne]

We were talking about the choppers and.

[Bunny]

Then how your flow and how everybody.

[Tech N9ne]

Wants me to chop and I'm tired. That's what we're talking about.

[Bunny]

Yeah.

[Tech N9ne]

Tired of racing.

[Bunny]

I love you, Tech. He said, I. I'm tired.

[Tech N9ne]

Tired of racing. But I will take.

[Bunny]

Do you guys hear this man? Loud and clear. He stop racing.

[Tech N9ne]

They're not gonna stop.

[Bunny]

No, no.

[Tech N9ne]

Jid just sent me one a few months ago. Id just sent me one a few months ago that I'm. I still ain't done yet because I got so busy, but I'm still gonna do it for him. JD sent me one. He's racing me.

[Bunny]

Yeah. I'm like, well, it's not gonna stop because you're the greatest. And it's like. And do you. And this is, you know, could be a long winded question, but. But it's not gonna stop until you pretty much retire. And do you think you're ever going to retire from music?

[Tech N9ne]

Do I think I'm ever gonna retire from music? I still. Was that a fart or still snoring?

[Bunny]

It's him. It's snoring. Zach. I would not be over here lighting it up.

[Tech N9ne]

I'm just saying it's your house.

[Travis Oguin]

I'm like.

[Bunny]

Like, no, damn.

[Tech N9ne]

What you eat before you came here, buddy?

[Bunny]

You know, listen, I have been with my husband 10 years, and he's only heard me fluff one time. I would never be over here just ripping it up.

[Tech N9ne]

All right, I heard that farting in the workplace is considered sexual harassment.

[Bunny]

Are you kidding me? Stop it.

[Tech N9ne]

But it never made any sense to me because I'm like, how is that sexual? Like, is that like an invitation where you want to my ass?

[Bunny]

Somebody's, like, asking a question with a fly.

[Tech N9ne]

Why would that be sexual harassment? Like, at work, at. To get in coffee?

[Bunny]

Because people. Because we are. We're literally in an era where everybody gets a trophy so people will make up to be mad about.

[Tech N9ne]

I swear, I Don't know if it's really. Indeed, you know, we'll have to give.

[Bunny]

That a go and see if it.

[Tech N9ne]

Is at the workplace and I suppose before. Yeah, tell that to you.

[Bunny]

Chachi. Stop fluffing over here. He has the silent but deadly ones, this guy right here. Trust me, you won't hear it, you'll smell it.

[Tech N9ne]

Yeah, but. Yeah, they still want to race me. The younger generation are still contacting me. Want to race?

[Bunny]

Yeah, for sure. But like I said, are they. They're going to want to race you until you retire. So do you think you would ever retire from music or.

[Tech N9ne]

That's what I'm saying. That's what I'm saying.

[Bunny]

Yeah. Yeah.

[Tech N9ne]

Sorry I'm so sporadic.

[Bunny]

You're okay, baby. Don't worry.

[Tech N9ne]

I still get excited when I hear dope beats and melodies. Yeah, I still get excited.

[Bunny]

Yeah.

[Tech N9ne]

Because I love music. I used to be a dancer. Pop, locker, break dancer, all that. When I was younger, you know what I'm saying? I still can.

[Bunny]

You still do it?

[Tech N9ne]

Yeah, I can still do it. You know what I'm saying? On one of those tours, on that E40 tour we went on, I was doing this break dancing song I did called Don't Nobody Want none, you know, and I was break dancing every night. And I hate myself for it because my knees were dead after that tour.

[Bunny]

You didn't have every night?

[Tech N9ne]

I didn't have no knee pads or nothing. Just going. Going rogue on the stage, you know, so. But to ask your question, I don't know, because I still get excited when I hear good songs like that one I just saw Jelly do with his other guys. Like Hallelujah. Yeah, yeah, yeah, that swing.

[Bunny]

They should do a remix and put tech on it.

[Tech N9ne]

That's. I heard that and I heard him. I heard him do it live at the super bowl, at the show with him and Shaboozi. Yeah, I heard him do it. I said, that's the one I heard lately.

[Bunny]

I'm gonna put it in a zero. I'll put it in a dope. That would be fire to have all three of you guys on a track.

[Tech N9ne]

Now. You got to do my song first. That I sent him already.

[Bunny]

Okay, listen, I barely even get to see my damn husband, so I don't know what's going on, but I'll talk to him about it.

[Tech N9ne]

You got to do Sacrifice first, then we'll talk about Hallelujah.

[Bunny]

Gotcha. I got your back, Tech. I promise.

[Tech N9ne]

Yeah, and I'm not. I'm not racing on Sacrifice either.

[Bunny]

Yeah. Good. So instead of retiring, do you think that you would ever step into, like, maybe a mentor position of like. Like, kind of like what, What Jay Z, I always said.

[Tech N9ne]

Always said that maybe when we get to the point we want to sell strange music or something, I will do stuff to help my artist, you know what I'm saying? You know, and do verses here and there. I don't fucking know. But I can't. I don't. I don't see that. Because I'm getting better with my pen.

[Bunny]

Right? You know, because you're getting wiser too, and you just have so much life experience.

[Tech N9ne]

Just trying to keep from saying that will piss people off is the hardest these days.

[Bunny]

Right?

[Tech N9ne]

I mean, everybody comes to religion and politics and sexuality and all that kind of stuff. Sexuality, that's not my business. You know what I'm saying? It's like, I don't judge people on their sexuality. You know what I'm saying? I never have and I never will. And I don't know why people are still so, you know, fixated on people in their sexuality. But, you know, I get when people say you're doing it on. On a show where kids are watching and kissing a man or whatever, and now people are upset. I get that. But at the same time, I ain't really worried about nobody's sexuality. But as far as religious beliefs and politics, and I try to be careful, right? Because all this is gang to me.

[Bunny]

Well, speaking about politics, I mean, Donald Trump pretty much adopted your Red Red Kingdom anthem. Listen, I pay attention to it all, baby. How did that feel for you? And we can cut this part off, too.

[Tech N9ne]

You don't have to cut it off.

[Bunny]

Okay.

[Tech N9ne]

You can ask me anything.

[Bunny]

Yeah, I just, you know, I just always want to be respectful. But, you know, I was.

[Tech N9ne]

My kids calling me like, daddy, you gotta say something. You gotta. People gonna think that's you. I said people. People can think what the they want, right? When you write music and you put it out to the public, their perception of what it means is going to be different. However they perceive that song is how they're gonna use it, right? And when they put it out, you know, when you put it out, you know, that's what. That's what happens, you know? And my kids didn't like that. You know, they wanted me to tell people. I don't. With this. I'm like, no, no, no, no, no.

[Bunny]

You can't get into politics because you'll be damned if you do, damned if you.

[Tech N9ne]

All I know. And you know, all I know. Is that. It's crazy how on that song, how the number spiked.

[Bunny]

Oh, because it's literally. It's. It became pop. Like you're already such a huge presence, but it became like pop culture.

[Tech N9ne]

Yeah.

[Bunny]

You know, once you hit that pop culture, what was it?

[Tech N9ne]

What was that? Was it an indictment trial or.

[Bunny]

I forget.

[Tech N9ne]

Impeachment.

[Bunny]

Oh, was that what. Okay, I thought it was for his campaign.

[Tech N9ne]

Yeah, yeah, they did. They call it riot music. And I made it for the chiefs.

[Bunny]

Right.

[Tech N9ne]

And I say number 58 is DT the Great. And we flaunted Derek Thomas. Rest in peace. You know, I'm saying. But the hook, Red Kingdom. I had no idea the Republicans were going to hijack my song and turn it into their shit.

[Bunny]

You know, Listen, the Republicans hijack everything. I had a fucking. What was it that went viral? A sound that went viral that said, I woke up this morning and I feel like trash. But it's French for I feel like garbage. That's French for trash. All the Republicans grabbed that after somebody said something about somebody being trash in Puerto Rico or something. Oh, it went viral. So it's like that's what happened to your song. And that's why the streams went so crazy, is because that shit was on Tick tock.

[Tech N9ne]

Yes.

[Bunny]

And I'm telling you, it was everywhere. I was like, go tech. I was so excited for you.

[Tech N9ne]

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. So we. We. We're the kind of. I'm the kind of artist that I do the music and I go when I don't look back. And then next thing you know, I got all these platinum and gold plaques coming in. That was a flex.

[Bunny]

I mean, as you should.

[Tech N9ne]

But I just do the work and then pops up, you know what I mean? And let's.

[Bunny]

Let's dial back real quick and let's get into when you got your first record deal in 97. When you.

[Tech N9ne]

It's 93.

[Bunny]

Was it.

[Tech N9ne]

97 was my second.

[Bunny]

Sorry, I'm not looking at my good baby.

[Tech N9ne]

No. 93. I got my first record deal with Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis at Perspective.

[Bunny]

A And M. Yes. 93 to 95. Correct.

[Tech N9ne]

93 to 95. They let us off in 95. Started working with Don Juan. Around that time. I was working with Icy Rock that, you know, that got me the deal with Jimmy jamitur Lewis in 93. Icy Rock was a producer of mine. He did it's alive. He did T9X. He did a lot of songs for me in the past, you know, and after that relationship was kind of damaged. Don Juan came in and diamond, rest his soul, they wanted to see if I could do hood music. I said, I'm from the hood because you know what Icy Rock, we're doing Nut House, you know, so we're doing the. The Scrubs and you know, my mom, you know, we doing Dark, you know, and he's like, you doing that crazy over there with Icy Rock. Can you do. No, do some hood? They gave me the beat to Mitch Bay. I said, I'll be back tomorrow. Have you ever met a who was pie sprung? It's a lot of slinky niggas where I come from. There's another missile catcher just like him. His name is Mitchell Bade. Mitchell B. You know what I'm saying? The motherfucker's like, what the. I'm on there. Like, what up, Mitch? Is it everyday thing for you to act just like a. How does it feel about having. I forgot how it goes. But yeah, I'm like busting on it.

[Bunny]

Right.

[Tech N9ne]

That went to the top in Kansas City. It was on the radio and everything.

[Bunny]

Back then it was hard to get radio play, wasn't it? Because.

[Tech N9ne]

Yes, it was.

[Bunny]

Yeah.

[Tech N9ne]

As it was before then.

[Bunny]

Kind of like a cult that you get into.

[Tech N9ne]

That was undeniable though. They had to play Mitch B. You know, and it was. It was. It was a struggle to get songs on the radio in KC for us for sure.

[Bunny]

Yeah.

[Tech N9ne]

Until Mitch. Mitch Bade, Claudia Stroll and Mitch B. Mitch Bade was the bside of my single Cloudy Eyed Stroll. It was like really calm song.

[Bunny]

Right.

[Tech N9ne]

Mitch Bay was the B side.

[Bunny]

Yeah.

[Tech N9ne]

CLO was on the radio.

[Bunny]

Yeah.

[Tech N9ne]

You know what I'm saying? But Mitch Bay took over then right behind Mitch Bade, I got with my group, my. My. My Blood Homeboys. And we started a group, 57th Street, Rogue Dog, Villains, and we did a song called let's get up on radio. Everything we touched.

[Bunny]

Yeah.

[Tech N9ne]

You know what I'm saying?

[Bunny]

And this was after your record deal from 93 to 95, or was this during?

[Tech N9ne]

No, this is. This is after.

[Bunny]

Okay.

[Tech N9ne]

This is after. This is after 95 when we got released.

[Bunny]

Gotcha.

[Tech N9ne]

You know what I'm saying? So with Don Juan, that's when we. In 97. That's when we got the deal with Quincy Jones, Quest and Warner. Yes.

[Bunny]

Right. One thing I respected about reading your situation with the record label from 93 to 95 was that you said some. That they. They like put somebody in a car with you and the dude was telling you that you had to change.

[Tech N9ne]

Oh, yes.

[Bunny]

And you were like, no, I'm not changing who I am. And, like, you really, like, stood your ground and was like, no, I know who I am, and I'm not changing for anybody.

