His tenth studio album, K.O.D., was released October 27, 2009. He has spent his illustrious career making sure he’s been grinding harder than the average rapper, and is the best selling artist out of his hometown. With nine solo albums and two powerhouse collaboration projects under his belt, the Kansas City MC’s flow is sharper and slicker than it’s ever been.
“This is another roller coaster ride,” explains TECH N9NE about the release. “When it came time for Sickology 101, I knew I wanted to do a collabo album based on the study of being sick. It’s a beginner’s course for people who don’t know how to be sick lyrically or how to choose sick beats. It all starts with beats because they tell me exactly what to do.” Epic beats from YoungFyre, Wyshmaster, Seven and Matic Lee set the stage for TECH N9NE to weave his introspective and sometimes roguish lyrics around.
Sickology 101 brims with stellar appearances from lyrical heavyweights. On the opening title track, TECH N9NE slays alongside Chino XL and Crooked I, pulling listeners into the Hip-Hop classroom for a lesson in murdering a beat. It’s a twisted vision forged on undeniable grooves and quixotic wordplay.
The single, “Nothin,’” is an inspiring, honest anthem that features Messy Marv and Big Scoob. Meanwhile, on “Midwest Choppers 2,” TECH N9NE and Krayzie Bone cruise to the depths of darkness. “Krayzie Bone came through and murdered it,” says TECH N9NE. “I modeled the song after movies. When you do a sequel, there has to be a bigger body count and more people have to die. ‘Midwest Choppers 2’ is Autobahn-style. It makes you want to speed.”
TECH N9NE’s inimitable flow and rhyming take center stage on solo tracks, including the haunting, hypnotic “Red Nose.” He doesn’t pull any punches on the vitriolic, YoungFyre-produced “Blown Away,” either. It’s an open letter to several prominent urban artists who refused to play before him at radio festivals despite his massive concert draw.
With hits like “I’m A Playa,” “Caribou Lou” (which boasts 7.2 million MySpace plays), “Riotmaker,” “Like Yeah” and “Everybody Move,” it’s no wonder TECH N9NE counts a total of over 4.5 million YouTube video plays and an average of 40,000 MySpace visitors each day. His success knows no limits. The July 2008 release, Killer, debuted at Number 1 on the Billboard Top Independent Albums chart and Number 12 on the Billboard Top 200 Albums chart. He did it all on his own. There was no major label — just TECH N9NE’s own record company, Strange Music. TECH N9NE’s tracks have appeared in films like Gang Related and Alpha Dog as well as various TV shows, and he recently made his motion picture debut in The Life of Lucky Cucumber alongside members of MTV’s “Jackass” crew.
It hasn’t been an easy road, but TECH N9NE soldiers on and he’ll never stop. “They call me devil worshipper because I’m different. I give you music for my core. They’re the people that put me over the million mark. I raise my middle finger to everybody who judges me because my core audience is there for me. They will always love me, but I’m trying to reach others, too. It’s not over. My music is supposed to be for everybody, but some people just don’t get it. This album is the result; swallow it. It’s middle finger music, all-day and all-night.”
TECH N9NE never stops bringing that music directly to his fans, constantly reinforcing his status as one of the hardest-touring rap acts in the business. In 2008, TECH N9NE performed over 200 shows and he doesn’t show any signs of slowing down in 2009. In April, TECH will head out in support of Sickology 101 and spend two months on the road, performing live for his rabid fans.
Sickology 101 is prepping the world for TECH N9NE’s next masterpiece, K.O.D. “I want people to know that I’m getting better and better and I’m a machine. I do these collabo albums to give the fans more. This is a bridge record to K.O.D. It’s the farewell to the TECH N9NE you’ve known lately. It’s getting darker. A lot of people might not be able to go to the place I’m going, but this place is my specialty.”
“I don’t need people to kiss my hand,” assures TECH N9NE. “I’m not trippin’ on status, and I’m not a narcissist when it comes to rap. It’s my heart and soul pouring onto the paper. I write my life and I can’t hold back. This is what I know.”
Origin: Kansas City, Missouri
Year Formed: 1991
Official Site: http://www.therealtechn9ne.com/
Retrogression
Tech N9ne Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
My drug begging for commitment,
Man I'm gonna do what they say,
Release and just retrogress with mayday
I'm thinking of retrogression, about going back to my best friend, on a x
Bench, but the uncut molly will you kill me is the question, I'm in sessions
With about two chicks on deck in my bed undressing now we meshing pressing
Teeth would shatter oh no it really don't matter y'all, I'm cool like the
Cigarettes I was a bigger threat to the clitoris, successful sexually
Bitter neck get her wet just how hight can a nigga get, blasted acid f
Blasted- acid, f Asterix see coulda he say he may crash it fit to replay D-Day ashes
I take masses so I could stay plasted, that great plastic I ate like bait in
Lake Placid
Molly I miss you if I was to kiss you will you take this sick food to go
Days, I know you can lift moods when I'm having issues I wish I could split
Spoove to the old days
[Chorus]
If, you, feel, like their plan don't fit us all
Then, you, will, find my land don't give us long
If, you, feel, like not taking that bigger fall!
