The album is divided into 3 sections, each with its own elemental description – “Fire,” “Water,” and “Earth” – and its own characteristic mood. “Fire” comes first, beginning with the declarative “Straight Out the Gate,” which opens with an eerie litany and surges forth with a rage-filled verse from Tech, followed by a chorus from Serj Tankian, who introduces the album’s primary contradiction through a twisted image: “We are the children of your rivals, holding guns while reading bibles.” On the second verse, Tech makes the contradiction more explicit by referencing E.B.A.H, his 2012 EP that stands for “Evil Brain Angel Heart.”

Though Tech personally describes his brain as evil, which is a rather one-sided concept, the “Fire” section as a whole is fairly complex. On , “B.I.T.C.H. (Breaking In to Colored Houses)” which has quite a red herring for a title, Tech joins forces with T-Pain to decry his alienation from hip-hop and black culture. The pairing is highly tongue-in-cheek given the two artists’ respective positions within the music industry, but the sarcasm of the track isn’t its highlight. The highlight is Tech declaring that now is his time while going even further inward. Most artists tend to become more palatable when it is time to crossover, but Tech aims for purity, doubling-down on the traits that encouraged his initial alienation. Accordingly, “B.I.T.C.H.” is followed by “With the BS,” a thumping track that easily could have been a club song, but is made into a horrorcore posse cut. The next sequence of tracks avoid pandering just as aggressively, especially “I’m Not a Saint” and “Fragile,” moving songs in which Tech voluntarily exposes his heart, much like the Something Else album cover.

The  brief (3 songs) “Water” section is a conundrum. While Tech the technician is still present, meaning his rapping is still brilliantly crafted and executed, for two of the section’s three songs, the word “weenie” has a noticeably increased frequency and the tone is rather goofy. Nevertheless, by  the time the B.O.B. -driven “See Me” is over, despite the increased goofiness and a rather lame verse from Wiz Khalifa, the “Water” section feels like a necessary transition to the “Earth” section, which has tectonic shifts in tone and content.

Featuring few choruses from Tech N9ne himself, the “Earth” section takes the listeners beyond Tech‘s personal thoughts and desires on his life and focuses on the lives of others, particularly children. “That’s My Kid” is actually this section’s highlight, featuring musings on parenthood from Tech, Big K.R.I.T and Kutt Calhoun alongside a very powerful chorus from Cee-Lo. “My Haiku-Burn the World” is a close second. It’s tempting to classify the track as an attempt to crossover, but what kind of crossover song talks about child molestation? Furthermore, as “B.I.T.C.H.” indicated, who exactly would he be crossing over to? In addition to the general message of “Don’t give horrible deeds the luxury of silence,” the meta-message “My Haiku-Burn the World” seems to be something along the lines of, “You can make whatever kind of music you want and you should.” Rappers should take note.

Autonomy doesn’t always guarantee success though. “Believe” and “Priorities” are definitely misfires, no pun intended. The former is heartfelt in its ambition, but its execution lacks the passion that characterizes the rest of the album, even on songs like “Dwamn.” The latter is also ambitious in terms of its format -3 rappers trading bars over an increasingly frantic beat – but it is kind of an anomaly in terms of tone.

In the end, the range of Something Else may be a little disjointing, but the album makes a coherent statement about what one rapper can do. Emotional vulnerability, braggadocio, lust and rage are not mutually exclusive.  Furthermore, more than just a compilation of contradictions, Something Else is an assertive album that declares what rap can do in both its independent and commercial manifestations. In that sense, Something Else truly is something else, not a middle ground or a compromise, but an alternative, a workable aesthetic option for both those at the top and at the bottom.

The post Album Review: Tech N9ne – <em> Something Else </em> appeared first on RESPECT. | The Photo Journal of Hip-Hop Culture.

 “B.I.T.C.H” is an acronym for “Breaking In To Colored Houses.” Despite the song’s provocative title, it’s actually about Tech N9ne’s historic inability to be “invited” in to the respected realms of Black culture. Bringing along T-Pain, Tech insists that he’s no longer knocking, “he’s breaking in.”

If you like “B.I.T.C.H.,” be sure to check out Something Else. It’s one of Tech’s best projects to date. (review coming soon).

FYI, “I’m going to be the first rapper to crossover to Black folks,” is probably the quotable of the year. Sorry, Kanye.

The post New Video: Tech N9ne feat. T-Pain – “B.I.T.C.H” appeared first on RESPECT. | The Photo Journal of Hip-Hop Culture.

Tech N9ne and Danny Brown produced one of the year’s most energetic tracks thusfar with their collaborative joint, “Thizzles.” The track is so hype, just imagine what how it feels live. The track is featured as a bonus track on Tech N9ne’s new album, Something Else, coming out tomorrow (July 30th.) Enjoy!

The post Tech N9ne Feat. Danny Brown – “Thizzles” appeared first on RESPECT. | The Photo Journal of Hip-Hop Culture.

Earlier this week Kansas City rapper and Strange Music frontman Tech N9ne visited New York City to promote his upcoming album, Something Else, which hits the shelves next Tuesday, July 30th. Taking place at the legendary SOBs, the event was a modest affair: security was minimal, the music was fairly audible and the bar was [temporarily] open. After Tech arrived, he ascended the stage, briefly thanked everyone for attending,  then quickly made his way to the floor to mingle with the crowd. The brief introduction was a humbling gesture with a clear message: the night was simply about sharing the music.

Accordingly, the album began playing immediately. The first song, aptly named, “Straight Out the Gate,” features Krizz Kaliko and Serj Tankian of System of a Down and sets the precedent for an album overflowing with features. In fact there are so many features – and many of them are high-profile – that RESPECT. had to ask Tech how he could afford them when he is merely an independent artist.

Barely concealing his own lingering shock, he informed us that with the exception of the instrumentals and his collaboration with The Doors, all of the features were done without cost, “out of respect” for him. There’s no telling what he will have to give these various artists in return, but the fact that they contributed these verses for free is simply amazing. Tech himself shared our amazement, saying, “How do you think it makes me feel?” Hip-hop has been a house of horrors when it comes to navigating that treacherous line between business relationships and artistic collaboration, so RESPECT.‘s guess is that Tech feels pretty damn good. The songs make this apparent. Despite the abundance of collaborations, a clear voice, his voice, manages to float above each song, ensuring that the reins remain in the hands of the creator.

It’s difficult to dive into the nuances of the album after only one listen, especially a listen that occurred via the questionable acoustics of a nightclub, so until there is an opportunity to properly review the album, here a few notes from the party:

• The album features a noticeable amount of live instrumentation.
• Tech told RESPECT. that he couldn’t pick a favorite song because of the album’s tripartite division into Fire, Water and Earth, which all mean something different to him, but after the full album finished and he began playing individual tracks, Tech demanded that the DJ play “Fragile.” (so it’s probably one of his favorite songs.)
• On “Priorities” Tech trades bars with Angel Davenport and Game. It’s a short track (1:43), but that song structure – 3 emcees continuously going back and forth – is something that deserves to be explored some more by Tech as well as other rappers
• Rittz, who was signed to Strange Music last year, absolutely fits in with the Strange Crew, as indicated by “Colorado.”
• The album is kind of long with all of the bonus tracks.
• Danny Brown and Tech would be a crazy rap duo.
• The album as a whole is very vulnerable, but in a way that differs from the vulnerability of Take Care.
• Tech N9ne seems to genuinely make the music that he wants, sans market pressures. He and Mac Miller should high-five.
• On one song, someone says, “Fuck your litigation.” That’s the history of rap in a nutshell, is it not?

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“Fragile,” the latest single from Tech N9ne‘s upcoming album,  is raw. Both Kendrick and Tech vent about critics, flowing with vehemence and passion. With additional vocals from ¡MAYDAY! and Kendall Morgan, the song really hits home, illustrating how protective artists are of their works. “I’m an artist and I’m sensitive about my shit,” confesses Tech N9ne.

Critics shouldn’t back down from challenging artists, but perhaps the fragility of artists should be taken into account more often. Even an ugly flower doesn’t necessarily deserve to be stepped on. Listen to this passionate song below.

Tech N9ne‘s album is due out on July 30.

The post New Music: Tech N9ne ft. Kendrick Lamar, ¡MAYDAY! and Kendall Morgan – “Fragile” appeared first on RESPECT. | The Photo Journal of Hip-Hop Culture.