While offering a tour of Strange Music’s newly-opened Strangeland studio to XXL magazine, Tech N9ne spoke on the criticism he’s received from fans due to some of his more mainstream collaborations. Prior to addressing the critiques, the Kansas City, Missouri lyricist offered a tour of his office and revealed that it’s the place where he’s penned the majority of his upcoming album.
In regards to criticism from fans, Tech defended his appearance on “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” last year, stating that it was a sign of growth and he didn’t have to conform to appear on the late-night show. He also revealed that fans were critical of his appearance on Lil Wayne’s Tha Carter IV, but in the end he says he ultimately “killed it” on the album.
“Everything for the album thus far, I wrote here,” Tech N9ne said while offering a tour of his office. “You can see how many times I done balled up ‘Psycho Bitch 3.’ I never tear up rhymes. I write what I feel, but with this ‘Psycho Bitch 3’ being the last of the “Psycho Bitch’ series, it’s like writing a movie and shit. I keep a little dictaphone recorder, turn on the beat, and whatever I write I make sure it goes with the beat before I finalize it. Then I move to the next verse because I can forget what pitch I used…Some of the core fans didn’t like that I was on ‘Jimmy Kimmel.’ I don’t know how that would make sense because this shit is growing and I didn’t have to conform to do it. They didn’t want ‘Fragile’ on the radio either. They want to keep it to themselves…They did not want me on Tha Carter, but I killed it on Tha Carter.”
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Also providing insight during the tour of Strangeland and Strange Music’s compound in Lee’s Summit, Missouri, was Travis O’Guin, CEO and co-founder of Strange Music. While offering a tour of their warehouse, which holds Strange Music’s street team items and other promotional gear, O’Guin revealed that Strange Music was independent “before it was cool.”
The label CEO also revealed that the Strange Music street team has been an integral part of the label for quite some time.
“We don’t just do what a lot of other labels have done,” O’Guin said. “You know how you go all the way back and you look at like the early Loud [Records] campaigns with Big Pun? When they went out there and just completely annihilated New York with Big Pun posters. That’s exactly the same thing we still do today…We haven’t lost sight of that. Because that’s part of what brought us there because we were independent way before independent was cool. Independent was not cool in 1999, 2000 when we started this up. And now, if you notice, everybody’s claiming independent. You know what I mean? So, we were independent before it was cool.”
For additional Tech N9ne coverage, watch the following DX Daily:
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