Then with all respect if we retrogressed then they'll rid us all!
Okay so lets go, retrogression I'm guessing that recno, sees memories all in
My flesh though, strange love he's into the pesh mode, some of the greatest
Sex wow that x ho
And if I was bringing a vix tips to her lips it was for something that
She'd never let go
I drink shots with her laugh and smoke Newports the time we spent was too
Short
My mind is heading due north, my body's on it's true course, this woman has
Got my youth sore, and tooth raw, all of the lights are leading me through
A new door
Can't we just go back? Can't we just reunite? I need a throwback to seeing
You in flight
You had that down south body with a hint of death, picked you up and held
You down
Sound until I went to rest, but who needs rest, when the world is gold
Everything is burning so I'ma just alert the globe, and hurt you slow
You're known for fast love and vertigo, so I'll just pick you up and get a
Little intimate in a minute, a cue for the return of a virgin soul
If, you, feel, like their plan don't fit us all
Then, you, will, find my land don't give us long
If, you, feel, like not taking that bigger fall!
Then with all respect if we retrogressed then they'll rid us all!
I tuned em out, I, I tuned em out, too busy turning on it dropping out
Behind my, my mommas house, producing clouds, never understood money to get
Numb, meanwhile I'm bleeding out my eyes, heaving out my lungs, trying to
Avoid the sun, curiosity young age for a taste, watching them numb they
Faced, tell Caroline found someone for us to bring out on dates, I call it
Youthful curiosity, jumped the edge every Saturday
Strobe lights and low life's the city at night was calling me, I turned em
Out, I, I turned em out, he'd em both kissing on my lips then smoked the
Spliff to boost the trip
Lift off, I'm gone, phone call my bro let em know that I'm lost and I got
Sand in my shoes
From twilight beach menajahtwa, heavily sedated I, grew up with jaded
Eyes, see she's been friends of mine since 99' but now we don't see eye to
Eye, can't retrogress, unless life gets too heavy for my chest, then I be
Tuning out and canin dropping out before they win
The lyrics of "Retrogression" by Tech N9ne feat. ¡MAYDAY! refer to a desire to return to the past and to a time when things were simpler and easier. Tech N9ne talks about his drug use and his experiences with different women in the past. He thinks about the possibility of going back to a time when he was with his best friend and taking drugs on a bench. He is in sessions with two women and thinks about the effects of uncut molly. He misses a particular woman named Molly and wishes he could go back to the old days.
Tech N9ne is nostalgic for a time when he was carefree and didn't have to worry about adult responsibilities. He talks about the pleasures and dangers of using different drugs, such as aderol and acid. At the same time, he realizes that he needs to let go of the past and move on from these experiences. The chorus speaks to the idea of retrogression as a way of rebelling against a society that may not fit with one's ideals, but ultimately acknowledging that it may not be the best way to move forward.
Line by Line Meaning
What is this in the distance,
I see something far away and I'm curious about it
My drug begging for commitment,
I feel like my drug is calling me and demanding more from me
Man I'm gonna do what they say,
I feel pressured to follow what others are telling me to do
Release and just retrogress with mayday
I want to let go and go back to my old ways with Mayday
I'm thinking of retrogression, about going back to my best friend, on a x
I'm considering returning to my past, to my friend, while under the influence of drugs
Bench, but the uncut molly will you kill me is the question, I'm in sessions
I'm sitting on a bench, wondering if taking uncut molly will be dangerous. I'm in a session, probably a drug session
With about two chicks on deck in my bed undressing now we meshing pressing
I'm in bed with two women who are undressing, we're getting physical with each other
Sexing sweating left in impressive heaven, I usta, boosta, wit aderol, my
We had sex and sweat, and it was impressive. I used to take Adderall to boost my energy
Teeth would shatter oh no it really don't matter y'all, I'm cool like the
Adderall made my teeth clench so hard they would shatter, but now I'm okay and it doesn't matter anymore
Cigarettes I was a bigger threat to the clitoris, successful sexually
Smoking cigarettes made me a bigger threat to the female anatomy, but I was still successful sexually
Bitter neck get her wet just how high can a nigga get, blasted acid f
I gave her oral sex and got her wet. I'm wondering how much higher I can get, while under the influence of acid
Blasted- acid, f Asterix see coulda he say he may crash it fit to replay D-Day ashes
I'm so high on acid that I'm experiencing hallucinations, including visions of war and destruction
I take masses so I could stay plasted, that great plastic I ate like bait in
I take a lot of drugs so I can stay high. I ate cellophane like it was food, and it helped me get high
Lake Placid
Lake Placid - a place name (could be a reference to the film about a killer alligator)
Molly I miss you if I was to kiss you will you take this sick food to go
I miss the drug Molly. If I could be with it again, would it be worth it?
