The partnership with MSC was ultimately a fruitful one, with the label allowing Tech and O'Guin to market their newest project, Absolute Power, the way they chose, leading to it becoming another underground hit, remaining Tech's biggest selling album to this day. Disputes over JCOR's business dealings led to a split between Strange and JCOR, however, and O'Guin and Tech would ultimately sign a new distribution deal with MSC Entertainment in 2002.
Despite JCOR mishandling the album, it became an underground smash hit and remains a cult favorite to this day, even having one of its songs featured in the Fox television show Dark Angel. Tech finally released his national debut album, Anghellic, in 2001 through a distribution deal with JCOR Entertainment. It was this exposure that led to him meeting Travis O'Guin and forming his label, Strange Music, in 1999. The show's hosts Sway & King Tech worked closely with Tech, including him in their hit record "The Anthem" alongside rap veterans like Kool G Rap and KRS-One as well as then-up-and-comers such as Eminem. In 1997, Tech's career began to really take off, joining Bay Area rapper Yukmouth's Regime collective, appearing on several major motion picture soundtracks, and making numerous appearances on nationally syndicated radio show "The Wake Up Show". After the Black Mafia days, Tech saw some local success collaborating with the Rogue Dog Villians, a Kansas City group that also contained later-Strange Music artist Big Scoob, participating in their regional hit "Let's Get Fucked Up".
He would later want to get out of the deal, and that's where Travis O'Guin came in. However, Qwest decided to shelf the album, leaving Tech to languish. By the time he was finished recording "Twisted" (which is on Anghellic), the album Be Warned was complete. It was here that legendary producer Quincy Jones gave him the advice on which he would build his career: "write your life, and people will forever feel you." While on Qwest Records, Tech was working on what was supposed to be his debut album, Be Warned which was supposed to be released in 1997. Tech made his next leap of faith, signing with Quincy Jones' Qwest Records, a label that would follow the same path as Perspective. contact at Rappages Magazine turned him on to the son of the famed producer Quincy Jones. He started experimenting even further, rhyming backwards and putting out independent singles with dope dealing money, anything to stay in the game.Īn L.A. During this time, he hooked up with an old homeboy, a producer named Don Juan, Anghellic' s other wiz kid. This was short-lived, however, and the group was released before disbanding. He then joined the group Nnutthowze alongside IcyRoc Kravyn and B'zle, and the group inked a deal with Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis's label, Perspective Records, in 1993. He later adjusted this name to refer also to the number of completion in numerology, stating the name also means "the complete technique of rhyme", or technique number nine. In his early days, Tech rapped as a member of the group Black Mafia, which formed in 1991, and fellow group member Black Walt provided him with his rap name, named after the Tec-9 semiautomatic handgun due to his high-speed rhyme style. This diverse background colored Tech's own eclectic style throughout his life, and he began to take music more seriously in high school, even skipping his own graduation to open a show for hip hop artists EPMD and Kwamé. He recalls being brought up on the rock and blues music of his uncles as well as the country and gospel music that his mother favored, being exposed to a broad range of artists from Elton John to Led Zeppelin and more.
The son of Maudie Sue Yates-Kalifa, who gave birth to Aaron when she was 16 years old, Tech N9ne grew up surrounded by music, and took up rapping at an early age. Tech N9ne was born Aaron Dontez Yates on November 8, 1971, in Kansas City, Missouri, United States.