[Tech N9ne]

I know. There's a name, too. His name was Life A lot. He was from the east coast.

[Bunny]

Yes.

[Tech N9ne]

In 93. He. I guess I know. Protect your neck. Just came out. Wu Tang, you know. And he's like, you got to do this, son. You gotta do this. You gotta do. You know, saying M E T H O D, man, whatever the. You know, saying. I was like, no, that's them. I gotta do me. And that was the tension, you know what I'm saying? Same thing with. In 97, with Quincy Jones. He wanted me to do whatever I wanted to do, but his people who worked at his label wanted me to do, like, popcorn shit, you know what I'm saying? They wanted me to do this song for the Shaq movies called Steel. He was like, Robocop or some shit on it. And I had a song like, he's strange and I like it. He's strange just the way he is. Tekanina. Tekanina, what's up? Why you so damn psycho? Couldn't tell you, baby. You know, was like cookie cutter.

[Bunny]

Right?

[Tech N9ne]

But I could do it, right? Produced by Quincy Jones, his son, QD3, the third, Quincy Jones III. But at the time, I had Tech9. I had Planet Rock, the Down south remix, you know, I said, I want to start with this one. He's like, n. This regional? Nope. You know, And I'm like, I told Quincy, and he started firing my father. Us. So they hated us up there because he favored us, you know?

[Bunny]

Right.

[Tech N9ne]

And I met Travis the next year. The next summer in 98.

[Bunny]

98. So before you met Travis. And we're gonna get. We're gonna pull Travis in whenever we get to there.

[Tech N9ne]

Yes.

[Bunny]

You did something with Death Row and Suge Knight. Was.

[Tech N9ne]

That was a 98.

[Bunny]

That was a 98.

[Tech N9ne]

That was the year I met Travis.

[Bunny]

Okay, Gotcha.

[Tech N9ne]

But it was 98 when I was out in LA, before I went home to KC, you know.

[Bunny]

Gotcha. Gotcha. Tell me about meeting Tupac. And, like, I. I actually have hung out with Suge numerous times.

[Tech N9ne]

Yes, me too.

[Bunny]

And we can cut this out. I don't know if.

[Tech N9ne]

No, we don't.

[Bunny]

Okay.

[Tech N9ne]

That's my brother. No, no, no.

[Bunny]

Well, I'm talking about. For me too, though, but. Because Shook gets such a bad rap.

[Tech N9ne]

Yes, he does. He's a nice guy.

[Bunny]

I thank you. I have never told this story on the podcast before, but I used to do cocktails at the Palms, and Sugar would come in and every night he'd be so up, and he would be the nicest dude.

[Tech N9ne]

I kicked it with him on several birthdays and everything.

[Bunny]

He was so nice. Like, he never was disrespectful to me. He was like, my homie, dude. And he would tip me all the.

[Tech N9ne]

Time, really good dude. It's just you encounter people in the industry, not saying they deserve anything. I'm just saying you encounter in the industry.

[Bunny]

Yeah.

[Tech N9ne]

And sometimes people handle differently.

[Bunny]

Right.

[Tech N9ne]

You know what I mean? I don't know. I don't know his whole life, right. What he'd done to people. But I only got glimpses when I'm around him.

[Bunny]

Yeah.

[Tech N9ne]

And we around all the homies with him and everything is all love, all respect. We partied together. He came to my shows.

[Bunny]

Yeah.

[Tech N9ne]

Whenever I was in Vegas and San Diego, he would come to my shows. You know what I mean? Just showing love, man.

[Bunny]

Yeah. So, yeah, absolutely. What about me? When you met Tupac, because you said you've met him on probably like, what, four instances?

[Tech N9ne]

Well, well, I met him in 93.

[Bunny]

Okay.

[Tech N9ne]

No, 92. @ Jack the Rapper. It's a musical conference, a music conference that they used to have in Atlanta at the Atlanta Hilton. You know what I'm saying? And I met him in the lobby. He was checking out this. He was checking out this stripper, this dancer, had a big old ass. She used to be at the BRE conventions that I went, you know, years before, you know.

[Bunny]

Right.

[Tech N9ne]

I'd see her all the time. She was Caucasian girl with a big old ass, you know, we love those. Pac was standing behind her, you know what I'm saying?

[Bunny]

Yeah. I was like. I could just visualize it.

[Tech N9ne]

Okay. Pac was standing behind her like, I'm black owned. Owned. I'm black owned. You know. So I guess this is after the riots, you know, saying like, I'm black owned.

[Bunny]

Yeah.

[Tech N9ne]

And I went up to him and I was like, hey, you, Tupac, you can do whatever you want with that. He's like, I'm black owned. Like, what does that mean? You know? And I was like, oh, during the riots, whatever building had black owned, nobody would with. So he said he must got black owned written across him because the wasn't with him, you know? So I met him that year.

[Bunny]

Yeah.

[Tech N9ne]

92. Then in 93, I got my record deal with Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis. Life a lot and all them. I met them the first day there. You know what I'm saying? There's a guy named Jordy, you know, see, who drove us around, and Life Allah was the guy who was trying to turn us into whatever they wanted us to be. They took us to this club after we checked into the Leufe, you know, in Hollywood, you know, and they took us to this club, and Tupac was there. I went over there and hollered at him, hollered at Mo Prem. His brother was with him. You know, I saw him that whole summer. We was the same and everything, you know what I'm saying?

[Bunny]

Just on a rotation.

[Tech N9ne]

Yeah, man. You know what I'm saying? It's like the. Be at my house, she'd be crying because Pac said something to her. You know what I'm saying?

[Bunny]

Yeah.

[Tech N9ne]

Like, I remember. Like, it was yesterday.

[Bunny]

Yeah. You know, that was like, such a cool era, you know, because I was in Vegas at that time, too, and I was actually in Vegas. Vegas when Pac was murdered.

[Tech N9ne]

Yeah.

[Bunny]

And it was. I. I remember it was like one of the saddest days. Like, it was just such a. It was like an end of an era.

[Tech N9ne]

The connection was QD3, the producer, he did music for Tupac, Gotcha and me and Ice Cube and Dubsy, you know, a lot of people, you know what I'm saying? Yuck mouth, you know, saying the loonies.

[Bunny]

You know, I got shot nine times. Yeah, I love Yuck mouth.

[Tech N9ne]

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. So that was the connection, you know what I'm saying? Because, you know, I would see Pac, but we never talked about doing music, but he talked. Qd3 would talk to him about tech9, you know what I'm saying? And he had told me that Pac wanted to work, you know what I'm saying? And when he got killed, QD3 already had a song in mind, you know, because we were already. He was already working on one. He said, I got one. I'm working on it. Then he died. Then, like, two weeks after he died, QD3 called me, said, hey, man, I got his verse on it. You still want to do the song? I say, yeah, I do.

[Bunny]

Yeah.

[Tech N9ne]

It was called Thugs Get Lonely, too. It was a version that had prints sampled. If I was your girlfriend, you know, it had that sample.

[Bunny]

And.

[Tech N9ne]

And Prince wouldn't have in no samples.

[Bunny]

Yeah, and that's when Prince was still alive, too. So for him to even. Okay, that is historical.

[Tech N9ne]

Maybe he would have did it for Pac, I don't know. But it never came out. It leaked somehow. We didn't leak it Though I was just so happy it leaked, cuz. Yeah, I didn't want people think I was lying, you know, like, dude, that's a piece of for years, you know what I'm saying? Just seeing him in la, seeing him in Atlanta, you know, like.

[Bunny]

So that same year that you're going through all that with with Death Row. Travis enters the picture in 98.

[Tech N9ne]

Yeah, 98. I came back home from LA. I brought that song Planet Rock that I wanted to put out instead of taking. Why you a damn psycho. You know, I want to put the down south mix out. So Quincy let us go, went back to Kansas City, brought Planet Rock back with us, me and Don Juan, we put that out, we start playing on the radio. It blew the up. Okay? So like I thought it would, right. He leaves out right when we about.

[Bunny]

To get to him, you know. And if you need to use the restroom too, we can break too, if you want to use.

[Tech N9ne]

I'm good, I'm good, I'm good, I'm good, I'm good, I'm good. I'm good, I'm good. I'm long winded. I can stretch it. No, you know, I can stretch it. But we brought brought planet rock 2k back to Kansas City and it blew the up. It was a fashion show that was being held downtown Kansas City. It was a clothing company called Paradise Originals. My boy Heath and all his buddies, Travis was funding it. I went down there to the fashion show and I did my song. You want me to jam? I'm finna know Brain waves pain from the same days make you sick like bad mayonnaise tech 9 got the remedy rhyme, affinity, criminal leaf and it'll be some I crack you open like the youngest male Kennedy, you know what I'm saying? Like, I'm really doing Tech nine, you know? Yeah, but it's that be.

[Bunny]

Yeah.

[Tech N9ne]

Tech nine, you know, it was like that. It was like that. Yeah, yeah, they said I get hyphy.

[Bunny]

When he does that. Every time he does that, I'm like, yeah. I get so excited.

[Tech N9ne]

Right, right, right, right, right, right. Told you I'm animated.

[Bunny]

No, I love it. Listen, I've been to your concerts before and nobody puts on a show like you. Yeah, like, it's insane. Travis, you can go ahead and sit on the couch too, baby.

[Tech N9ne]

But you know, right before we were here, we had breakfast and the guy taking our order like, you want coffee? I'm like, no, I can't have coffee. I can't ingest any caffeine. I'm naturally caffeine Right? If I have caffeine, I'll be up for three days, and I need to sleep with my job. Fuck that shit. Never could I have any caffeine and can't drink no goddamn mountain dew. No Dr. P, Mr. Pibb or Dr.

[Bunny]

I'm sensitive to caffeine, too. There's no way.

[Tech N9ne]

Or was it Mr. Pibb?

[Bunny]

Yeah, Mr. Pib, Dr. Pepper P. That's disrespectful, dude. I, I, I was catching what you were putting down, though.

[Tech N9ne]

So I did that fashion show for Paradise Originals. Travis was funding them. You know what I'm saying? Heath and the boy. The next day, George Forte hit me, and he said, our boss want to meet you.

[Bunny]

The boss?

[Tech N9ne]

Yeah. I said, your boss? He's like, yeah, the guy, you know, makes paradise work. You know what I'm saying? I'm like, oh, okay. Let's go. Took me to his house in Blue Springs, and we had our first meeting.

[Bunny]

Travis. Mr. Travis Ogwin has joined us on the couch. I'm really excited to get you both together because I think it's a pleasure. Yeah. I think this is very rare that I've ever gotten to see you two in an interview together. At least recently.

[Travis Oguin]

I don't think it's ever happened, to be honest with you. Like, I mean, we always do individual interviews. I don't do very many.

[Bunny]

Yeah.

[Travis Oguin]

So this might be a first.

[Bunny]

I feel honored, like, for real. So, Travis, I'm happy that you're here, and I. Like, we were just saying, I'm so honored that you guys are doing this together, because I have so many questions, especially with you guys being like, like, the biggest independent label pretty much in the world.

[Tech N9ne]

Yes. Yes.

[Bunny]

You guys really built something from the ground up. What was you. You were already involved in music before you found Tech because you were funding the fashion show.

[Travis Oguin]

Well, so I was actually involved in a clothing company, Paradise Originals. How we met, I wasn't really into the music business at all. As a matter of fact, I had no experience, no background at all.

[Bunny]

Wow.

[Travis Oguin]

And so. But I, I. When I went to high school, I grew up in a. In a very diverse neighborhood. But more importantly, it was. My school was about 80% black, so I grew up around hip hop my entire life. I mean, from grade school, middle school, and then into high school, so I was always into hip hop. So whenever we wanted to do this fashion show, Tech had a buzz because of those songs that he talked about being on the radio. And I'm like, okay, yeah, let's do this. Let's let's. Let's find him. Let's get him in there and see if he'll do it.

[Tech N9ne]

And.

