In a recent interview with Belgian streamer Anthony Ray Tech N9ne, he spoke in depth about how his life is closely tied to hip-hop and, essentially, the lives of other hip-hop stars. Queue in a conversation with Eminem.
First, Tech threw a few playful jabs at fans who bring him the bad memories. There’s a whole family of horrorcore in hip-hop, and fans better learn the order:
I watched the whole Friday the 13th series, I love everything about it, but Eminem is Jason. So they’re trying to give me Jason stuff, they’re supposed to give Eminem stuff. They’re giving me Michael Myers stuff, Krayzie Bone is Leatherface, Bushwick Bill was Chucky. Even in his new song with BabyTron and Big Sean, he had a fucking mask with a chainsaw on. He made it popular.
At the time of this interview, Tech N9ne has yet to hear “Tobey”; he is too busy with his studio work and wedding preparations.
Tech then recalls meeting Em in 1998 on Posse’s legendary track, “Anthem.” It seems like it was just like that from the beginning. Although it took them a decade to collaborate again on “Speedom,” the foundation was laid:
When I did “Anthem,” it was the first time I met a lot of people that I listened to when I was starting out. I met KRS-1 that day. I met Kool G Rap that day. I met Eminem face to face that day. When I walked in to do my part, him and his crew, they all had big leather jackets on, and they came out like, “What’s up, bro, how you doing?” He was like, “I just finished shooting my part.” I was like, “Yeah, I’m about to shoot my shit. We’re gonna do it real soon, man.” He was like, “Yeah, we’re doing it.” We shot it in 1998. We had just signed our records in 1997. He signed with Interscope; I signed with Quincy Jones and Warner.
The next time I talked to him, it was on the phone. He was playing at the Bottleneck in Lawrence, Kansas. It’s a bar. I was busy doing something, and Grant Rice called me and put me on the phone with Eminem, and he said, “You did great on Anthem.” I said, “Look who’s talking, man.” It took ten years for Speedom to come along after that.
And finally, Tech shuts down any talk of a battle. He acknowledges Em’s lyrical genius but sees himself more as a master of flow, someone who cares deeply about his art:
We’re allies. People say Tech is better than Eminem, but I say Tech is different than Eminem. Eminem is very meticulous with words. I’m not saying I’m not, and he acknowledges that. But he’s also very spiritual. When I look at Rakim’s lyricists so far, from Kool G Rap to Crooked I to Royce, Chino XL, Freestyle Fellowship, Pharoahe Monch, Busta Rhymes, people who go above and beyond when it comes to rhyming words, Eminem is at the top of that. When it comes to the way I’ve seen motherfuckers work words and stuff like that, and this is not taking anything away from anybody, the names I mentioned are there. I say I care enough to play with the flow, to play with the words. I care about the craft.
Tech N9ne can’t stress enough the importance of unity over conflict. He recognizes the potential danger of a rivalry, especially given their backgrounds. And he’s glad they’re on the same side, representing hip-hop at its best:
I’m different from Eminem. We’re allies. I don’t want to get involved with gangs, but we’re all gang related, we’re all connected to gangs. Me and Eminem (I can’t believe I’m about to say this), me and Eminem disagreeing, we could start some racial shit; it could start some gang bang shit. I’m so glad we’re allies.
So here’s what you get: respect, recognition, and a healthy dose of realness from Tech N9ne. Hip-hop is bigger than beef. Tech isn’t even happy about the epic Kendrick vs. Drake beef because he saw how deadly the deadly vibes of a thrown rock can be.
Watch the video below:
