The next year, he released Absolute Power, under a 50-50 joint venture between Strange Music and M.S.C. After disputes arose about the promotion of the album, Yates and his label severed ties with the JCOR with a deal that allowed them to retain the rights to the album. In 2001, Yates released the studio album Anghellic on JCOR Records. Later that year, he and business partner Travis O'Guin founded the record label Strange Music. Yates appeared on the song 'The Anthem' by Sway & King Tech in 1999, which also featured artists RZA, Eminem, Xzibit, Pharoahe Monch, Jayo Felony, Chino XL, KRS-One, and Kool G. The following year, he was featured on the soundtrack for the film Gang Related. In 1997, Yates joined the group The Regime, which was formed by rapper Yukmouth. Yates signed with Qwest Records briefly before moving to JCOR Records. However, the group disbanded soon after being released from the label. He saw glimpses of success in the group 57th Street Rogue Dog Villians with their single 'Let's Get Fucked Up.' As a member of the group Nnutthowze, Aaron Yates signed with Perspective Records in 1993. The divorce was finalized in November of 2017, 12 years after they were initially separated.Įarly in his career, Yates was a member of a group formed in 1991 called Black Mafia. He attended Southwest High School in Kansas City. He would explore abandoned buildings with his best friend, hoping to catch a ghost on film. He never met his father, and his mother suffered from epilepsy and lupus when he was a child, which emotionally affected him and inspired him to 'search for God'. He began rapping at a very early age, and would rap the letters of his name in order to remember how to spell it. Yates was born and raised in Kansas City, Missouri. Yates later applied a deeper meaning to the name, claiming that it stands for the complete technique of rhyme, with 'tech' meaning technique and 'nine' representing the number of completion. His stage name originated from the TEC-9 semi-automatic handgun, a name given to him by rapper Black Walt due to his fast-rhyming Chopper style. In 2009, he won the Left Field Woodie award at the MTV Woodie Awards.

He has sold over two million albums and has had his music featured in film, television, and video games. In 1999, he and business partner Travis O'Guin founded the record label Strange Music. Aaron Dontez Yates, better known as Tech N9ne (pronounced 'Tech Nine'), is an American rapper, songwriter, record producer, actor, and entrepreneur.

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