[Travis Oguin]

And he did, which was awesome. And. But afterwards, like, I. I knew of him and I knew of several of his songs, and I always heard about how he was about to be the next biggest rapper and. And everything else. And then after we did the fashion show, I really wanted to talk to him to understand what that journey was, because it wasn't. A lot of the things that I heard were going to happen weren't happening. So I just wanted to understand why, like, okay, you know, what, what, what, what's your story? And. And he came and he. He was really, really, really open with me, and he told me every detail. He told me about the managers that he had, which. There was a lot of them, by the way. I think he had like five managers or something. I'm like, damn. And so. And then, you know, all the people that were involved, and at first I was like, okay, you know, he told me about the deal that he had with Quest and how that was through Warner Brothers and he had a publishing deal through Windswept. And it seemed pretty complicated. And at first I thought I could go in and say, you know, maybe I can give some advice. I was really good at business. I had a really successful furniture business at the time, successful with the clothing, successful with real estate. I was doing my thing, and I thought maybe I could offer some advice. And after I met with him, I realized advice isn't what he needed. He needed some money, and he needed somebody that would go in there and kind of clean up a few things because it got. It got a little. It got a little to be a little bit too much. It was gridlock right amongst the label, and then the local label, Midwest side Records, and then Quest and then Warner Brothers. And at that time, I'm like, dude, that's crazy, man. Good luck, cool story, good luck, and wish you the best. And. And. But I didn't think that I could offer any words that was going to change anything, right? And. But we stayed in touch. And. And then there was a time when he reached out to me and I got an opportunity to go down to. It was Icy Rock's house, and he played me a song because we were together at a restaurant when they were writing a song. This. This restaurant. What was it called? Hops Pops. Yeah. And so. And. And I. I was intrigued by it. And then after it got done, I got an opportunity to go down there and listen to it and that song was called this Ring.

[Tech N9ne]

Yes.

[Travis Oguin]

And, and I, I was blown away by it. They were. He was nice enough to let me have a copy of it. And I must have played that, that song a thousand times. In my. Dawn was like, over it, right? She was like, what are you doing?

[Bunny]

Shout out Don We Love.

[Travis Oguin]

And not only that, but it's like, like, wait a minute. He's trying to balance being tech 9 and being married. Trying to say something like, like, why do you keep playing this damn song? And, and it, it was. I couldn't leave it alone. And then that's when we ended up meeting again. And I'm like, hey man, tell me what you want to do. I, I heard what everybody, everybody else has in mind for you, but fuck all of that. Like, what do you want to do? And that's when he told me that he had a publishing company called E G N Arts. And I'm like, okay. And then I, yeah, yeah. And then I was like, he goes, that's strange backwards. And I'm like, oh, okay. And I said, why is that? And he goes, well, because if I ever have an opportunity to do my own label, I want to call it Strange Music. And I'm like, oh. And then he told me about his love for Jim Morrison and the Doors and all of this stuff. And so I took a leap and said, okay, well, listen man, I, I don't know the music business, but I'm a quick learn and I have the means, the financial means to help out and I think I have a good business acumen and I know how to move forward relatively quickly. So I said, if you want to truly do that, I'm in, man, 50 50. And we'll go and we'll figure this thing out and oh boy.

[Bunny]

Yeah, what a wild venture for you guys to both be like, you know what, let's start. Was it, let's start a record label or was it just going to be like, hey, let me just help you out as an independent artist first.

[Travis Oguin]

Let's start a record label.

[Bunny]

It literally was record label from the gate, right?

[Travis Oguin]

Yeah, because I think, you know, he was, he was kind of like tired of, of being stuck and nothing actually come into fruition. Like, so it's, it's like, you know, nothing ever really materialized and, and you get tired of that stuff and you're living on like minimal per diems and you can't go out there and really.

[Bunny]

Oh, I get it. We lived it right?

[Travis Oguin]

Make a living. So it's like, you know, and, and I, I Had to learn, man. I mean, we took and we put together and we had to gather a bunch of songs and a lot of the earlier producer of those songs wouldn't give us the files because they wanted to be paid a second time. That was a really volatile thing. And I'll save all the back on that. Yeah.

[Bunny]

The music industry is so snaky.

[Travis Oguin]

What's that?

[Bunny]

The music industry can be so snaky.

[Travis Oguin]

It's, it's, it's filled with a bunch of people that I, I, I, I don't care for. 90 plus percent of the people that's in the music business. Yeah. You know, and I, that's, nah. That it hasn't changed.

[Bunny]

Travis.

[Travis Oguin]

Yeah, I mean, I, I don't. Because, because there's so, there's so many of them. They're full of, they're people that are not, they're not, you know, are they failed musicians who find a way to wiggle into a position in the business and then they don't know what the they're doing.

[Bunny]

I call them car salesmans because they all have that, that icky, like car salesman personality.

[Tech N9ne]

Right, right, right.

[Travis Oguin]

All those comments. Oh, yeah, that's gonna be bananas. Of bananas.

[Tech N9ne]

Especially in la.

[Travis Oguin]

Yeah, it was la. Everything was bananas in la and everybody. So in New York, like, everybody was. Yeah, it was crazy.

[Bunny]

So I have a couple questions that I want to ask you guys, if you guys don't mind, because I, I really am just so blown away by what you guys have built. But at a time when labels were everything, you, when labels were everything, you guys went the independent route. Did you guys ever doubt yourselves, like, whenever you were first starting out?

[Tech N9ne]

Well, you know, you got to be a kind of a crazy, slightly crazy to lose 140k on your first tour and then go back. Right.

[Bunny]

Wow.

[Travis Oguin]

When, when this thing started, in the first couple of years, we were, I was a little over $2 million of my own money in. And initially I had in my mind that, you know, I might end up spending a couple hundred grand to get this thing to go the right way. Not 2 million, you know what I mean? And, but, but things, things were challenging, things were expensive, and it was hard to figure it all out. And we kept having to throw money at it.

[Tech N9ne]

It. And it was harder because I was a black kid with spiked red hair with a painted face, bishop's robe on stage, up under it, blood, clothing. You know what I'm saying? You know, it was just like a clusterfuck.

[Bunny]

I would feel like that would set you apart. From everybody else though.

[Tech N9ne]

It did, but it's.

[Bunny]

But not in a good way. Right.

[Tech N9ne]

If you're not doing what everybody else is doing, you know.

[Bunny]

Right.

[Travis Oguin]

Think about this. Back then in like 99, 2000, 2001, there were no independent hip hop tours period.

[Bunny]

Right.

[Travis Oguin]

The only hip hop tours there were is like, you seen Run DMC coming with the Beastie Boys or have you seen. You know, there was a few, yeah, stuff like that, but there was no independent hip hop touring at all.

[Bunny]

Yeah.

[Travis Oguin]

So then take add in black dude with, with, with wearing like spiked red hair. His name is Tech9. The name of a gun.

[Tech N9ne]

First strike.

[Travis Oguin]

Right, right. And then he's got face paint on and in a preacher's robe and he's got two strippers taking the preacher's robe off.

[Tech N9ne]

Yes, yes.

[Bunny]

Right.

[Travis Oguin]

So like, like, so it was not an easy sell to white America. White club owner America. So I'd literally get on the phone with these guys because I started by putting together our own tour stores by ourselves. We didn't have an agent. Nobody was messing. They were not going to touch us with a ten foot pole. Then. The club owners didn't want that in their club. They, they were, they were so fearful of it. So we would make deals. I had to talk to Tech, like, man, this is crazy. But you know, our very first paid show was 500 bucks.

[Tech N9ne]

Right, right, right.

[Travis Oguin]

At a, at an Italian restaurant that turned into a nightclub during the week, weekends, simply Sicilian in Blue Springs, Missouri.

[Bunny]

So shout out to them for giving you an opportunity though, right?

[Travis Oguin]

Absolutely.

[Tech N9ne]

You gotta tell them to give the money back if we have any problems. Yeah.

[Travis Oguin]

We had to literally convince all these different people by saying, hey, look, let us come there, let us do this show, we'll do a door deal and if anything goes wrong, you keep all the money.

[Bunny]

So would people not let you buy on to tours? Was that not a thing back then?

[Travis Oguin]

They wouldn't let. We, we didn't really want to go with the idea of buying on because there were no tours back then.

[Bunny]

Right.

[Travis Oguin]

You know, I mean, this is. Honestly, there were no tours to buy on to for someone like him or us or whatever. So we had to go out there and do it ourselves or we weren't going to see anybody, we weren't going to tour. And, and that's where we lost, you know, money on the first tour. But I always looked at it like, look, if we can get in these places and we can plant a seed, then great, yeah, we're going to spend money. You spend money when you do that, and then we'll come back the next time and we'll water it.

[Bunny]

Right, Right.

[Travis Oguin]

And. And we still may not make money, but at the end of the day, at least we're gaining momentum, gaining fans.

[Bunny]

Right?

[Travis Oguin]

And then once we come back again, now, maybe we can pick a little fruit, you know, whatever the case might be. So it was a. It was a. It was a journey to get to that point. And.

[Tech N9ne]

But.

[Travis Oguin]

But it worked out. You know, we played a show in San Diego at the Blue Agave.

[Tech N9ne]

Seven people.

[Travis Oguin]

Seven people. Seven people. The next time we came, it was. It was like, much better. 300 and something the next time we came. And every time since then, we've sold it out, every single show in San Diego. So, you know, it worked, But. But nobody knew it. And I didn't. I knew that I wasn't gonna fail because I just. I can't accept failure. Like, it's a mental block for me. But. And dawn, about you, My. My wonderful wife, she never doubted me, but did I get some of these? Looks like. Yeah, I got a few of them. Look. But she never doubted it, and she knew that I couldn't stop.

[Tech N9ne]

And.

[Travis Oguin]

And. And thank God. And she. She helped. She worked there, her and Glenda, and, you know, sending out CDs and vinyl to radio stations and stuff out of our basement.

[Bunny]

Like.

[Travis Oguin]

Yeah, yeah. I mean, but, yeah, it. It. It. It was interesting in the beginning.

[Tech N9ne]

Yeah.

[Bunny]

Do you guys feel like the Juggalo community is what accepted you first?

[Tech N9ne]

That did. What?

[Bunny]

Do you feel like the Jug. Juggalo community accepted you guys first?

[Tech N9ne]

They came in. And in 2003.

[Bunny]

Okay.

[Tech N9ne]

Now, I. I started in Kansas City.

[Bunny]

Right.

[Tech N9ne]

You know what I'm saying? And I think with Mitch Bade being the first thing, all the gangsters were first.

[Bunny]

Right.

[Tech N9ne]

You know what I'm saying? And then the college kids came, and.

[Bunny]

Those college kids will run the numbers up.

[Tech N9ne]

Yeah, yeah. You know, saying. But we did sprite liquid mixture in 02 with Jay Z, Nerd, Nappy Roots. You know what I'm saying? Hoobastank.

[Bunny]

Oh, wow.

[Tech N9ne]

You know what I mean?

[Bunny]

That would be a great. A great tour to, like, circle back.

[Tech N9ne]

So we was already buzzing on that tour. You know, Jay Z was coming out to see my set on the second stage, you know.

[Bunny]

Right.

[Tech N9ne]

You know, they heard about this ring. You know, everybody's like, you gotta see this ring. Kanye was there. I never saw him, but Chris Calico saw him. He was with Talib Kweli. He was on that tour, too. So the next year 03 is when I met the Juggalos, when I, when I finally found out everything about Psychopathic, because I'd heard about Insane Clown Posse years before when they got signed to Disney or something, you know, I was like, baby, more clowns. More clowns.

[Bunny]

Yeah.

[Tech N9ne]

You know what I'm saying? I painted my face, you know?

[Bunny]

Yeah.

[Tech N9ne]

And 03 is when the Juggalos came and added a lot to our fan base.

[Bunny]

Right.

[Tech N9ne]

You know what I mean? And the Metalheads came, you know, and it just kept growing.

[Travis Oguin]

Well, and that first tour, that first tour that we did with them, actually the only tour with them, I guess, other than the Gathering, but it was Insane Clown Posse, it was Bone Thugs in Harmony, it was Cotton Mouth Kings, iconic. And so it's like, you know, that we, we, we thought, oh, wow, what a wild menagerie of craziness. And loved it. And I'll tell you what, their fan base was so intriguing to me because they were so devoted.

[Tech N9ne]

Yes.

[Travis Oguin]

And, and looking at that fan base and looking at. I had an opportunity to, to talk to and work with Hank Williams Jr. And go to his Butt Naked barbecue in Paris, Tennessee and all this other.

[Tech N9ne]

Yeah, I missed that one.

[Bunny]

Was everybody naked?

[Travis Oguin]

No, no, the only one naked was probably Hank. And that's because he had to climb out of the damn lake that he drove his four wheeler in because he was out of his mind. Hilarious stuff goes on around. They shoot cannons and shit in the backyard.

[Bunny]

Oh, I could only imagine.

[Travis Oguin]

But, but watching the, with the Juggalo fan base, what Hank Williams Jr. Had to do when, when country music shunned him because they didn't want to deal with this nepotism because of, you know, and then looking at that, and then looking at what Kid Rock, this white rapper that moved to New York and was in the apartment downstairs from Queen Latifah. But looking at the fan base that, that Kid Rock was able to build, and those were the things that were so intriguing to me because look at these fan bases. They built them. And all the odds were against them too. And that's when, you know, that's when I think that we really started to focus on how can we look at and understand and take the best things out of all these different people's followings? What can we get out of that? What can we learn from them? And we learned a lot from each one of them, including Psychopathic. And their, their merchandise game was mind boggling. It was so wild to see that, man. They, they, they did something that not, not a lot of people have ever done.

[Bunny]

And, well, they've built a cult following, you know, and that's, that's where your real core, like, fan base is. Is in that cult, like following. And they, it was a very distinct niche that they had. And those people, that's why they're still.

[Tech N9ne]

Able to do it.

[Bunny]

Oh, it's wild. I literally. I didn't know what a Juggalo was. But the crazy thing is, is I listened to Insane Clown Posse when I was younger but didn't know the Juggalo statement. I didn't know what a Juggalo was until I went to the gathering.

[Tech N9ne]

Yes.

[Bunny]

I saw so many buttholes.

[Tech N9ne]

Right, right, right.

[Bunny]

And people have. I mean, but they are the nicest humans ever. Like, they're so great.

[Tech N9ne]

That was one of the biggest parties I've ever seen. The biggest wildest parties I've ever been to.

[Bunny]

Wild.

[Tech N9ne]

Yeah.

[Bunny]

No, it's insane.

[Tech N9ne]

Yeah.

[Bunny]

So when did you guys know, like, you guys were able to, like, look at each other and be like, like, this is gonna work. When it came to the record label, 06. So when, like, Caribouloo came out.

[Travis Oguin]

We, we, we hit a few bumps along the way. The very first deal that we did in 2001 was with a company called J Core and a guy named Jay Ferris, who, for the record, is a complete piece of. Still is to this day. And I'd love to bump into Jay sometime. I take the charge.

[Bunny]

I love how you guys use first and last.

[Travis Oguin]

Yeah, yeah. Jay Ferris, uj. Damn, you're a piece of.

[Bunny]

But he's like. And I stand on it.

[Travis Oguin]

Yeah. I mean, here's the thing. We did a deal with them and we did everything that we were supposed to do. And then he literally sent us to Los Angeles to shoot a video. And he would only pay for part of it. So we had to come ante up some money and. And the only reason we got to shoot the video is because we did a first week number that far exceeded what they thought they were going to do. Keep in mind, we're an independent label. Back then, there wasn't independent distribution. There wasn't any Fontanas or those types of small indie labels. You still had to get distribution. The only way you could get it at that time was by doing a deal because we didn't have any sales history to really to warrant us being able to get that type of deal. So we did this deal because he had a distribution deal through Interscope and It was a 5050 JV. And we outperformed everything that they Expected. And then we're supposed to shoot a video. We fly, we get to, we get out to LA and we're in the hotel room and we're supposed to do something the first, the next day, and it doesn't happen. And then another day goes by, still nothing. Because we found out the label or Jay Ferris and J Core Records wasn't, wasn't advancing the money for the video, the deposit. And so we're like, what's going on? A third day pops off and finally I get on the phone and I'm talking to the people over there because you can, you can't ever get to Jay. And they say, well, he's had a change of heart and thinks that you guys need to do more touring before we shoot a video like this in la. I'm on Sunset. I had to go in the hotel and tell him this. And I'm, I'm beyond furious in ways that I can't explain and I would.

[Bunny]

Not want Travis Ogwen mad at me.

[Travis Oguin]

I. So I. They had rented us a Lincoln Navigator for local use around there. I went ahead and hopped in the Navigator with a couple of the guys that were out there with me. We arranged travel to get him back home. And I literally drove from LA all the way to Kansas City and their Navigator, their rental Navigator, then I picked up a few of my very, very large friends and drove all the way to New York City where Jay Ferris was.

[Bunny]

Wow.

[Travis Oguin]

To, to, to get out of that deal. And on the way there, I'm talking to my attorneys, drawing up paperwork. You know, he owed us money at that time. And we got there and they still wanted to talk. I was done talking. There was nothing else to talk about. And we went in the offices. They, they had a scare there because they, they, they basically didn't pay a street team company and the street team guys came in there and like, beat up a bunch of their monitors with some baseball bats and scared the them. And so they had armed security. And so when we showed up, there's armed guards, all this other dumb. And we, we, we unarmed them and, and placed them in a nice comfortable room and went over and got the paperwork with Jay and got him to sign off on it. And no one was harmed? No, you know, everything went fine.

[Tech N9ne]

Yes.

[Bunny]

Real gangsta shit.

[Travis Oguin]

Well, we got the album.

[Tech N9ne]

Gangster Shit.

[Travis Oguin]

Yeah, we got the album back and.

[Tech N9ne]

And, and we called it Angelic reparations.

[Travis Oguin]

Yeah, yeah. And, and, and, and, and, you know, in doing that, then, you know the guy that took us over there, a guy named Dave Weiner, because Violet Brown was the. A very big part of the early days. And she had introduced us to Dave Weiner, who was at Priority Records. And then they, you know, they sold. And then Dave went over to J Core and there were a couple other people like Brian Shafton and some others that were a part of that huge success that Priority had during all those years with Master P, with nwa, with everything. And so he ended up quitting that job in protest of the way we were being handled, and went back and got with his old mentor, a guy named Mark Cerami, who was the. One of the two owners of Priority Records. And then that's. That's where we ended up. We followed Dave over there and did a deal. And those two deals are the speed bumps and the education that we needed and the sales that we needed in order to get the attention of Fontana and Universal to get our own deal. So then we were able to cut out the middleman and really focus on how to do it the way that we thought it needed to be done.

[Bunny]

Done right.

[Travis Oguin]

And.

[Bunny]

And.

[Travis Oguin]

And. And MSC wasn't really much better. Mark Cerami ended up being a. A. He's an too.

[Tech N9ne]

A person.

[Travis Oguin]

He's a boy.

[Bunny]

I was just gonna say a boy.

[Travis Oguin]

Yeah. I really don't mind. Like, we actually recently, just a few years ago, we ended up getting all of the albums we put out through him back as well. But, you know, and I. He uses his crutch of. He had a stroke. He ate a tray of weed brownies, got on a Learjet to go look at a yacht, had a stroke in the air and had to learn how to eat, walk, talk, and again or something. And he wasn't the same guy. But again, the guy that took us over there quit in protest again and moved to Hawaii. And so it's like, you know, it was a weird combination. You know, take 2000 to 2006. That's how you can around. And spend 2 million bucks.

[Bunny]

Yeah, absolutely.

[Travis Oguin]

And. But we got all of our back from. From Mark Ceram. Well, him too, for the record.

[Tech N9ne]

And 2006 was when we got with Fontana and we did.

[Travis Oguin]

And then we got to do our deal.

[Tech N9ne]

We did every. Ready.

[Travis Oguin]

No middleman between us. And look, the results are what the results are.

[Tech N9ne]

If. If.

[Travis Oguin]

If we work hard and we perform and we get something, we actually get paid.

[Bunny]

Yeah.

[Travis Oguin]

Our wires come in religiously every single month.

[Bunny]

Yeah.

[Travis Oguin]

It's so good. And we. We've went there and we've been there ever since. We're still there. Yeah, I mean it's changed names. It was Fontana then it was In Grooves and now it's Virgin Music. But at the end of the day, we ended up finding a way to succeed, becoming in the top one or two or three. Normally top one label that they had. And we maintained that for a really long time.

[Tech N9ne]

Yes.

[Travis Oguin]

And. And been able to do other cool. Like it goes up then our distribution we. Which is where. Where, where Jelly came through. You know what I mean?

[Tech N9ne]

So it's like he signed on Valentine's Day in 2020.

[Bunny]

Yeah.

[Travis Oguin]

Yeah. It's so weird that it was Valentine's Day too. But yeah, man. I mean it's 2006 is when it. We. We realized that now that nobody could screw up the money and nobody was in between us and that then it was, it was all up from there. And that's really when we started having real success Tech.

[Bunny]

What was it about Travis that made you trust this process? Because that's a long time, 2000, 1999-2006 before you guys are even seeing any recourse, you know, like what was it about the struggle that made you trust him?

[Tech N9ne]

When he said that he, that I opened up and told him everything. He's always been forthcoming with everything. You know what I'm saying? Like he's always been open, not secretive when it comes to any type of money or any of thing that would come in. You know, it was like he's always been open an open book just like me, you know what I mean? And you can feel that, you know what I'm saying? Especially being in business for 25 years.

[Bunny]

Yeah.

[Tech N9ne]

You know what I'm saying? It's pretty much self explanatory like.

[Bunny]

Absolutely. Yeah. No, I, I'll always be fond of Travis. He was there when I got my first Rolex. Or was it, was it me or was I buying Jay his first Rolex?

[Travis Oguin]

You were buying Jay the Rolex through a guy here buying it from a company that, that I work with all the time out there, you know.

[Tech N9ne]

Carlene.

[Travis Oguin]

Yeah, Carlene Creations. Yeah, that's. That's actually where it came from. Yeah, that's where I got. Yeah, that's actually where that watch came from.

[Bunny]

I think that might be where this one came from. I have no idea. But it just. I love. My love for Travis always is going to run deep. So just really. One other quick question. Well, actually two. But what's your take on this mainstream versus independent debate? Because you know, especially the country rap world right now, they're in saying with you know, wanting it. Everybody needs to stay independent or, you know, should you go mainstream? How do you guys feel about that?

[Tech N9ne]

I think it can work either way.

[Bunny]

Yeah.

[Tech N9ne]

For people. Depends on what you want, right?

[Travis Oguin]

Yeah, I, I, I think that, that we were independent way before it was cool, way before it was sexy. We were independent pretty much out of necessity. I think that, you know, the lines are blurred between what was independent and, and you know, there's so many different projects that like even we worked early with td, we signed J Rock, we had Kendrick Lamar was over there, you know, Schoolboy Q, Absol. Black Hippie.

[Bunny]

I love Schoolboy Q. Right.

[Travis Oguin]

And so, so, but when you look at that though, like when that deal upstreamed, Interscope didn't want to be mentioned. They wanted it all to be about TDE and Top Dog Entertainment. And they wanted it because independent was cooler to the fan base and they felt like it was going to connect better if they were in the shadows. You know what I'm saying? But now I think it's so incredibly blurred that I think that whatever it is, the end goal is if you want to go out there and you want to be huge at radio, you might have to make that sacrifice and sign up with the folks that are capable of doing that. But you also have to make sure that that is the right fit and that they're going to do what they say they're going to do and that you end up getting a result that you want. Because if you don't, that's a very expensive situation. Yes, you go sign a major label deal, you sign a 15, 16, 17, 18 point deal, and now you're recouping at the rate of that deal. And so, you know, everybody doesn't understand that for every hundred dollars the major label spends and then they recoup, you're only getting $18 of a credit out of that hundred bucks. And so now you're in a pretty deep hole. And how wild is it not to make money? And you got the number one record in the country and you're not getting paid though, from, from the record label.

