In a recent interview with Belgian streamer Anthony Ray Tech Nine, he spoke at length about how his life is intertwined with hip-hop, and essentially the lives of other hip-hop stars. Enter Eminem into the conversation.
First, Tech mocks and criticizes fans for bringing the wrong memorabilia: There are many horrorcore families in hip-hop, and fans would do well to learn their order.
I saw all the Friday the 13th movies and I love them all, but Eminem is Jason. So they’re giving me Jason stuff, but it should be Eminem. They gave me Michael Myers stuff, Krayzie Bone gave me Leatherface, Bushwick Bill gave me Chucky. Even in Babytron and the new song with Big Sean, he’s in a mask with a chainsaw. He made it popular.
As of the time of this interview, Tech N9ne has yet to hear “Tobey” – he’s too busy working in the studio and preparing for his wedding.
Tech reminisces about meeting Em on the legendary posse cut “Anthem” in 1998, and there was mutual respect from the start. It would be a decade before they collaborated again on “Speedom,” but the groundwork was already laid.
When I did “Anthem,” I met a lot of people that I listened to growing up for the first time. I met KRS-1 that day. I met Kool G. Rap that day. I met Eminem in person that day. I walked in to do my part, and he and his crew were all in big leather jackets, and they come out and they’re like, “What’s up, brother? How’s it going?” And he goes, “I just finished shooting my part.” And I go, “Yeah, I’m almost shooting it. I’m almost done, brother.” And he goes, “Yeah, I’m doing it.” We shot it in ’98. I’d just gotten signed in ’97. He was signed to Interscope, and I was signed to Quincy Jones and Warners.
The next time I spoke to him was on the phone. He was doing the Bottleneck in Lawrence, Kansas. It’s a bar. I was busy doing something and Grant Rice called and put me on the phone with Eminem. He told me, “That was awesome on ‘Anthem.'” I said, “Look who’s talking, bro.” It took 10 years for Speedom to come out.
Finally, Tech completely rejected the Battle story, acknowledging the genius of Eminem’s lyrics but considering himself a master of flow and someone deeply interested in technology.
We’re bros. Some people say Tech is better than Eminem, but I say Tech is not like Eminem. Eminem pays so much attention to words. I’m not saying I don’t, and he’s aware of that. But he’s so witty. If you look at lyricists from Rakim to now, from Kool G Rap to Crooked Eye, Royce, Chino XL, Freestyle Fellowship, Pharoah Monch, Busta Rhymes, who go the extra mile when it comes to rhyming words, Eminem is at the top of that. As far as the way the motherfuckers I’ve seen handle words and stuff like that, that’s not to disparage everybody, but those names I mentioned are just that. I’m saying I care enough to play with the flow and the words. I care about the craft.
Tech N9ne can’t stress enough the importance of unity over feuding — he recognizes the potential dangers of a rivalry, especially given their backgrounds — and he’s happy they’re on the same side, representing the best of hip-hop.
I’m not like Eminem. We’re bros. I don’t wanna say any gang shit, but we’re all gang-connected. We’re all gang-connected. Me and Eminem (I can’t believe I’m even going to say this), me and Eminem, if there’s a feud, it could cause racism issues. It could cause mob violence. I’m really glad we’re bros.
So here’s the respect, recognition, and healthy dose of reality from Tech Nine. Hip-Hop is bigger than fights. Tech isn’t even happy with the epic Kendrick vs. Drake fights because he knows how deadly a thrown rock can cause.
Check out the video below:
