Tech N9ne

7th September 2018

Powerstation, Auckland, New Zealand

Review by Sarah Kidd, Photography by Mark Derricutt.

He’s a lyricist with skills second to none and easily one of the greatest rappers in the game so it was no surprise that once again Auckland turned out in force to show their love for the man who bears the name Tech N9ne. The PowerStation was positively bulging at the seams as the sold-out crowd poured through the doors ready to immerse themselves in what was sure to be another epic set from the game changer who proved to the world that you can make a living as a rapper without the backing of a major label.

To start the night off right though West Auckland rapper 4Sayken was first up. Honing his craft for the last six years, 4Sayken is a 10UTS rap battler who has already supported international artists such as Rittz, Necro, Mobb Deep and most recently Obie Trice. With a tight set that included his latest track ‘Ain’t My Buddy’ as well as a few guests such as Nicky Smirk, 4Sayken ensured that the night began favourably. Expect to see a lot more of this artist in the future.

Against a simple backdrop of the iconic Strange Music label logo – the independent record label that Tech N9ne and Travis O’Guin formed back in 1999 – Tech N9ne arrived to a horde who were almost ravenous. With a long standing and loyal following in the land of the long white cloud, fans were ready and waiting for all that N9ne was about to deliver, his familiar partner in crime Krizz Kaliko the sweet icing on top of what was already sure to be a killer set.

Stepping forward through a haze of smoke N9ne, dressed in black the familiar face paint making him look like he had just crossed over from the shadow realm, almost made the venue implode by dropping arguably one of his best-known tracks to kickstart the evening into high gear – ‘Am I a Psycho’ being chanted back by the audience at full volume.

Easily one of the hardest working artists in the business N9ne is consistently pushing out new albums (his latest Planet released earlier this year making it his twentieth) and seems to be permanently on tour. But when you have a man who can spit double time rhymes as fast as a Tec-9 pistol it is no wonder that he is in constant demand across the world, his shows often selling out soon after announcement.

Letting the crowd bask for awhile in his singular glow it wasn’t long before Krizz Kaliko dressed identically to Tech N9ne took to the stage, their performance of ‘Strange Music Box’ from the 2009 album K.O.D quickly identifying the day-one fans at the front of the house. Displaying almost razor-sharp synchronicity the duo moved onto ‘Riot Maker’ before N9ne let Kaliko destroy the masses with a couple of his own tracks; ‘Anxiety’ and ‘Kill Shit’ from his 2012 album Kickin’ and Screamin’ almost seeing the floor bend under the weight of the crowd’s enthusiastic bouncing.

While the older fans of N9ne may have found this show a little tamer than some of his previous performances, no one could deny the sheer quality of his delivery and how naturally N9ne and Kaliko worked with each other on stage, even their choreographed dance moves driving the fans wild. Taking a moment to address their followers – the duo gave both a rather topical and impassioned speech; “We love Eminem, that’s our brother. We love MGK, that’s our brother. We love hip-hop those are our brothers. You know what I’m saying?” the honest message one of unity.

While the assembled never quite seemed to get N9ne’s desire for a mosh pit going – despite dropping ‘No Reason’ they nevertheless hung on every word that sped at light speed across the duo’s lips, their roars getting louder as N9ne got faster. Bringing out the obligatory chair N9ne teased those in attendance with a couple of acapella snippets of ‘Low’ and ‘Red Nose’ before springing ‘This Ring’ from his 2001 album Anghellic on them, a song by his own admittance that he has not performed live in years. Calling for everyone to “put your lighters up” the venue was soon lit with dozens of tiny flames.

The expected hits like ‘Caribou Lou’ and ‘Areola’ all made an appearance, ‘Erbody But Me’ seeing the crowd join in at full volume but it was Tech N9ne’s closing hit ‘Hood Go Crazy’ that saw the fans off into the night in a state of pure exaltation as Tech N9ne’s declarations of how much he freakin loved them all rang in their ears.

Proving that he is still very much at the top of his game Tech N9ne is an artist that is a compulsory must see live act.

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Were you there at Powerstation to witness this hop hop legend? Or have you seen Tech N9ne perform somewhere else before? Tell us about it in the comments below!

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