I know, if I'm speaking to God in any kind of way, I keep myself from using profanity.
— Tech N9ne
Every time I come out, there's more and more people paying attention, so I gotta show out every time.
I'm inside out. I'm transparent. I'm open for the world to see.
I love it when you hear a band, and you just go, 'Yes! I never knew it, but that's exactly what I want to hear.'
My mom and my aunties are really devout Christians. My mom married a Muslim when I was 12, so I got teachings from both sides and then other sides because I wanted to find out which way to go. So not only Christianity and Islam, but Confucianism, Shintoism, Taoism, Buddhism, and Judaism. I tried to read everything.
When I first spit my first rhyme in public on my school bus, I had an audience.
Just because Lil Wayne made it cool don't mean that I'm a start wearin' the small pants or I'm gonna start doin' the dance songs.
I've always been an elite artist.
I'm not a horrorcore rapper. I rap my life, but I love horror movies.
For many different reasons, my number one favorite horror movie is 'Halloween II.' I love the way it's shot, and I love the way the synthesizer sounds on the score.
I'm a different type of rapper. I work more than the average rapper.
People's outlook on Kansas City is always like, 'They let you rap in K.C.?' Or 'How's Dorothy and Toto?' They put Kansas and Kansas City together, when it's really separate.
I'm a builder. I build ideas and give them to the people, and they receive them in such a wonderful way.
I've been Tech N9ne since '88.
Some people like the dark music I do. The dark music is my life; it isn't make believe.
When dubstep came out, I loved it.
We have darkness as human beings.
I've always been strange; I've always been slightly to the left, like 'weirdo' to other people, I guess.
I will not change what I am for no amount of money or just kudos for my peers.
I've always been like a black hippie.
Music is music - it makes no difference what it is. I can like Slipknot and Public Enemy equally.
My uncles listened to rock and roll like Led Zeppelin. We had MTV, so I saw Adam Ant and Boy George and Def Leppard.
When MC Hammer came out, I was wearing parachute pants and patent leather shoes and a high top fade with a blonde streak in it like Kwame.
Nnutthowze was a group I was in back when I wa,s like, 18, 19 maybe. It was DJ Icy Rock, my deceased friend Brian Dennis, the mastermind behind it, and a host of other cats.
With my face paint on, I don't look like a regular black dude.
My favorite zany horror flick is 'Evil Dead 2.' Sam Raimi is awesome! I saw this back in the day when I was younger. 'Evil Dead' was actually scary, and 'Evil Dead 2' was zany as hell. I don't really watch 'Army of Darkness' though.
Taking pictures and stuff, I'm kind of like, shy, but you couldn't tell onstage.
Whenever you can take something positive and make something good out of it, that's what I'm all about.
As long as my brain and heart are working, I'm good.
I'ma work with Kanye. I'ma try my damndest.
Guns are going to be here until the end of time; the underworld is going to be here until the end of time. It's just a sad reality that dumb people use them.
I wanted to be Ice Cube when I was younger.
I wanted to be a psychiatrist.
I have a certain comfort with the darkness now because it's been so relevant in my life for so long, with my mom being sick and finally passing and the people changing as you get bigger and bigger. So 'A Certain Comfort' is about that. You can bring all the evil you want - I'ma make it disappear.
I feel fuzzy inside when I see good people make it.
The crazy thing about me, man, I feel like I'm a normal guy. But, maybe I'm a little abnormal when it comes to talent or something.
All of the Doors' albums are great. I could go on and on about everything that band did. 'L.A. Woman' is phenomenal. But I have to say, 'Strange Days' is it for me. That's the one I always gotta listen to.
When you look at the teachings of the Bible, it's pretty dark with Revelations, the Holy Ghost and everything, so hence the darkness upon me on my records.
Busta Rhymes has been around for centuries. He's one of the original vampires.
Everybody's darkness is different. My darkness came from my mom having pancreatitis and almost dyin'. And what I noticed was that the darkness ain't goin' nowhere.
I love Lil Wayne for even having people look my way.
When I was signed to Quincy Jones before I went independent, he told me to rap what you know, and people will forever feel you. And I stuck to that, no matter how many people called me a devil worshiper, no matter how many people call me a cult leader. I stuck with rapping about what I know.
My favorite vampire movie used to be Bram Stoker's 'Dracula,' but now '30 Days of Night' took its place. I think it's brilliant that somebody would be so thoughtful as to put these vampires in a place like Barrow, Alaska, where there are actually '30 Days of Night.'
Snow Tha Product was dope. She wanted me on a song, so I did it for her. I ain't charge her nothing.
Halloween is my favorite holiday. It's like my Christmas.
I did something that I told people around me never to do, which was, pay a psychiatrist. Why pay a psychiatrist when you can just come to me? I can help you with something going on in your life; even if I know nothing about you, I can possibly help you. That's just me being cocky like I am.
People would be surprised to know that I watch 'Sex and the City,' 'The L Word,' and 'Girls.' I like women; why wouldn't I like all those?
I originally got my name after a gun because the way I rap; a gangster gave me the name in 1988.
I don't know what genre out there that I would be afraid to do. If I am afraid to do it, that's not my cup of tea. It ain't much that's not my cup of tea.
I'm looking for 100 percent proof that there's a spiritual realm, and I ain't seen nothing in my 43 years of living but humans. So until that day, I'll be waiting.
