December 5, 2006
In the Midwest, there is no bigger name in rap than Tech N9ne. Since his 2001 JCOR release "Anghellic," Tech's dark-themed, self-released albums have landed critical praise and impressive sales-thanks to word of mouth, savvy use of the internet, blanket guerilla promotion, and frequent tours. Tech N9ne is a local titan and an indie success story, but he's got much bigger plans. He hopes the recent release of his third major album, "Everready: The Religion," will yield the elusive national break, maybe as soon as January, when many movie-goers will hear his music for the first time in the much-hyped Nick Cassavetes movie "Alpha Dogs." Street Level picks up the phone in our ho-less podcast studio to chat with Tech N9ne about hard lessons and hard gains, new hairstyles and the n-word, and the Sword of Damocles that is fortune and fame.