As he readies his next album, The Ollie Gates Mixed Plate, Tech Ninna sits down with MTV to talk about the unconventional road he took to success.
“Being involved in all of those major labels in the past, nobody knew really how to do me, how to put me,” Tech said. “But who knows how to do me better than anybody: me.”
He and his business partner, Travis O’Guin, formed their independent Strange Music label in 1999. Since then, they have enjoyed complete autonomy to do whatever they wanted with their music and their appearance.
That’s also meant that he’s been able to go on tour to places where no one knew who he was. Tech said that they would play small-town shows with only 10 people in the audience, and he would still perform. When they came back the next time, there would be 30 people, and 200 people the following time.
More after the jump…
“If you want to be the hip-hop president, you’ve got to get out there and politic,” reasoned the rapper who won the Left Field Woodie Award from mtvU last year.
Tech estimated that he does about 200 shows per year, a schedule that’s more typical of a rock band. All the money they make on tour is pumped back into Strange Music as they sign other artists to the label. They’ve also built a huge $1.2 million facility in Kansas City.
He isn’t surprised that other artists have started to go independent and tour heavily to support themselves. In the digital world, artists have had to find new ways to sell their music to the people. Meanwhile, he said major labels are failing because they don’t take the time to build their artists’ fanbase.
“We have that core fanbase that’s always going to be there, so whether we put out CDs, whether it’s going to be on iTunes or whatever, our fans are always going to be there,” Tech N9ne said. “A lot of these major cats don’t even have that. A lot of these major cats have sold over a million copies, but can’t get 1,000 people to come see them. … That ain’t for us, though.”
Yep.. you definitely can’t front on this dude’s grind. Respect is due.
Video doesn’t work :(
thePhantom* said this on March 25th, 2010 at 6:18 pm
yeah vid aint workin
knuckles hamilton said this on March 25th, 2010 at 7:30 pm
tech n9ne> 90 percent of hip hop yes that includes wayne
Rio$ said this on March 25th, 2010 at 7:37 pm
dont care what yall say.. hes not that great… BUT “Yep.. you definitely can’t front on this dude’s grind. Respect is due.”…i cant deny that at all lol
keep pushing at the end of the day… you got into this game for the money or the love of it… soo your doin both… just wish some people like … jay electronica would do some shit like that
Bizzy said this on March 25th, 2010 at 7:56 pm
yea im pretty sure ive said this before but yea im not a big tech fan but dude knows how to do buisness. he created a brand name that has a strong following of people that will always support him and he did that by going out and making fans instead of waiting for them to come to him and hes always making himself available to them. gets to keep true to himself and his music and get some bread to feed the fam
burd said this on March 25th, 2010 at 8:14 pm
And that is why Tech N9ne is one of the most interesting hip hop artists ever and a GOAT material rapper.
See, the difference is, even if I download his albums illegally, I’d buy them out of respect and admiration for his work and talent.
Hell, he IS better than even some of my own favorite rappers!
He just doesn’t make “Lollipop” music. (Yes, I’m a Wayne fan, but I’m not silly to say he’s the best -_-’) That’s why you don’t listen to him on the radio and sometimes not even on his own fans iPods (like me), cuz most of his music has the right moods to be listened to.
FredRico said this on March 25th, 2010 at 9:04 pm
@Shake & Meka: I feel like you 2 never listened to Tech N9ne’s albums…? It’s a real question and I mean no disrespect at all, but it’s weird that the guys that run the best hip hop blog dont know (havent listened to) who Tech N9ne is.
That’s the only explanation I have for the careless and disrespectful (in the post about “how to rap”) way you present him when you post something.
FredRico said this on March 25th, 2010 at 9:26 pm
Why would yall want the video to work…Tech N9ne is god awful…..well..so is hyphy.
HollywoodSwick said this on March 25th, 2010 at 11:55 pm
it still bugs me when people say Tech N9ne is bad or sucks like i know thats an opinion but how is he bad?
Glitch said this on March 26th, 2010 at 1:20 am
you either like something or you dont, its that simple, if u dont like it move on
ant said this on March 26th, 2010 at 2:07 am
everyone has they opinon so it really doesnt matter if someone likes dude or not. its their own opinion. as far as im concerned, n9ne is one of the illest mc’s ever along with lynch. ive been riding for them for a minunte. and 2 hollywood, the whole hyphy shit to outsiders not from the bay or this part or nor cal….your never gonna understand it. you had to have come up in this area and took part in some part of it 2 understand it. every area got they culture. what you gotta understand is mothafuckas dont be walking around here saying im hyphy. it was never hyphy culture, it was always bay culture and hyphy was the movement being used to push bay culture which was a good thing regardless if some music was wack or not because @ that time, mothafuckas from all different sides unified and were working together to push the entire bay/nor cal….fucc half of us dont even use the word but the culture is still there. half the shit gets bit from the bay anyways! look @ jerking! shit is just weak ass turf dancing which we been doing for years! like every other region, weve had some weak music come out but good music as well. the music goes with the area ya digg. n9ne, keep riding and doing ya thizzle ya digg. be yourself and keep pushing cus we still supporting down in the yay and nor califas. churchhh uso.
uptownswuite said this on March 26th, 2010 at 2:50 pm