When Tech N9ne was first approached by the Kansas City Symphony to see if he wanted to collaborate, he was surprised to learn the musicians were fans of his music.
“They had their whole list of songs that they wanted. I was so flattered, man,” says N9ne, who will be performing with the symphony at the Midland Theatre on May 4, which just so happens to also be the informal Star Wars Day celebrated by movie fans everywhere. “[It’s] such a wonderful feeling for them to choose you. [It’s] a beautiful thing and a wonderful marriage. I can’t wait to say ‘May the Fourth Be With You.’”
N9ne is a Kansas City native and an avid symphony attendee. With famous tracks like “Lacrimosa,” which samples Mozart’s own “Lacrimosa Dies Illa,” it’s no surprise that the artist is somewhat of a classical music buff himself. “Having a diverse family that listened to everything, it bled over into my music and it made my music taste broad,” says N9ne, who attributes his interest in classical orchestra and chamber music in part to his background growing up in church.
N9ne has now spent nearly 40 years in the music industry, produced 24 albums and founded his own record label, Strange Music. He’s noted for his ability to graft sounds together, forming truly unique hip-hop tracks that blend orchestral components, chamber singers, hardcore metal and many other genres. He has collaborated with dozens of artists, ranging from Machine Gun Kelly to church choirs.
This collaboration with the symphony has been in the works for many months and N9ne has been involved in every way. The roughly hour-and-a-half long show will interweave more than a dozen of N9ne’s original tracks with live performances from the rapper and the symphony itself, creating a truly Kansas City born-and-bred performance.
Along with his upcoming Kansas City Symphony performance, N9ne is currently writing and recording an upcoming studio album, COSM, part of his “Collabos” project, a series of albums where the rapper collaborates with other artists. He has no intentions of slowing down, “I learned no barriers early on, and I’m glad I did because it allowed me to work with so many different people and so many different genres throughout my career, and it’s still going,” N9ne says.
GO: Tech N9ne with the Kansas City Symphony. May 4, 8 pm. Midland Theatre.