[Bunny]

Right.

[Travis Oguin]

It's because the deal structures are very favorable to those majors and that's, but if, if, if it goes crazy and you have seven number one songs, then it begins to make a lot more sense. And you have the ancillary, you have the touring income, you have, you know, all of the merchandise income and all these other ancillary incomes. So sometimes a major deal makes sense and works for, for folks. But, but the deals are constantly shifting and changing.

[Bunny]

Yes.

[Travis Oguin]

Distribution is constantly shifting and changing and how it's done. So, so it's, it's, it's, it's a wild time. But you just have to be smart and dissect the deals that are in front of you and really try to figure out what your, what your path is. If, if you don't care as much about radio or you want to go through the process of hiring and doing radios and working with the independent yourself, you could of course do that too. And then your reward is much, much greater. If it does connect and it does go, you're going to end up in a really great place.

[Bunny]

Right.

[Travis Oguin]

You know, but, but I mean it's.

[Bunny]

I feel like radio is so outdated too. Like how you have to, to get plays and all that stuff. Like I, watching my husband go through it, which I'll probably get for talking about this. I just feel like they're, the way they go about things is so outdated. And isn't everything more on streaming now as opposed to radio?

[Travis Oguin]

Every everything is indeed more on streaming than is radio. But radio, terrestrial radio is still a big factor on getting people to a mass popularity. It is unfortunately or fortunately, however you look at it, it still kind of like the, it's a huge part of it. But now you don't. Only when we started it was about the music. Now it's also about the social media.

[Bunny]

Right.

[Travis Oguin]

It's about the tick tock, it's about Instagram, it's about, and not only that, but now wait a minute. Not only do I have to do those things, but okay, my TikTok needs to be for my personal moments or something. You know, you got to campaign the right. So it's about this. And then my Instagram is going to be about the music making process and then my Facebook's gonna, you have to come up with strategies and plans and, and you navigate this space all the time. But like it's way bigger than, than the music now. And that kind of sucks.

[Bunny]

Right. And, and they want the personality behind them.

[Travis Oguin]

Yeah. And, and, and, but streaming, streaming is the, the biggest that we're all dealing with. How is a guy, Daniel Ek, how is he worth at 3.6 billion or no 4.6 billion recently on the backs of all the artists. And how did, how did they make a 1.5 billion dollar profit yet they're paying less than 1/3 of 1 penny per stream of the actual artist that put in the work?

[Bunny]

Right.

[Travis Oguin]

And the way it happened was the three majors made an alignment with Spotify they have ownership stake and it was the new way for them to get control of the business again because independents like us were kicking their ass.

[Bunny]

Right.

[Travis Oguin]

We were the subject of a lot of different board meetings where guys would go in and like, literally like I had this guy Richie who used to call me, he's like man, like what's up? He's like, dude, we had to hear about you guys for 30 minutes straight. People yelling at us over how in the are they doing this? And we can't even do this.

[Tech N9ne]

50 cents that he used to tell his artists. Artist about us.

[Travis Oguin]

Yeah. Yeah.

[Bunny]

Wow.

[Travis Oguin]

Yeah. So, so it's like, you know, but, but, but, but streaming is, is really, really twisted. And the creative accounting that goes on with streaming and you got guys that are making songs and AI, a hundred thousand songs collecting millions of dollars. It's up. And I'm, I'm, I'm waiting for people to get as sick and tired as we are. You know, you, you got to get people to be sick and tired of being sick and tired.

[Tech N9ne]

Right?

[Travis Oguin]

And, and to make a change.

[Bunny]

But there's back for that.

[Travis Oguin]

We, we have a lot of really kick ass ideas. Like back when we did the whole, the industry thing, that whole campaign, we have it. But there are much larger risk at play now because you know, when you're, when you're not making any money and you know you're willing to say and do a lot of, to rattle cages, you know. And now we have to be very methodical because we have artists that are signed to the label. If we did something radical like pulled all their shit off of a platform to create our own platform, we could run into obstacles that would be uncomfortable for others. So it's not just his and mine at stake now. It's a whole collective of people and content and catalog that we have to be mindful of. So we're hoping to do it in a better way. Still. Still, you know, going crazy on people and doing things differently is. I'm down for that. That and I have no problem saying, you know, well, obviously I've said it a few times. Yeah, yeah, I don't have any problem. The industry and anybody else that, that wants to not treat artists fairly. Yeah, that, that pisses me off to the core. And I, I don't know how you, you can allow people to put all their work in and pay them fractions of pennies. That, that shit is irritating beyond word.

[Bunny]

Know, it's, it's, it's not fair at all. Touching base real quick on the artists that you guys have signed. You guys have Chris Calico, Ritz, Mayday and Stevie Stone. Artists like that. What do you guys look for in an artist before bringing them in? And what would somebody have to do to be signed by you guys? If somebody's listening to this right now and is like, I want to go to strange music.

[Tech N9ne]

Well, I like artists that understand music and I don't have to babysit.

[Bunny]

Right.

[Tech N9ne]

You know what I mean? I like artists that I can see hanging with me, artist wise, you know what I mean, that are able to do hits if you got a chop, you know what I'm saying? It's not a requirement, but you know what I mean? We started something strange Music. Music and chopping was part of it, you know what I mean? But we have other songs, like you said, Caribou Lou.

[Bunny]

Yes.

[Tech N9ne]

Who go Crazy and everybody but me. And, you know, you've got a whole bunch of songs that, you know, we look for artists that can do that, like you. You found Sky, Daddy, right?

[Bunny]

I love her.

[Travis Oguin]

Yeah, yeah. Sky is doing incredible things. She's through the distribution and, and I, I, I think also another thing that we look for, because you mentioned artists like Chris, Calico and others, I think people that can create music that means something that is meaningful to the human experience.

[Tech N9ne]

Right?

[Travis Oguin]

That's, that's what I want to hear.

[Bunny]

Something as a message.

[Travis Oguin]

How. Yeah, how can. What, what. And sometimes, you know, the, the content is heavy, but that heavier the content, the more help it provides to people going through the same thing who feel like they're alone. Alone. And so like, if you took all of these thousands of emails that we get talking about how the music saved someone's life and, and listen, let's assume, let's assume for this purpose that only, that's only really true one time. That's okay. It's still worth it if you could actually say something that you help do. Some help you create. You know, you worked with an artist, they created this wonderful song and, and this helped this person take the gun out of their mouth. That's huge. And that's what therapeutic music should do. And that's the one thing that drew me so much to your husband, was all of that. Because knowing that people have that reaction to what he is saying on these tracks is massive to me. And walking down, you know, I was telling him the story last night where me and Jelly used to walk down Broadway when I came and visited, and a few people knew who he was and that was a cool interaction.

[Bunny]

But then inside, I won't go with him anywhere. It turns into a meet and greet.

[Travis Oguin]

Inside the restaurants, though, when people would come up crying to him. And way back then, yeah, I'm like, like, there it is. This, this is why I have to help him grow this thing. There's no I, I. At that point.

[Bunny]

You were there for Save Me. You're, you are what helped Save Me get the notoriety that it got.

[Tech N9ne]

Because he wasn't sure about it. I'm sure. I think I heard something.

[Travis Oguin]

He wasn't sure.

[Tech N9ne]

He wasn't sure how his fans would take him singing.

[Bunny]

Right.

[Travis Oguin]

It was the very first time. You know, we talked about the five year plan. You've heard the five year plan. And then we talked about getting to the root of what it is he really wanted to do, which it took me a while to get him to open up to me and tell me about his mom and his dad and the music they played and his, his wanting to write songs and how he wanted to be a part of music grow and then how he wanted to get more into the singing. And we finally, you know, he, he does this song and then he sends it to me and he's like, can, can we, can we just get this up real quick? He was afraid of that song. You know that, right? I mean, I know he talked to you. He told me about his conversations with you, too, and you thought the song was beautiful. That's right.

[Bunny]

I told him it would be as big as biggest song he ever did.

[Travis Oguin]

Right, right, right. And, and, and as did.

[Tech N9ne]

You were right.

[Travis Oguin]

Yeah, as did I. I said, look, this is going to be, this is what we've been talking about. It doesn't, you know, he, he told me that it's the first song he ever did without a rap verse. And I'm like, okay, now I can't.

[Bunny]

Get him to rap. Can you make him rap again? Type, please. I miss rapper roll.

[Travis Oguin]

Okay, yeah, but, but, but that's the like, like Save Me though is. That's a, that's that song. What, What, what, what are we at? 298 million video plays on a simple, simple video. That's because it connected, it touched. It means so much to so many people and to, to, to be able to be a part of that. That's the only reason, honestly, Bunny, the only reason that I'm still doing this. I have no financial reasons to do this anymore.

[Bunny]

Right.

[Travis Oguin]

I haven't had for a long time. Neither is he.

[Tech N9ne]

Right.

[Travis Oguin]

But the reality is when you know, you know that your music has such an impact on People.

[Tech N9ne]

People.

[Travis Oguin]

That. That's hard. You can't. If you help create the soundtrack to a lot of people's lives, and then what do you do? You just say, oh, never mind, and you off. What? Yeah, so. So that's. That's it, you know, And I deal with the things like with McKenzie and all these other.

[Tech N9ne]

The.

[Travis Oguin]

The. The mental health of our country is. Is. Is challenged pretty heavily. So if we can create stuff that helps people and. And. And human beings and help them stay alive, yes, we better do this. We better continue or else. Like, I feel responsible. Like, it's like it ain't even a job for money. It's like a responsibility is where I'm at with the test and with.

[Tech N9ne]

And. And. And to follow what strange music means. The S and the logo is taken from the rod of Asclepius. You know, you usually see it at the hospital. You see the snakes going around the rod, symbolizing medicine.

[Bunny]

Yes.

[Tech N9ne]

And the bat being nocturnal. We are the medicine to navigate through the darkness. So we've fit that tight like a. You know what I mean?

[Bunny]

Absolutely. Your song Fragile is like, save me for me. Oh, yeah. I was going through a really bad, abusive relationship when that song dropped, and it literally, like, saved me so many times. So, I mean, you guys are definitely making therapeutic music and.

[Tech N9ne]

Totally.

[Bunny]

Yeah. No, it's amazing.

[Tech N9ne]

Yeah.

[Bunny]

Thank you for sitting in. I appreciate you being here so much. Yes. Thank you, Tech. We're gonna move on, but I'm gonna let you guys go because I feel like I've kept you for so long, but we're gonna move on just a little bit. I want to touch base on one story that I heard before, though, because you're. You're. You were touring at a pace of doing 250 shows a year at one time. That's insane.

[Tech N9ne]

Yes, it is.

[Bunny]

Like, how does somebody function to be able to do that Many shows?

[Tech N9ne]

Conditioned ourselves throughout the years to be able to know what to do with your voice. For one, you know, by cutting out the party after the show, getting rest. You know what I mean? You had to go through the early on to know how you don't be hoarse during the show.

[Bunny]

Right.

[Tech N9ne]

You know what I'm saying? On that ICP tour, man, I lost my voice in Kentucky, man. It was. It was. It was. It was frightful. And ever since then, I really start pacing myself. You know what I mean?

[Bunny]

You learn your lesson.

[Tech N9ne]

So we. We've always been conditioned to do it. We've done. We've done it so much that at the End of some tours, I've popped my gastrocnemius muscle on both sides, you know, from jumping. Yes, all that, all that Michael Jackson sliding and from locking, you know what I'm saying? The I do on stage, no, it's.

[Bunny]

High energy, you know what I'm saying? The minute you start, you end.

[Tech N9ne]

I was off and not stretching and not working out back then when I was popping. Since I've been working out, my personal trainer, I ain't popped a thing on that following reverse tour. I didn't get sick. Not one time. One muscle.

[Bunny]

Let's go. That probably contributes to your sobriety too.

[Tech N9ne]

Yeah.

[Bunny]

Touring that much. Do you ever just get afraid that when you're at home you're just going to get lost in your thoughts? Or is it that you just get antsy whenever you have time off?

[Tech N9ne]

Because I never got like that. Because usually when I'm home is when I start working on records, you know, we tour, get home, work on music. Tour, get home, work on music, you know what I mean? And it was, it was like, it was like that for a long time, you know what I'm saying? And I never felt like I had to, you know, even though I have to do mantras to go to sleep, you know what I mean? I found that and it works for me, you know? But now we, we pretty much have a, I, I have a, I have a regimen, you know what I'm saying?

[Bunny]

It's a schedule.

[Tech N9ne]

I'm, I'm, I'm conditioned to do it.

[Bunny]

Let's talk about your sobriety. Can you take me on that journey? Because you. It says you almost died from alcohol poisoning one time.

[Tech N9ne]

That's not true. But something like that, you know what I'm saying? So my life, since my early teens, I've been drinking like a rock star because I've pretty much been a rock star.

[Bunny]

Yeah, I mean, you are a rock star. Tech.

[Tech N9ne]

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Bunny]

You deserve that title.

[Tech N9ne]

I've been knowing that, you know what I'm saying, since my teens, you know, like that's, that's how I felt. That's how I built this to be, you know, a hip hop rock star, you know what I'm saying? So imagine every day I wake up, I have breakfast. Breakfast out somewhere, or brunch or something. I start the day with maybe three mimosas, whether it be orange juice mimosa, or a pineapple mimosa, lunch, you know, you spend a day in studio, you know what I'm saying? Lunch. You take lunch somewhere at a Bar. I have my. Maybe three Cosmopolitans, top shelf, you know, dinner. You have your red wine. If you go to. If you go to Capitol Grill, you're gonna have four stolidoles. If you don't know what stolidoli is, it's like they marinate pineapple and vodka, and they pour it, you know, and it's beautiful. That's one day, right? And then I come home, we might have a party. We drinking Caribou Loo, kct, Hennessy, Sprite, and lemon. This is daily, right? Because I'm a social drinker and I love to party. So I'm doing this for years, baby. I'm talking about. This is like the drugs that I was doing. You know what I'm saying? I stopped that in 06. Or was it 07? It was 06 or 07. One of my years, you know, saying it stopped. Ecstasy, shrooms, acid, ghb. What's it called? The red pills. No, no, no, not quail. I'll remember in a minute. But I would do that all in one night.

[Bunny]

When was your first time taking drugs? Like, hard drugs?

[Tech N9ne]

My first time with X, you know, was 98, when I came home. When I. When I. When I first met Travis. He didn't know I was on the, though, right. I met a dancer at this club. She gave me my first. No, no, she wasn't the first one. Nope, nope. I take that back. He wasn't the first one. It was a girlfriend I had before that was it. 98. This is so hard to find.

[Bunny]

It's okay.

[Tech N9ne]

But it was the Grant Rice era for sure. You know what I'm saying?

[Bunny]

So your first drug you ever tried was ecstasy?

[Tech N9ne]

Yes.

[Bunny]

Wow.

[Tech N9ne]

Yes.

[Bunny]

Most people, like, smoke weed.

[Tech N9ne]

I don't call weed drug, though.

[Bunny]

Right. Well, most people smoke weed or do.

[Tech N9ne]

But it is. But it is classified as a drug. But to me, it's natural.

[Bunny]

Yeah.

[Tech N9ne]

Just like mushrooms. Sorry. And. But I'm talking about drugs.

[Bunny]

Yeah.

[Tech N9ne]

You know what I'm saying? Molly and ecstasy.

[Bunny]

Yes.

[Tech N9ne]

I found that first. Yeah, I think. I think. I think the dancer was the first one to give it to my first one at a movie theaters. He said, you're gonna take this pill. It's gonna take 30 minutes. You're gonna feel like you have to. Don't. You know, I'm saying. To up the whole thing. Don't. I'm like.

[Bunny]

So you're not allowed to on ecstasy?

[Tech N9ne]

No, you ain't supposed to. Or mushrooms. You know what I'm saying? You're supposed to fill It. And keep that in, you know, saying that's what I was.

[Bunny]

I never knew.

[Tech N9ne]

Yeah, yeah, yeah. You know, you get that all the time.

[Bunny]

You learn something new every day.

[Tech N9ne]

She did fart over there, you know. But anyway, 98, I took my first pill and I was doing that all the way from 98 to 2006 or 7, you know what I'm saying?

[Bunny]

Yeah. And what was it that made you want to get sober.

[Tech N9ne]

Was happening? You know, you remember you came up to the house and they said somebody was outside eating at 6 o'clock in the morning outside on the bench. And all the people in the apartment complex could see it, you know what I'm saying? Police came all kind of.

[Bunny]

Was that you eating?

[Tech N9ne]

It was at my house.

[Bunny]

Oh, okay. You know, he's like, I'll never say if it was me or not.

[Tech N9ne]

People over, you know what I'm saying?

[Bunny]

Right.

[Tech N9ne]

Was going on, right? Upstairs, downstairs, outside, you know, when you're on that, you know, you stand up till 4 and 5 and 6 in the morning, right. And, you know, jaw grinding, you know. Yeah. You know what I'm saying? So Adderall, that was the red pill.

[Bunny]

Okay.

[Tech N9ne]

I'll put that on top of the action. It feels so good.

[Bunny]

Oh, my goodness.

[Tech N9ne]

I should have been. Whoa. I should have been Chris Farley. My. I was. I was putting on top of Home homes, praise God, you know what I'm saying? So around 2006, ever ready time, it starts slowing down, you know what I'm saying? Travis said, man, I don't. We had a meeting. Travis said, man, everybody's saying you're gonna die just like Jim Morrison, you know what I'm saying? He said, I can't keep doing business with somebody that's gonna kill themselves, man. I'm sorry. You know what I'm saying? I was like, oh, no, I ain't gonna kill myself myself. You know what I'm saying? I kill myself now. So, you know, I thought about that. I'm like, I see it every day. People seeing me up like we're going to lose them, just like we lost Jim Morrison, you know what I'm saying? This, that, and because that's who I attributed that idea to, do strange music to, you know what I'm saying? I went to Per Lachase in Paris and thanked them at the, you know, cemetery, you know. Thank you for the inspiration, brother. You know, I work with the rest of the members after that, you know.

[Bunny]

Yeah.

[Tech N9ne]

But when Travis said, you know, man, it's getting bad, dude. You know, saying I'm like, I'm just kicking it. I don't do this shit all the time. I did do it all the time, you know, because we in the strip. We. We running a strip club, right? Satin Dolls. We down there. I'm getting every bitch in the. You know, I'm like a house dad, you know, I can go in there where the are. And I'm sorry I talk like that, but, you know, women are.

[Bunny]

I say. I say it all the time, too.

[Tech N9ne]

Going there where the bitches are.

[Bunny]

Trust it.

[Tech N9ne]

Like a bag of 60 rolls, you know what I'm saying? Like, rolls ecstasy, you know what I'm saying? Yeah, that's what you just call them back then, rolls. You know, you roll in people, you know, but anyway, I'm putting them in mouths like, you know, tech, you gave me my first pill. I see them now, I'm like, damn, I up. You know what I'm saying? Like, I started a lot of people. I was. I used to put it on my tongue. I'll be high and like, pick it off my tongue, baby. You know what I'm saying? I was up, you know what I'm saying? But I was partying, you know, and because I was going so hard and, you know, me and my partner had that meeting. I'm like. We got eating outside, you know. I said, okay. I went home one night and my. My kid. This is when it starts slowing down. My kid, Rainbow, at the time, she was probably like three, two. I don't know. I. I saw that she saw me. I felt like she saw me being high. I used to sneak in and lay on the couch, you know what I'm saying? Like, I've been there all night, you know what I mean? Sweating like a motherfucker. My wife at the time is like, when I sleep in the bed, she's like, why are you sweating so bad? I was like, it's hot in this motherfucker. He's like ceiling fan on his. Winter time, you know? What the Are you doing?

[Bunny]

You know, right?

[Tech N9ne]

I was dying over there, dude. You know what I'm saying? I didn't know.

[Bunny]

So is this the time that you took 15 Xanax?

[Tech N9ne]

No, I didn't take no 15.

[Bunny]

You didn't take 15.

[Tech N9ne]

15 pills in one night? I'm talking about X pills, right? Yeah, Xanax. I didn't find out about Xanax to the last day I rolled.

[Bunny]

I got it mixed up. The 15s. This is when you took 15 ecstasy pills?

[Tech N9ne]

Yeah, yeah, yeah. That was out in LA. That's that's something different.

[Bunny]

Okay, gotcha, gotcha.

[Tech N9ne]

Three at a time, you know what I'm saying? Something different. I was on one.

[Bunny]

You're wild.

[Tech N9ne]

Oh, I shouldn't even be alive right now. That's why I'm so.

[Bunny]

That's why you're an angel.

[Tech N9ne]

Because I ain't supposed to be here, you know what I'm saying? As much as I drank and I was fucking around, you know what I'm saying? With drugs, you know what I mean? I'm talking about we take ecstasy and the GHB together and just fall asleep on the stage in the club. When we. We. We get there, it's packed. Everybody let me in. I'm tech nine cops waking us up. Tech, man, you gotta wake up, man. I'm on the stage with the business, with me and my brother Dino Mac at the time, you know, we sleep on the stage with GHB and ecstasy and drinking robotussin. Like it was cool, you know, Just doing stupid, dude. Just trying to explode my heart. I don't know. I wasn't trying to. I'm just like it. Let's just go. Let's just go.

[Bunny]

We just didn't know.

[Tech N9ne]

I thought I had it in control, you know what I'm saying? Then we had that meeting. I'm like, you know, I gotta. I gotta calm down. You know what I'm saying? Rainbow. I was like, okay, that's my little girl, Rainbow. You know, I'm like, nope, can't do it no more. So 2007 came. I've been clean off all drugs since then. You know what I'm saying? But with the drinking. Four years ago, my doctor told me I was having a physical. Dr. Strangelove D'Angelo said, you know, your blood pressure's through the roof and your cholesterol is. You need to cut that drinking out or your heart's gonna explode like your dad, you know? And I was like, oh, I'm gonna die. Okay. I quit. And my. My wife's like, I'll quit with you. Please, just please stop. You know, so Valentine's Day just passed. That was our fourth. Fourth year sober off of liquor.

[Bunny]

Congratulations.

[Tech N9ne]

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Bunny]

It's hard, man. I've been sober off liquor since 2018, sober off cocaine and pills since 2017, and, yeah, sobriety is a journey.

[Tech N9ne]

Yeah, it is, man.

[Bunny]

You know, it's a journey.

[Tech N9ne]

Even the mocktails, I take slow, you know, because it's still sugar, you know, When I first stopped, I was on mocktail heaven. I was like, I'm still getting fat. It's sugar, you know what I'm saying? So, you know, I have one every once in a while, you know.

[Bunny]

And do you feel better now and, and are you sober off drugs or do you still smoke weed? You're sober off everything.

[Tech N9ne]

I don't smoke weed, but I can, right? You know what I'm saying? I want to keep my lungs. So, you know, every once in a while I might hit it with my wife or something, you know what I'm saying? I don't smoke with nobody no more. That's how I got. That's how I got Covid.

[Bunny]

Oh, you know what I'm saying?

[Tech N9ne]

Blunts.

[Bunny]

Oh no, it's the worst.

[Tech N9ne]

I tell my wife, don't. I don't give a fuck who it is. Don't smoke with nobody. Don't bring that fucking sickness in our house, man. No, that's how it's happening. Just licking it, you know, Just feel.

[Bunny]

It and chopping it up just to get. No, no, no, sorry. No, no, no.

[Tech N9ne]

So I ain't take. I haven't taken a blunt or if it's not pre rolled in a dispensary, I'm not with it.

[Bunny]

Yeah.

[Tech N9ne]

You know what I'm saying? So I very rarely smoke. For a while I was taking a shot of distillate juice and like I got a person that can make like a lemonade distillate or strawberry distillate, you know what I'm saying? I'd put in a shot glass and it's.

[Bunny]

What is that?

[Tech N9ne]

It's, it's, it's liquefied thc, you know, put it in juice. It's called distillate, you know.

[Bunny]

You're a savage, dude. You are a sad. What you mean, dude? Liquid thc. I'd go to the fucking hospital.

[Tech N9ne]

But it's only, it's. The drink is. The shot is only 20 milligrams or something like that. I can't go, I ate some frickin.

[Bunny]

Weed butter and called 911.

[Tech N9ne]

Yeah, I'm saying, saying that's cool, but beyond 20. Nah. Yeah, you know what I'm saying? 10. Yeah, 15, 20. That's it. You know what I'm saying?

[Bunny]

Keeps you regular.

[Tech N9ne]

But the shot, the shot glass is like 20, you know, milligrams or whatever and it's like a body massage. I don't do it no more.

[Bunny]

Right.

[Tech N9ne]

I was doing it for a while. I don't do it no more because I don't got time.

[Bunny]

Right.

[Tech N9ne]

You know what I'M saying.

[Bunny]

And do you feel better now that you're so young and like on this health journey?

[Tech N9ne]

Oh, yeah. Yes, I, I feel better. I'm just nine pounds over my target weight, which was 185 when I wanted to get in my suit for my wedding, you know, saying July 20, you know, which congratulations. We were talking, I feel fat as right now, just nine pounds ahead of 185.

[Bunny]

You know, you gotta allow yourself grace, though.

[Tech N9ne]

And you know, I've been working on this album, you know What I mean? 5816 forest, for a long time. Time. And you know, I got a lot of deadlines and I'm still writing verses for. And sometimes I, I miss my workout. I've been. I haven't seen my. I haven't seen my trainer in almost a month, you know what I'm saying? So I got to get back with them because, you know, because I'm in there from 11 to 12 and I get to the studio at 12:30 or 1 and when I get some food, you know what I'm saying? And you know, round three and four, I gotta get home, you know, saying it don't make no sense. Sense, right. I need to be in the studio at 10 o'clock to get the time. So I've been missing my workouts to try to get everything done, you know what I'm saying? And I feel bad as.

[Bunny]

But grace with yourself, though.

[Tech N9ne]

What'd you say?

[Bunny]

I said just have grace with yourself.

[Tech N9ne]

Of course I give myself grace.

[Bunny]

Yeah.

[Tech N9ne]

You know, I get up in the morning every day and I flex my. I can still see my abs, but it's still like, you know, I. Yeah, I love dessert. Dude, I used to hate blueberry muffins my whole life. I love the. Now I'm like, keep them away from me, please. Don't bring in the house. Don't bring that crumble cookie in here, please.

[Bunny]

But you're in your healing dad era too, you know, like, you've been a dad for a long time, but now you have the Bananas Foster cake. Oh my God, dude, I'm sure she indulges with you too.

[Tech N9ne]

Yeah, she does. I'm just saying, butter cake, wherever we go. Either they got butter cake, they have it now. Now. We used to get one each. Now we split. Split it good. You know, they're like.

[Bunny]

Or just have one cheat day a week. That's what I do.

[Tech N9ne]

Yeah, that's cool.

[Bunny]

You have one cheat day a week and then you just get it out of your system.

[Tech N9ne]

And now, now we on the gluten free. Tate's cookies. You know, I'm saying every once in a while, you know what I'm saying? I just love blueberry. I just had blueberry pancakes the other day. I said, look at me. She makes them, you know, gluten free and all that kind of. I'm like, look at me.

[Bunny]

I'm eating blueberry pancakes, but they're gluten free. She said, yeah, so you're doing good.

[Tech N9ne]

But. But blueberries, though. And it ain't got nothing to do with no blood gang or nothing. I just never liked it, you know what I'm saying? But I love the motherfucker now. And they say it's good for your.

[Bunny]

Brain, you know, it's crazy how your. Your palate changes as you get older. Because I was never a fruit girl. I always loved vegetables. I love fruit.

[Tech N9ne]

Something up is happening to me right now as we speak. I haven't had shrimp or lobster since my marriage. I had it. We eloped in Puerto Rico, where her family's from, and on July 14th. And then we had our second wedding for our family and everybody on July 20th in Kansas City. You know what I'm saying? That was a flex, too. We had two weddings.

[Bunny]

Yeah, I love it.

[Tech N9ne]

You know what I'm saying? But I haven't had shrimp or lobster. The just starts feeling weird in my mouth. No Diddy. Like, it started feeling weird. Weird, weird, weird. The texture. Oh, okay.

[Bunny]

I was gonna say, are you having, like, an allergic reaction to it?

[Tech N9ne]

No, the texture, I just.

[Bunny]

It just. You outgrow.

[Tech N9ne]

Like now when I bite shrimp, it feels like I'm biting cartilage or something. I don't know. You know what I'm saying?

[Bunny]

Yeah, your taste buds have changed. Maybe because you're sober, though, too.

[Tech N9ne]

I mean, that's been four years. I was just. I was just eating that last year. Yeah, like a. I'm talking about like, shrimp bowls and. Yeah. With sausages. It. And potatoes and shrimp and, you know, crab legs. I ain't even had no crab legs yet. I don't know if I'm weird on.

[Bunny]

You got to eat some crab legs, you. Cuz crab legs are bomb.

[Tech N9ne]

I know. I've been eating them all my life.

[Bunny]

A shrimp I'm a little iffy with, too.

[Tech N9ne]

Something's with me, you know, saying Texas.

[Bunny]

They call shrimp the roach of the sea or something like that, so maybe that might. The cockroach of the sea.

[Tech N9ne]

I was just in New Orleans and wouldn't eat no goddamn shrimp. I didn't Even have no crawfish. I love crawfish there, too. Fake. I love it. You know what I mean?

[Bunny]

Like, your taste buds are just changing.

[Tech N9ne]

Is changing. I'm eating chicken with skin on it now. I can't do it. I'm taking the skin off now. I've been eating chicken all my life. There ain't no. That ain't no racist or nothing.

[Bunny]

Everybody eats chicken. Yeah.

[Tech N9ne]

You know, I've been eating chicken all my life, dude. You know what I'm saying?

[Bunny]

You're just your.

[Tech N9ne]

All my life. Chicken, Chicken all my life. Sorry. You know what I'm saying? But now I'm eating the. And I feel like that I'm eating human flesh.

[Bunny]

Oh, no.

[Tech N9ne]

I don't know. The steak was almost out, like, last year because I've been watching these documentaries saying they put glue in it, and when you cut it, you. I'm like, oh, my God.

[Bunny]

Oh, no.

[Tech N9ne]

So me and me are having a time.

[Bunny]

No Diddy. But it's.

[Tech N9ne]

Pause. I'm sorry.

[Bunny]

Your body is probably just trying to go through some sort of transformation something.

[Tech N9ne]

And it's purging me, and I'm still trying to eat the ate. I ate a chicken sandwich at the airport yesterday. It was good as, you know, like, okay, chicken's not all the way out yet. You know what I'm saying? This don't have enough skin on it. Right.

[Bunny]

Right. Yeah. Let your body purge. It's just part of growing. And it could be spiritual, too. Have you ever tried to Google, like, the spiritual meaning of why your body is refusing these meats?

[Tech N9ne]

No, I just think that I ain't supposed to be eating that. I don't think none of us are. I'm sorry.

[Bunny]

Yeah, no, I agree.

[Tech N9ne]

It's just. It is. What it is is I don't know what I'm gonna turn into in the next years. You know what I'm saying? But I can feel it coming. I'm like, why do I feel like I'm a savage eating meat these days?

[Bunny]

Yeah.

[Tech N9ne]

You know what I'm saying?

[Bunny]

I can't wait to see the transition.

[Tech N9ne]

My lady asked me the other day before I came here. She was like, so I'm gonna. When you get back, I want to have groceries and stuff, you know, some fresh groceries. What do you want? I was like, salad stuff.

[Bunny]

I go through phases like that, too. You know, I. I go through phases like that, too. And sometimes it's just. Your body just needs a break from that.

[Tech N9ne]

I don't know what's going on, man. It's Like, I don't know if I'll ever eat shrimp or lobster. I used to fuck lobster up. I'm rich.

[Bunny]

I love that Tech is so upset about the shrimp.

[Tech N9ne]

Yeah, it's fucked up because the shrimp they had at the restaurant we went to in New Orleans still look good as a mouth.

[Bunny]

So fire.

[Tech N9ne]

You know what I'm saying? And then I took my son. My son came with me for the first time. He came to the super bowl with me. My brothers was down there, my uncle. We all had brunch one morning. The morning of the Super Bowl?

[Bunny]

Yeah.

[Tech N9ne]

Down on. On Bourbon Street. It was wonderful. And I saw that they had crawfish etouffee omelette. I'm like, oh, I gotta try it. But I said, damn, I can't eat any shrimp. And my brother said, I'll get it, and you can taste it. I didn't even taste it.

[Bunny]

He didn't have the urge.

[Tech N9ne]

No. I don't know what the Going on with. With the texture in my days right now, it makes me feel like I'm eating something I ain't supposed to eat. But my wife's like, we gotta eat. You gotta eat something. Like, I know I'm still.

[Bunny]

You gotta get your protein in. So you have to figure out a way to maybe, like, eating, like, beans and chicken.

[Tech N9ne]

Yeah, she's been making a lot of beans with, you know, with which we call it. With the meat. They put it on the Mexican breakfast. What is it called? Chorizo. There you go, chorizo. You got the chorizo and the beans.

[Bunny]

You know, chorizo, a sausage.

[Tech N9ne]

Yeah, I know, I know. So it's grinded up. It's cool. Yeah, I love her beans. You know what I'm saying? I love the beans. And I'm. I'm just. I'm just. It's just weird.

[Bunny]

I'm gonna Google some stuff for you tonight, and I'm gonna send it to Travis and see if I. If we can, like, connect the dots for you. Because I really feel like it might be spiritual for you too. I promise you. Like, I know it sounds crazy, but. But, like, sometimes there's certain things that your body rejects when you're going through, like, a spiritual awakening.

[Tech N9ne]

She still makes turkey tacos. I fudgeing love, you know, saying crazy. She can make a turkey burger. You can't fudgeing. Tell, dude, I'll be fudgeing this shit up.

[Bunny]

I love your love for your wife.

[Tech N9ne]

Yeah, man.

[Bunny]

Tech. I have kept you for two and a half hours. So I told You.

[Tech N9ne]

I'm long winded.

[Bunny]

No, you're good. I'm going to ask you one last question and I'm going to let you go. But, but. So imagine this. You walk off stage from your last show ever. The lights are off, the fans are gone. You're standing alone in the venue. What's the one thing you regret not doing?

[Tech N9ne]

The one thing I regret not doing.

[Bunny]

Like just in anything. Life, career, anything.

[Tech N9ne]

I thought you were talking about the show because I. I got it.

[Bunny]

You know that too. Or if you want to talk about the show.

[Tech N9ne]

I always talked to Chris Calico and I always said when I accidentally tell a joke on stage and everybody laughs, it feels so good. I was like, maybe I should write some jokes. I said, I can't do that. You know, I can't be tech down and write the joke. And I can do it. I can do what the I want to, but I never done it. You know what I'm saying?

[Bunny]

I think you could be a comedian.

[Tech N9ne]

And. And it's like when I come out on stage, what I love so much is that when they. When I walk out, everybody scream. Everybody's smiling at me. It's the best feeling. That's why when you see me rapping like Midwest choppers and I'm smiling behind the mic like. Because everybody's smiling at me and it's just a beautiful feeling. But when I say something funny in the whole you hear the crowd, I'm like, that is crazy. Now I know Dave Chappelle and, and Kevin Hart and all these people. Cat Williams, all these great people. Bill Burr, you know, I see maybe George Carlin. Crazy, you know what I'm saying? It's like. But it's like Richard Pryor, all of them. I see what they talking about. To make people laugh. Smiling is great, but to laugh.