Days, I know you can lift moods when I'm having issues I wish I could split
I know Molly can improve my mood when I'm struggling. I wish I could have it again
Spoove to the old days
Go back to the old days
[Chorus]
Refrain
If, you, feel, like their plan don't fit us all
If you feel like the plans of others don't suit us all
Then, you, will, find my land don't give us long
Then, you will find my land, but we won't have it for long
If, you, feel, like not taking that bigger fall!
If you feel like you don't want to take a big risk
Then with all respect if we retrogressed then they'll rid us all!
With all due respect, if we go back to our old ways, they will get rid of us
Okay so lets go, retrogression I'm guessing that recno, sees memories all in
Okay, let's go back. Retrogression is when we go back to the past. I think Recno (Tech N9ne's pseudonym) sees memories everywhere
My flesh though, strange love he's into the pesh mode, some of the greatest
I feel nostalgic, and it's like Recno loves the past, and was inspired by The Jesus and Mary Chain's album, Psychocandy
Sex wow that x ho
Sex is great, especially while under the influence of ecstasy
And if I was bringing a vix tips to her lips it was for something that
If I gave her advice, it was for something that she would never forget
She'd never let go
She would never forget my advice
I drink shots with her laugh and smoke Newports the time we spent was too
I had drinks and laughs with her, and we smoked cigarettes together. The time we had together was short
Short
Brief, not long-lasting
My mind is heading due north, my body's on it's true course, this woman has
My mind is focused on going back to the past, while my body is on its natural course. This woman from the past is on my mind
Got my youth sore, and tooth raw, all of the lights are leading me through
Thinking of her is making me feel young again, but it's also painfully nostalgic. Bright lights are making me remember the past
A new door
A new opportunity or experience
Can't we just go back? Can't we just reunite? I need a throwback to seeing
Can't we just go back to the past? Can't we see each other again? I need to remember the past
You in flight
You when you were on top of the world, in your prime
You had that down south body with a hint of death, picked you up and held
You had a body that represented the southern states, and you were a little bit dangerous. I remember holding you
You down
Sound until I went to rest, but who needs rest, when the world is gold
I remember holding you, until I fell asleep. But who needs sleep when everything is perfect?
Everything is burning so I'ma just alert the globe, and hurt you slow
I feel like everything is amazing, so I want to tell the world. But I'm going to do something that will hurt you eventually
You're known for fast love and vertigo, so I'll just pick you up and get a
You're known for fast, intense moments, so I'll just pick you up and enjoy an intimate moment with you
Little intimate in a minute, a cue for the return of a virgin soul
We'll have a quick, intimate moment, and it will awaken my soul like a virgin's soul
I tuned em out, I, I tuned em out, too busy turning on it dropping out
I stopped listening to others and was too focused on getting high and escaping reality
Behind my, my mommas house, producing clouds, never understood money to get
I was getting high behind my mom's house, and producing smoke clouds. I never understood the value of money
Numb, meanwhile I'm bleeding out my eyes, heaving out my lungs, trying to
I was getting so high that my eyes were bleeding, and I was having trouble breathing
Avoid the sun, curiosity young age for a taste, watching them numb they
I was avoiding the sunlight, and at a young age, I was curious about getting high. I watched others get high too
Faced, tell Caroline found someone for us to bring out on dates, I call it
I told my friend Caroline to find someone for us to date, and I called it 'youthful curiosity'
Youthful curiosity, jumped the edge every Saturday
I took risks every Saturday in the name of youthful curiosity
Strobe lights and low life's the city at night was calling me, I turned em
The city's party scene was calling me, but I turned it down
Out, I, I turned em out, he'd em both kissing on my lips then smoked the
I wasn't interested in the party scene, I kissed both women on the lips, then smoked a joint
Spliff to boost the trip
Lift off, I'm gone, phone call my bro let em know that I'm lost and I got
I smoked a joint to enhance my high. I was so high that I felt like I was lifted off the ground. I called my friend to let him know that I was lost
Sand in my shoes
Literal sand in their shoes, from being at the beach
From twilight beach menajahtwa, heavily sedated I, grew up with jaded
I was at a beach party, heavily drugged, and I grew up with a cynical worldview
Eyes, see she's been friends of mine since 99' but now we don't see eye to
She's been my friend since '99, but we don't see eye to eye anymore
Eye, can't retrogress, unless life gets too heavy for my chest, then I be
We can't go back to the past, unless life gets too difficult to handle. Then, I'll consider going back
Tuning out and canin dropping out before they win
I'll ignore the world and escape my problems until they go away
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind