Last year, rapper Tech N9ne (Aaron Yates) embarked on what he called the Independent Powerhouse Tour 2016 with acts such as Ces Cru, Stevie Stone, ¡Mayday!, Rittz, Krizz Kaliko. It capped off yet another busy year for the rapper who seemingly can’t stop and won’t stop touring and recording at a feverish pace.
“Last year was filled with doing records and collaborations and touring heavy and divorce lawyer talking,” says Yates via phone from an Orlando tour stop that represents the 36th date of a 68-date tour. “We didn’t do a vacation last year [with the family] because we were so busy. This year, we have one planned, but it’s always busy with a lot of touring and a lot of recording.”
Yates, who began his career as a breakdancer, started rapping at an early age. He wrote his first rhyme in seventh grade. Even his teachers noticed his commitment to the art.
“My teachers would say, ‘Mr. Yates, if you know your schoolwork like you know that music, you’d be an A student,’” he says with a laugh. “Now look at me. My last years in school, I wanted my rhymes to be smarter, so that’s when I started getting on honor roll. I waited until the end of my school years to buckle down and start doing my work.”
Influenced by rapper Slick Rick and a few other old school acts, he developed his unique rapid-fire delivery.
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