A mist covers the stage as the fans hush and the lights dim. A sudden surge of hands signal the appearance of Tech N9ne, his signature red colour takes hold of the fans.
And he starts rapping.
When Tech N9ne gets to the hook, he takes a pause. The crowd gets eager in anticipation of the next verse, and he shouts: “Am I a psycho?”
Tech N9ne and Krizz Kaliko performed at the Algonquin Commons Theater at 8 p.m. March 11 as a part of his Canadian tour.
Known for his unique rapping and rapid-fire “chopper” style, Tech N9ne brought both die-hard fans and newcomers to Algonquin for his performance.
Among them was Chantal Soublier.
“He sings about a lot of mental health issues,” she said. “I think he’s a lyrical genius,” said Soublier, a former Algonquin Health and Safety program graduate, who has been listening to Tech N9ne for more than 12 years.
Not everybody at the event was a long-time fan, however. David Thompson, a former professor of Algonquin in the business program, came with his son Nick Thompson. Neither of them have ever been to a Tech N9ne concert before.
“I like people who give energy to their fans,” said David, “and I can see that the fans give it back.”
Apart from performing, Tech N9ne also owns his own record label called Strange Music and has acted in several movies such as Vengeance and Alleluia! The Devil’s Carnival.
Another artist that took the stage next to Tech N9ne was Krizz Kaliko. He started working with Tech N9ne in the late ’90s when they worked on one of Tech N9ne’s songs Who you came to see. Since then, Kaliko has been working with Strange Music and collaborating on many songs with Tech N9ne.
While on stage, Tech N9ne Gave a shoutout to Kaliko’s birthday before on March 7.
Tech N9ne is currently on a Canada-wide tour. His next stop was Kingston and Greater Sudbury.