Tech N9ne

Dom Kennedy: Reluctant Businessman

The rapper built a huge fan base through Darwinian promotional methods

Funk Volume: Valley-Based Rap Label Builds an Independent Empire

I Pissed Off Tech N9ne. Now We're Having Dinner

Let's get one thing straight: I don't dislike Tech N9ne. But recently I made him very angry, which is not ideal, considering he's an aggressive, independent rapper who paints his face, has hordes of hardcore fans and has named himself after a semi-automatic gun. It all started in March, when I rev ... More >>

Rapper Krizz Kaliko Says He's Related to President James Polk

Kansas City based rapper Krizz Kaliko, who records for Tech N9ne's Strange Music label, performs at Los Globos tomorrow along with labelmates ¡Mayday! and Stevie Stone. We spoke to Kaliko about his upcoming album Son of Sam, and his peculiar family tree. See also: The 20 Worst Hipster Bands

Paid Dues - San Manuel Amphitheater - 3/30/13

Paid Dues Independent Hip-Hop Festival San Manuel Amphitheater 3/30/13 Traffic was hellish. Parking was a mess, the outhouses were a disaster, the lines for food were ridiculously long, and one edifice labeled "will call" was not, in fact, will call. The dust was Coachella-like, and after the boil ... More >>

There's This Amazing Kid Rapper at the School Where I Teach

Within The Kid's peer group -- the children at the school where I teach junior high ESL -- he stands out. He is generally the same age as them, and he's generally of the same intelligence academically. However: He's white. He's definitely that. Where he lives, most of the kids around him, are ... More >>

Jay Rock: Our Interview With Kendrick Lamar's About-to-Pop Crewmate

Kendrick Lamar's good kid, m.A.A.d city is the frontrunner for hip-hop album of the year, and one of its most discussed verses comes from his Black Hippy crewmate Jay Rock. Far from new to the game, Jay Rock has put out music both on major labels and independently, he's been in boardrooms and boarde ... More >>

Pop Quiz: Can You ID These L.A. Bands?

School's back in session, and we decided to give you a pop quiz that tests your knowledge of five Los Angeles-bred bands. Can you identify the following groups based on the clues and pixelated photos we've provided? Oh, just to up the ante: for every incorrect answer you provide, you must remove a ... More >>

L.A.'s Top Five Actors-Turned-Rappers, Including Warren Beatty

See also: *Top 20 Greatest L.A. Rap Albums Of All Time: The Complete List *Here Are Pictures of Dr. Dre's New $13 Million House Only a decade ago everyone was complaining about how the rappers were taking all of the acting roles in Hollywood. But nowadays the pendulum has swung in the other direct ... More >>

Music Picks: Regina Carter, Madness, Melvins, Grace Woodroofe

Also, Neon Indian, Moab, Damien Jurado and others

The Top Five Hip-Hop Albums Of 2012 So Far

I Self Devine​What a year it's been for rap music! None of us knew what to expect of 2012 way back on January 1, last Sunday, but it has panned out big time. This year's class is an inspired bunch, a crew of rappers who are really pushing things forward. While it's a little early to call this ... More >>

The Rise and Stall of Pac Div

Kristofferson San Pablo​In the late aughts, the safe money was on L.A.-via-Palmdale trio Pac Div. They seemed poised to lead the burgeoning "New West" movement -- the pre-Odd Future crop of young rappers seeking to reclaim hip-hop for the Left Coast. They were the group everyone from industry ... More >>

Tech N9ne - The Roxy - October 14, 2011

​Tech N9ne The Roxy 10-14-11 Tech N9ne has been around more than a decade, and gone platinum without a major label. He's been touring on and off since May in support of his last album All 6's and 7's, which #4 on the Billboard Top 200. He's on Tha Carter IV. Not exactly a lightweight. In fa ... More >>

Music Picks: Shelby Lynne, Marsha Ambrosius, John Scofield Quartet, Wiz Khalifa

Also, Leon Russell, Chris Brown, Azar Lawrence Quintet and others

The Outlawz Speak on Tupac and His Ink, Dispute The Meaning of "Thug Life"

​Editor's Note: Yesterday marked the 15th anniversary of Tupac Shakur's death. To commemorate, West Coast Sound is featuring Tupac stories all week. See also: *Bruce Hornsby on Tupac: "The original 'Changes' was a lot dirtier, had a lot of the n-word." *African Rebel Soldiers and Their Eerie ... More >>

Live Review: Steve Vai and Joe Satriani at House of Blues

Ian Cohen​ Review by Ian Cohen WHO: Steve Vai and Joe Satriani WHERE: House of Blues WHEN: 7/10/11 "They don't make 'em like they used to." "Lion of the industry." Those are the sort of old salts that probably would be sprinkled about upon the mention of ailing music biz vet Cliff Cultrer ... More >>

Music Picks: Free Kutmah Benefit, Amanda Jo Williams, Rosie Ledet

Also, Svarte Greiner, Miike Snow, School of Seven Bells and others

10 Hip Hop Highlights of 2009, from Doom to Raekwon to Antipop and Beyond

Top of the Hip-Hop Or, how Dan LeRoy learned to stop worrying and love da bomb.   While year-end, catch-all wrap-ups are common to every musical genre, in no other style of music do they turn into the hand-wringing, "state of the game" examinations that hip-hop seems to provoke. (I've certainly wr ... More >>

From Cool Kids to Kanye: Top 10 Hip-Hop Albums Of 2008

By Dan Leroy A couple of weeks ago, an expert on the Harry Potter series told an audience of high school kids how lucky they were to have this Big Shared Experience--these seven books and 41,000 words in common. What does Harry Potter have to do with hip-hop in 2008? In an age when many year-end ... More >>