[Bunny]

Yeah.

[Tech N9ne]

Ask Jelly if he ever said something on stage and everybody laughed.

[Bunny]

I think he wants to be a comedian right now. That's all he hangs out with, is means. But I think it's because you guys have made people cry your entire.

[Tech N9ne]

Yes.

[Bunny]

Careers with how deep your music is.

[Tech N9ne]

What was my music? We specialize in.

[Bunny]

Yes. That now you're getting a different response. And it's kind of like a high for you because it's something new.

[Tech N9ne]

So if that was my last show, I'm walking off, I'm like, damn, it's over. I never wrote a joke.

[Bunny]

I love that. I really love that. But would you ever pursue a career in comedy?

[Tech N9ne]

No.

[Bunny]

Because you're a funny motherfucker.

[Tech N9ne]

I Write music so. Well, you know, I'm not that funny. But you are the kind of that gets on the elevator and you know when you get, when you put yourself in a box with strangers, it's weird. That's why everybody looks at the numbers, you know, as they're going down. They just watch that or go in their phone because it's weird being in a box with strangers, right? Especially with this stranger strange music, you know, saying one of the cabos. So when I get on the elevator, I'm the kind of motherfucker to get on and say, okay, if I'm on a floor like five and I was like, I would, I was gonna tell a joke. But by the time I'm done with this long ass joke, we'll be down at 4:1. Everybody will still laugh, you know, in the elevator. It breaks the monotony.

[Bunny]

Right.

[Tech N9ne]

I do it all the time.

[Bunny]

Right.

[Tech N9ne]

You know what I'm saying? Because I used to study like Rodney Dangerfields, like take my wife and everybody would laugh, you know.

[Bunny]

Yeah, yeah.

[Tech N9ne]

The OGs like one liners, you know.

[Bunny]

I think you could, could do it. I think if you put your mind to it, you could actually.

[Tech N9ne]

I'm sure I could do anything.

[Bunny]

Your delivery is so fun.

[Tech N9ne]

Mentally I can do whatever the. I'll break down barriers. I've done it my whole career.

[Bunny]

Yeah, absolutely.

[Tech N9ne]

But I never took the time to write some jokes in between my songs like I always said I was going to do.

[Bunny]

Do it now. You got to do it now. You got to do it now. They're going to.

[Tech N9ne]

And then you'll have fans like, I didn't come and pay for goddamn comedy show tech. It was funny. But that rap.

[Bunny]

No, I don't think so. I think as long as you're rapping in between the jokes, everybody's gonna have the best of both worlds, you know?

[Tech N9ne]

I don't know.

[Bunny]

When are we gonna get a new album from you?

[Tech N9ne]

June 13th. My album, 5816 Forest. Where we moved when my mom married Abol Hasan Raso Khalifa, the Muslim MH. It's an audio series with 17 episodes about my life on 5816 Forest from age 12 to 17 when I ran away from home in the pursuit of becoming Technina.

[Bunny]

Oh, I love how you always go back to the nostalgia and the, the memory.

[Tech N9ne]

And it's in chronological order, how we moved in and all the shit that happened at school and.

[Bunny]

Yeah, and it's music that's, that's doing all of this.

[Tech N9ne]

Yeah, it's Music, all music. But it's an audio series. That's what I call it. Right, because music is audio, you know what I'm saying? It's an audio series of events that happen from 12 to 17.

[Bunny]

Yeah.

[Tech N9ne]

When I'm running away, you know what I'm saying? And it's in chronological order from 12, my mother years old, my mama fell in love with a Muslim. 58 block week she took them or some, you know what I'm saying? It's brand new music. I don't know at all right now. Yeah, but it's starting at the beginning, you know, the first song is called the Birth. Then the second song is called Friday to Sunday, you know what I'm saying? Triality. We're on 5816. 4. It's I found the King, the clown and the G, you know what I'm saying? How all three of them my personalities began, you know what I'm saying? So it's all the way to the age 17. And then after the strange music tag we have a song called J6 is after the tag. We ain't never put a song after the tag, you know what I'm saying? And it's called J Sixes. And it's two years after I ran away, you know what I'm saying?

[Bunny]

I can't wait for that.

[Tech N9ne]

And how my J. My Jordan 6 laces were my good luck charm whenever I wore them. I wore them down here, you know, I mean I don't have them on now but I had them on yesterday.

[Bunny]

Have you ever thought about doing a documentary or like having.

[Tech N9ne]

Yeah, yeah, yeah. But we're still writing it. Yeah, we're still writing the tech nine story, man.

[Bunny]

Yeah.

[Tech N9ne]

You know what I'm saying right now, you know what I'm saying?

[Bunny]

You have so much lore though. Like I feel like you could have like a series of documentaries.

[Tech N9ne]

It could be a movie, literally. Yeah, it could be a crazy ass movie. It's one of the three hour movies though.

[Bunny]

Yeah.

[Tech N9ne]

You know, some Black Panther, you know.

[Bunny]

Yeah, like. No, absolutely.

[Tech N9ne]

But yeah, man, I got a lot to talk about. And 5816 forest is very informative because I've told these stories in interviews before, you know what I'm saying? Like we talking but you never heard them in rhyme form. You know a lot of these stories, like I have down in the Middle a song called Excited where I talk about 14 years old. This black girl I was dating named Chanel Winfrey broke my heart because I went to her 14 year old, 14th birthday. Party. It was on the next block. And, you know, I went over there with my boy Snubby. And, you know, we're dancing, and when. It's. When the lights went off, you know, in the hood, I had to go across the street to ask my stepfather and my mom, can I go back to the party? It won't be for too much longer. I know the lights are on, and he's like, yeah, you can go. When I came back, I was looking for. Everybody was slow dancing. It was a red light, and I couldn't really see. And I opened a room, and my boy Snubby was on top of her, kissing. She broke my heart, you know what I'm saying? And then I have. Then I have the song right after that. It's called the Nice One. How the white girls in the school. I was the. I was. I was hanging with my thumb thug homies from the hood. But whenever. Whenever, like, a new Caucasian girl would come into school, they would hear and find me at my lockers, like, you're Aaron, right? I'm like, yeah, we hear you're the nice one. I'm like, okay. You know, all the thug I hang with. So the nice one is right after, you know, saying it showed the duality of, you know, saying my taste has never been okay. I'm. Oh, you know, I'll just date this girl because he's black. I date this girl, he's white. I did this girl because you're Puerto Rican. I did this girl because he's Asian. I never had a type, right? I was just love, you know, whatever love. Whatever that felt like. Didn't matter what it looked like.

[Bunny]

You still lead with love and everything that you do.

[Tech N9ne]

Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes. So 5816 Force is a journey. It's an audio series. 17 episodes. Crazy.

[Bunny]

June 13th, baby. Yeah, I can't wait.

[Tech N9ne]

So the last song. Sacrifice is the only one it ain't done. That's the jelly roll hook.

[Bunny]

Yeah. Son of a. I'm gonna go home and spank him. You know what? He's actually downtown.

[Tech N9ne]

You guys finished? You know what I'm saying?

[Bunny]

You guys could probably find him downtown. He's doing a whole bunch of interviews today. I don't know exact. I'll call him and see everything else is done.

[Tech N9ne]

That's the one that don't have a hook.

[Bunny]

I will get on his ass for you, I promise.

[Tech N9ne]

And I really was gonna do it, you know what I'm saying?

[Bunny]

If he says he's gonna do it.

[Tech N9ne]

He'Ll do it if I would have had it. When he was on, when he came to visit me on the Falling in Reverse tour, he got on my bus. He said, what you working on? I was like, I'm working on his album called 5864. He said, you got anything for me? I said, nope, but I will find it.

[Bunny]

Yeah.

[Tech N9ne]

So I found Sacrifice, you know, So I got that across my chest, you know what I'm saying? Years ago, you know, everything I had to do to sacrifice, the time I spent, it was perfect because it's on some was me. But, you know, the I had to do, I couldn't, you know, go be with everybody else because I had to sacrifice. And while I was being on punishment and like that, I worked on my craft, you know? I mean, I became tech 9, you know, and it saved my life, you know?

[Bunny]

Yeah.

[Tech N9ne]

So that's the last song, you know, I'm saying sacrifice, and it's beautiful. The album is crazy.

[Bunny]

I can't wait to hear it. I'm so excited.

[Tech N9ne]

Yeah, we used one producer on this. One producer I've never worked with. His name is jpz. He brought that. That ghetto funk that I ain't had in a long time, like. Like. Like that. I had, like, back in the Rogue Dog Villain days and let's get up and Mitch Bay days. It's those kind of beats, you know, And I was scared at first. I told Black Walt, because he's the one told me, man, your fans want to hear all you. Nobody else rapping on it, just people. If you want to put some people on the hook, that's cool. Wayne did a hook, you know what I'm saying? And it's dope. It's called Yoda. And then Little Wayne. Yeah. Then Jelly got sent one, you know what I'm saying? Got a couple of people that's doing hooks, but I'm all the verses. And it's never been done while we've been doing this, you know what I'm saying? So when Black Walt first brought me the idea, I was like, I've been hearing fans say they tired of me doing, you know, collaborations all this time. You know what I'm saying? They just want to hear all me on the song. I think that's Bonnie Boring as. He's like, nah. And I told Travis, that's what Black Wall said. And he said, Travis said, he's right. Tech, you know, they want to hear you rapping, you know, saying and doing your thing.

[Bunny]

You know, I love that Black Walt is still around.

[Tech N9ne]

Black Wall. He's still around.

[Bunny]

I love that.

[Tech N9ne]

Yeah, he just. He just. He just got out of jail some years ago, you know what I'm saying? He was. You know, he's clocking much dollars on the 1st or 15th. Sorry. You know what I'm saying? But I got into it, the album, and doing all the verses and, you know, a lot of the hooks too, you know, and I was like, holy is so. It relieved me.

[Bunny]

Yeah.

[Tech N9ne]

I.

[Bunny]

Therapeutic for you.

[Tech N9ne]

I found. I found. I found solace in talking about my stepfather and me running away when he was trying to make me a real man. I didn't understand it when I was 17, but when I got out in the world, I understand he was trying to make me better. And I said, I love him and thank you. And I played him. My brother Hakeem played him the song and he said he was so happy. Donnie, I said, thank you. You know what I'm saying? Because I probably with him. I never came back.

[Bunny]

Did your stepfather. Is your stepfather still alive?

[Tech N9ne]

Yeah.

[Bunny]

Oh, good.

[Tech N9ne]

We played on the song.

[Bunny]

Yeah.

[Tech N9ne]

You know, it's called the Punishment. He used to have me on punishment all the time because I lived in a blood neighborhood, and he knew when I was around. Around my homies was happening.

[Bunny]

Yeah.

[Tech N9ne]

You know, so he's like, I up in school. I'm in punishment for the whole summer. Well, tech Summer's on punishment.

[Bunny]

I can't wait to hear this album. And I think that it's gonna. I think it's actually innovative what you guys are doing, because I don't think anybody's ever really done this, so.

[Tech N9ne]

I ain't never heard nobody else call their upcoming album audio series with 17 episodes.

[Bunny]

Yeah. No, it's huge. You guys are just creating a. Your own wave again.

[Tech N9ne]

Yeah.

[Bunny]

Thank you so much for being here today.

[Tech N9ne]

Thank you for having me. It was so natural and so comfortable.

[Bunny]

I appreciate you being here, Travis. I appreciate you being here. And I just. I can't wait to see, you know, your growth and your journey just continue like it has been for all these years. Three decades, right?

[Tech N9ne]

Yes.

[Bunny]

Like, you have just been moving and shaking.

[Tech N9ne]

Yes.

[Bunny]

And you don't plan on stopping, and I love that.

[Tech N9ne]

So thank you.

[Bunny]

Come back and see me. Yay. Thank you guys for tuning in to another episode of Dumb Blonde. I'll see you guys next week. Bye.