TECH N9NE
Tech N9ne isn't your average rapper. Somewhere between gangsta rap, horrorcore and some weird underlying spiritual themes, Tech N9ne has been haunting the underbelly of hip-hop since the '90s and has released 13 albums, mostly on his own label, Strange Music. It's this kind of hustle that has made Tech N9ne a brand name in underground hip-hop, even as he's mostly been ignored by the mainstream. Aptly named after the infamous, rapid-fire gun, Tech N9ne has a flow that's just as fast and a consistency only slightly more accurate. He makes so many songs that a lot of them aren't very good, but when he's good, he's better than most. He takes chances most others rappers couldn't or wouldn't, and redefines what it means to push boundaries in hip-hop, a genre that oftentimes seems hell-bent on pigeonholing itself. With Krizz Kalico, Brotha Lynch Hung, Kutt Calhoun, Ces Cru, Rittz, 403 M.O.B. $25-28. May 2, 7 p.m. Tremont Music Hall, 400 W. Tremont Ave. 704-343-9494.