I am the complete technique of rhyme," Yates said. After severing ties with a major label in 2001, Yates began releasing his music on his own label with 2002's "Absolute Power." In the '90s Yates was a member of three rap groups before eventually starting his own record label, Strange Music, with partner Travis O'Guin in 1999. Yates found early inspiration in the records of Ice Cube, N.W.A. and Public Enemy and began experimenting with the speed of his rhymes after hearing Slick Rick's "The Great Adventures of Slick Rick." But Yates, who describes himself as a fan of all music, was also inspired by the music of artists like The Doors and Roger Troutman, a well-regarded funk musician whose works have been regularly sampled in West Coast hip-hop. Troutman, in particular, had a lasting impact on Yates. As a 12-year-old he went door-to-door, charging $5 to shovel driveways in Kansas City in order to save up for "I Want to Be Your Man" on vinyl. "I shoveled snow to get that record as a youngster." The pair reworked the song together and created "Twisted," the closing track on 2001's "Anghellic." Fifteen years later, Troutman agreed to re-recording "I Want to Be Your Man" with Yates. Yates has been meticulous in crafting his persona he combines his aggressive sound with bold theatrics. Yates draws human skulls, jungle cats and geometric patterns on his face for live performances. If you entertain, they will remain," Yates said. "True, I don't need to because my lyrics alone are elite, but I care about the craft. One of his most entertaining songs live is "Fragile." The critically acclaimed track is notable for it's rapid-fire lyric delivery. "Seeing people's face when I do those impossible verses … I love to see them in awe because I put my all into it. You have to be a madman to do these songs every night without messing up," Yates said. Twenty years into his career, Yates is still creating. He is currently in the midst of writing lyrics for his 19th studio album. "Fears are going away every day, and when you're fearless you can say whatever the f- you wanna say." Yates said as long as life keeps happening, Tech N9ne will keep recording everything is inspiration. Zakiya McCummings is a features intern at Alaska Dispatch News. She has worked as a reporter for the Anchorage Press, the Associated Press and Salon. Follow her on Twitter: realzakiya.The Strange Music machine rolled through #DXHQ today for a special edition of #DXLive. Tech N9ne, Krizz Kaliko and Rittz opened up about new music, life on the road, the upcoming Strange World studios and Strange Distillery, among others. Tech reveals a few songs from his upcoming, The Storm. Krizz Kaliko details why he was afraid of fans’ reaction to his mostly singing album, GO. Rittz boasts about winning rap battles against Ces Cru. Why Tech N9ne Won’t Sign Hopsin, Jarren Benton And before it all wraps, Tech N9ne explains exactly why Strange Music won’t be signing anyone from the now defunct Funk Volume. This is absolutely a one-of-a-kind conversation. “It was sad that we had to see that happen to where it was publicly ‘fuck you, fuck you.’ I hate to see that with anybody, especially with good people. It’s like, I hate to see all of them fall apart like that. I told my people at Strange, I was talking to Dave Weiner and they were interested in getting Jarren Benton. I said, ‘I love Jarren, but I don’t want to get into that family bullshit. I don’t wanna get in the middle of their feud by saying ‘Come on over here with us,’ because the first thing said about Hopsin or the first thing said about Funk Volume is gonna be on me. I love them all equally so I don’t want nothing to do with any of that shit. If anybody got any questions on who I wanna sign, I don’t know. Maybe that’ll change one day-the Jarren thing. But the way I feel, and what I told Travis and Dave, I would hate to get in between that family feud by signing someone from over there, even though I know it would make so much sense to sign any of them motherfuckers.