Hip hop veteran Tech N9ne is back with “5816 Forest”, a personal new album inspired by the house where he lived as a teenager in Kansas City. Speaking with XXL, he described the project as an “audio series” of 17 stories, spanning the ages of 12 to 17. These years shaped his journey before he left home to become Tech N9ne.
With more than three decades in the game, Tech also looked back at his long career and his many cross-genre collaborations, not being afraid to claim his place in music history:
“I’ve done music with people in all genres, from Blues with Gary Clark Jr., R&B with Marsha Ambrosius, or R&B with Boyz II Men. On the metal side, I’ve worked with Slipknot and System of a Down. I’ve worked with The Doors and Deftones. With hip-hop, don’t even start. Me and Tupac. Me and Ice Cube. Me and MC Ren and Spice 1. Me and C-Bo. Me and Yukmouth. Me and E-40. Me and Wiz Khalifa. Me and Eminem. Me and Kendrick Lamar. It just goes on forever”.
![[Snippet] Tech N9ne feat. Eminem — Speedom / Worldwide Choppers 2](https://eminem.news/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/tech-n9nes-special-effects-presale11-681x681.jpg)
Memorably, Tech and Eminem teamed up on the iconic track “Speedom (Worldwide Choppers 2)” in 2015, a high-speed lyrical showcase that remains one of the most celebrated rap collaborations of the last decade. For Tech, working with Eminem was a career milestone. At the same time, for Eminem, it was an act of pure love for the game.
The love of hip hop, Tech N9ne, now 54, says he’s still motivated by. With “5816 Forest”, he’s returning to raw storytelling while reminding fans why his name has lasted in music for so long.
