Tech N9ne - Anghellic

After a grueling battle with various record labels throughout the '90s and into the 2000s to try and find a major label home to release his music on, Tech N9ne of Kansas City finally managed to strike up a deal with the Interscope in-house label JCOR in early 2001 in order to release what is generally considered today as his proper debut album, Anghellic (The Calm Before the Storm: Part 1 and The Worst are more like underground compilations than proper albums). The album was recorded and promoted with a small budget, and in a fairly short span of time, but when it did come out, it became something of a cult classic. Seemingly overnight, Tech N9ne went from an underground MC who spit fast but not much else, to an icon among white teenagers, who all seemed to fall head over heels for Tech's rapid flows, diverse and always intriguing lyrical content, and seemingly wonderful ear for beats. Anghellic was the moment that Tech officially became the weirdo of the hip-hop genre, and the strange antics that he begun to take part in during and after this album's release means that a lot of hip-hop fans don't even listen to the guy - in fact, he's probably more well-known among metal fans than the hip-hop crowd.

So, what exactly did Anghellic do to cause this extreme shift in the man's public image and musical direction? Well, firstly, we have the album cover. The cover depicts Tech crucified on a cross, his braids flailing out above him and angel hands reaching for him above, but not quite getting there, and the booklet art wasn't any more normal - pictures depicting him as a literal devil and images of him sat up in heaven was certainly a contrast compared to the cars and sparsely dressed women that most rappers would depict in their booklets. The artwork was stunning and highly controversial in the hip-hop world, and led Tech to lose a lot of the regular hip-hop fans that he had previously worked to get - they probably saw the album in stores and were far too embarrassed to go up to the cashier and buy something that looked so dark - perhaps they instead moved it over to the metal section, wondering if it had been misplaced. The cover even caused some to call Tech a devil worshipper, accusations addressed on the 2003 re-release of this album.

But as well as the artwork, we had the actual music. Not only were Tech's beat choices often very unconventional and unlike anything you were likely to hear on a Nelly or Jay-Z album at the time, but the lyrics and flows were completely different to anything anyone had done before. On this album, Tech discusses his drinking problems, his problems with crazy women, his relationship with his wife, his beliefs in God, and even the time he had to get 5 different children aborted (okay, I think that one's false). Yes, there were a few club bangers and boast-filled cuts, but for the most part this album was completely different from what people were used to. Even the skits were weird, serving the purpose of splitting the album into three sections: Hell, Purgatory and Heaven. Predictably, then, the album didn't sell astonishingly, even if it did chart highly for a time, but as I already mentioned, it gained Tech a lot of new fans. The piss-poor attempts at promoting the album by JCOR (up to not even providing budget for a music video) was also instrumental in fuelling Tech's anger for his album after this, Absolute Power, the project where he really went independent. 

So, was the unnamed person who was too embarrassed to pick this one up at the store right or wrong to give it a miss? Let's see.

Also, I'll be reviewing the original tracklist of the album first here, that isn't present on streaming, but I will review the tracks that appeared on the Reparation re-release at the end too, so don't worry about that.

1. Hellevator (prod. Richie)

This painfully awkward skit title refers to the theoretical elevator that Tech's taking us on here, leading us into the first section of this album, Hell. Yes, it's a skit, but at least it's a unique skit, and I applaud that.

2. Tormented (feat. Grant Rice) (prod. Don Juan)

While your average early 2000s hip-hop enjoyer is probably going to look at you sceptically for playing this track, I still find a lot of value within this metal-influenced song. Tech begins with a comical refrain where he asks God for forgiveness for having sex with a women he refers affectionately to as "this broad", before going into what can only be described as a tantrum about how he's addicted to having sex, and all this over a heavy metal-fuelled beat which ends each bar with three pulsating vocals from a deep voice effect. This strange flow keeps going during the hook, Tech's second verse (all about his drinking problems), and then the Grant Rice verse, which is easily the worst moment of the song. Tech also comes through with a fourth verse on here which switches the flow up a bit, but he needn't have - the pulsating energy of this track rocks, and the lyrical content is very intriguing and unique. A bold but effective way to open your album.

3. Stamina (prod. Tech N9ne & Don Juan)

Rather stupidly taken directly from Tech's previous album The Worst. Still, it's worth it to get to hear this absolute banger again, where Tech raps rapidly for about 15 seconds over the sound of gunfire. Classic. "I'll be in the line, hella doin' time for the (click, click), TECH, N9NEEEEE!"

4. Sinister Tech (prod. The Weird & Icy Roc Kraven)

Could be seen as Tech N9ne's signature track, if only it wasn't so damned underrated. Seriously, this is one of the dopest bangers in his entire catalogue, up there with "Slacker", "Riot Maker", "Who Do I Catch" and the million other classics the man has. Does anyone have more classic cuts than Tech? Anyway, back to this song. After a weird but intriguing bridge in which Tech repeats the N-Word with the speed and intensity of a Bugatti, the dark, horrorcore beat sets in that revolves around terrifying and rough piano chords, a spun-back drum loop and an apparent screaming sound that comes in in the background constantly, inciting a jump in the listener each time. This thing is truly weird, but it's clear both The Weirdo and Icy Roc put their all into it. Tech rocks this one with some of his most aggressive yet punchline filled verses, that has more quotables than a season 4 episode of Frasier, and his bars on here just hit you again and again. "Everyone know we phenomenal", "hungry like an Ethiopian, living off the blood in your veins", "hit it, hit it, never ever let a millimetre killer quit it", the list goes on. The hook is a bit off, but otherwise this is an incredible song.

5. Psycho Messages (prod. Don Juan)

A fairly funny yet also scary as hell skit that leads nicely into the next cut, which is...

6. Psycho Bitch (prod. Don Juan & John Carpenter)

Psycho Bitch! The classic horror tale that Tech decided was so good it was worth making into a trilogy (Parts 2 and 3 appeared on the albums Killer and Special Effects, respectively). And remember, that was back when Tech was actually good at making decisions (rather than releasing album after 80 minute album, and signing bloody Darrein Safron), so yes, it was a great call. "Psycho Bitch" is an unforgettable classic. Set to the classic movie score to Halloween, and some pulsating drums that will be stuck in your head for days, Tech tells of his experiences with a women he apparently slept with once, who turned out to be as a loopy as a bag of hula-hoops (not that the bags actually contain many hula-hoops anymore, but I digress). The storytelling on this one is vivid, and yet Tech still manages to inject his signature humour into this one, with references to "Miss N9ne" (aka his wife) and "Biancs". Still, the paranoia present on here keeps the horror flowing, and the drums coming right back in the end also made me jump out of my skin the first time I heard this, so that's embarrassing. 

7. Real Killer (prod. King Tech)

Tech tells a (presumably fictional) story about how he got his child aborted by a doctor that he refers to as a "hitman" throughout the song, to give things a more menacing tone, I suppose. Oh, and then after getting one child killed, he got rid of four more afterwards as well. The tone of this song is quite aggressive for such a sad and weird topic, and the beat, provided by King Tech, is easily the most conventional from this album so far, a strange choice for these lyrics but oh well. The chorus also decides to hype up what he has done as if he was a "real killer" for getting five of his children aborted, which is slightly awkward to hear. Still, this is the sort of weird and horrorcore area that Tech thrives in, and he does a very good job at painting a picture on this track. It's another very good one.

8. Cursed (prod. Don Juan)

Tech N9ne's own attempt at making a song personifying hip-hop as a woman, taking more than a little bit of inspiration from Common's classic "I Used To Love H.E.R.", as he details his life growing up with a woman who would only let him get a bit if he made her some money - clearly, Tech was growing frustrated by his constant lack of recognition for being such a great rapper by this time, and this song shows that well - it's yet another incredibly aggressive cut. The production from Don Juan on here is very airy and haunting, and Tech N9ne does it justice with his vivid rhymes, catchy chorus and incredibly intense final verse, where he finally lets go of all the pent up frustration that the woman (hip-hop) has caused him. "I wanna fuck you!!! Not with Jimmy Jam, not with Terry Lewis, not with Quincy Jones, not with QD3, just me and you!" is easily one of my favourite lines on this whole album just for the passionate delivery. This track as a whole is easily one of the best Tech has ever made, and shows how you can take someone else's idea and make it your own (listening, Trackmasters?). The metaphors used throughout this song are well and truly astonishing.

9. Suicide Letters (feat. Nichia Cayson) (prod. Don Juan)

Tech leaves behind the enraged rants for a short while on this cut, where he relays some alleged "suicide letters" he had written at the lowest points of his life. Whether these are real or not is anyone's guess, but even if they aren't, this song is still incredibly powerful. Tech's flows over this instrumental are as smooth as butter, and the beat itself (again from Don Juan - he really switched things up on this LP) is catchy and poignant at the same time. Him revealing in the third verse that the reason his suicidal thoughts left him in the end was his children is arguably one of the most tear jerking moments on the whole album too. And while a lot of hip-hop songs can lose momentum because of an awkward female chorus, this hook actually fits really well into the song. What a track.

10. Purgatory (prod. Grant Rice)

Short skit letting us know that now we're out of hell, and are entering the "purgatory" section of the album, one that starts fun, but gets progressively darker...

11. It's Alive (prod. Icy Roc Kraven)

"It's Alive" was the lead and only single to this album, and although JCOR pressed it up with proper cover art and everything on vinyl and CD, they ended up supplying absolutely no money for the music video, meaning that one never got filmed, a huge shame for Tech, as that probably would have gotten him a lot more fans. It certainly would have if the video got played on a popular station, as this song is dope as fuck. In fact, it's my personal favourite Tech song of all time. After starting the first verse with some interpolating of The D.O.C.'s track "It's Funky Enough", Tech goes right off on this one with lyrics and flow that are as impressive as it gets. And as for the Icy Roc Kraven beat, it's in my opinion one of the most iconic of all time, or rather should be - this song is unfortunately not that well known. The pulsating loop, teamed with the weird drum-n-bass section makes for such an incredible soundscape that this one is just on repeat for me constantly. This track is unbelievably good. "Anybody with a bigger mouth up in here better hush"!

12. Einstein (prod. Don Juan)

Interestingly, while this track was just titled "Einstein" on the original pressing of the album, it was re-titled to "Einstein Tech N9ne" on the 2003 Reparation version of the album. Just thought I'd mention it. Anyway, this is possibly the most notorious song on this whole album, thanks to the heavy instrumental, a plethora of classic Tech bars and the catchy refrain of "KC, MO, roooooollllll". While I used to enjoy this less than a lot of this album, as it was too nu-metal for my liking, it has grown on me quite a bit, and while I still don't enjoy the instrumental as much as a lot of others on here, Tech rocks this beat to absolute precision. "We be the party people night and day! Living crazy is the only way! (Einstein) get it where I got you when I'm on it! (Einstein) Rock it like you motherfuckers want it!"

13. P.R. 2K1 (prod. Don Juan, co-prod. Tech N9ne)

I've already written about this one, of course, as this is simply the track "Planet Rock 2K (Down South Mix)" (that opened The Calm Before the Storm: Part 1), only with a different title and with that stupidly long outro cut out. That latter point just makes the song even better, so I'm all for it, but still, he shouldn't be putting the same song on two albums, let alone repeating two songs (the other being "Stamina").

14. Here I Come (prod. Don Juan)

Don't necessarily hate this one, but it does come across as overwhelmingly cheap and nasty when compared with the rest of this album. The synths on this beat are quite frankly unpleasant, and none of Tech N9ne's bars really stick out in any way - heck, the most memorable moment (besides the admittedly great hook) is the weird Beethoven sampling intro, which sounds as out of place as a frankfurter placed on top of a fancy chocolate gateau. This song is okay, but I will say that I'm glad it was taken off the Reparation version of this album.

15. Who You Came To See (feat. Big Krizz Kaliko) (prod. RonnZfromBerlin)

The initiation of Big Krizz Kaliko (shortened in 2008 to just Krizz Kaliko) into the Tech N9ne world comes on this song, the fifth and final partying track of the Purgatory section of the album (before we make the jarring transition into the religious portion). He doesn't do much on here though, merely chanting his host's name in the background during the hook. Still, it was clearly enough to guarantee him a position on half the songs of Tech's next 20-odd albums, so that's something. Anyway, this track is actually really good. Yes, you could argue that Tech's club ready, shit talking raps are getting redundant by this point, but still, I would probably say this is of a much higher quality than the previous track, and the funky beat actually stands out a lot on this dark, futuristic album - this track would probably sound the least out of place on a mainstream record of the time out of all these songs. This is one of Tech's best club tracks, and another damned near perfect song.

16. Wake Up Call (prod. Richie)

Pretty dull skit, but does its job separating the partying tracks from the religious and haunting cuts in the Purgatory section of this album.

17. This Ring (prod. Icy Roc Kraven)

If "Einstein" is the most popular banger on this album, then this is the fan favourite deep album cut. "This Ring" is a song about Tech's struggle with marriage and being a popular and hard-working rapper constantly on tour at the same time. On this one, Tech discusses his infidelity and his sorrowfulness towards his wife and children for being away constantly. This one, along with (surprisingly) "Einstein", was one I didn't feel as much on first listen, mainly because of the weird melodies in the hook and outro, which I'm still not 100% keen on ("this ringgggg, Tech N9nnnneeee!!" - it just sounds weird). However, Tech's lyrics and flow along with the excellent beat make up for this entirely. I mean, just listen to that first verse - how impressive is that?

18. God Complex (prod. Don Juan)

Truth be told, I'm not exactly sure what this song is supposed to say, but you can be sure it's a good sounding one anyway. The beat on here starts off sounding a bit bleak and cheap, but as it builds up a bit more you end up growing to love it. The lyrics are also pretty great on here, and I especially enjoy the "if anybody say "fuck me", everybody say "fuck you"" refrain, as that just exemplifies how everyone feels at some points. Even Tech's singing on here is melodic and performed well, which is more than can be said for the singing on "This Ring". This is honestly one of my favourite tracks here.

19. This Life (Anghellic) (feat. Bakarii & Short Nitty) (prod. RonnZfromBerlin)

While I was always fine with "P.R. 2K1" and "Here I Come" getting taken off the Reparation re-release, this was the one song that I really wish had remained on it, as it's one of my favourite songs on this whole LP. It keeps the airy, melodic atmosphere that the last two tracks have done so well, and remains in that spiritual lane too. This is surprisingly the only song on the album to feature more than one rapper, and while Short Nitty can fuck off and die in a fucking pit (read up on it), I don't mind Bakarii's verse too much at all, even though this would have worked best as a solo track. I will say, however, that the uncredited female singing vocals in the background are absolutely beautiful, and whoever it was definitely deserved a credit for it. Tech N9ne also delivers one of my favourite verses on the album over this excellent instrumental. This song is brilliant - just needed to lose that Short Nitty verse.

20. Going Bad (feat. Charmelle Cofield & Lecoya LeJeune) (prod. Icy Roc Kraven)

For those who are unaware, Lecoya LeJeune was actually Tech's wife at the time (they divorced around 2008), and she delivers the spoken vocals on here after each hook, which is sung by Charmelle Cofield. I personally dislike the "everything was supposed to be all Jesus! But it seems like everything is all Satan!!" part of the intro, as that shit sounds cringe as hell, but other than that this track does a great job at keeping a similar vibe to the previous three tracks. This four track run we've just been through is in my opinion one of the greatest sequencing jobs in hip-hop history.

21. Heaven (prod. Richie)

Tech introduces us to the final portion of the album, Heaven, in which there is only one song. Cynical people would tell you that this was preachy, but I think Tech deserves the benefit of the doubt given the incredible experience he just created.

22. Twisted (feat. Roger Troutman & Nichia Cayson) (prod. Don Juan)

That's right, the same Roger Troutman (R.I.P.) from "California Love". What the hell is that guy doing on a Tech N9ne album? Well, making godawful hooks by the looks of it. Aside from the incredibly out of place talkbox that goes on for way too long at the end, Tech manages to save this one (along with the excellent Don Juan production) with some great rapping that is pretty reflective, and still surprisingly negative for what is supposed to be the album's happy song. This track is pretty great, but is the one song on here where the hook lets it down - still, that's pretty good going for a rap album, and incredible for a Tech N9ne album.

So, following Tech's release from the prison that was JCOR Records, and the subsequent release of his debut independent record Absolute Power (to be covered later), he decided that he wasn't happy with JCOR owning the masters for his masterpiece, and decided to buy them, and let the public know that fact too, by re-releasing the album and chucking a few new songs in there too. The new tracklist went as follows:

1. Devil Boy (feat. Big Krizz Kaliko)

2. Hellevator

3. Tormented (feat. Grant Rice)

4. Stamina

5. Sinister Tech

6. Psycho Messages

7. Psycho Bitch

8. Real Killer

9. Cursed

10. Suicide Letters (feat. Nichia Cayson)

11. Purgatory

12. It's Alive

13. Einstein Tech N9ne

14. Breathe

15. Who You Came To See (feat. Big Krizz Kaliko)

16. Wake Up Call

17. This Ring

18. God Complex

19. F.T.I. (feat. Greed, Kutt Calhoun, Big Krizz Kaliko, Snug Brim & Skatterman)

20. Going Bad (feat. Charmelle Cofield & Lecoya LeJeune)

21. Heaven

22. Twisted (feat. Roger Troutman & Nichia Cayson)

So, pretty much the same as before then, but you'll notice that "P.R. 2K1", "Here I Come" and "This Life (Anghellic)" are all removed, and replaced with three all new cuts, which I shall cover below.

- Devil Boy (feat. Big Krizz Kaliko) (prod. 5150 Mental Productions)

As I explained in the opening paragraphs, this album's artwork teamed with its overall theme and title led a lot of people to write Tech N9ne off as a "devil worshipper", which caused a lot of hip-hop heads to steer clear of him as if he were the black plague. This song responds to those accusations, and does a bloody good job of it as well, with a lot of Tech's bars sticking in the mind, and the Krizz hook being catchy and funny. I'm not massive on the weird heavy metal switch up bit in the second verse, but other than that this beat is excellent. The fact that he sequenced this as the very first track on Reparation was also a great move in my opinion. Classic banger right here.

- Breathe (prod. RonnZfromBerlin)

One of the earliest Tech songs where he experiments with doing fast flows throughout the entire thing, and it's absolutely brilliant. Tech's verses on here are pretty inaudible due to the vocal filter he's making use of,  but from what I can make out this is one of his songs about being a gangster, which I suppose he chucked in to the Reparation to prove to the "real" hip-hop heads that he could do the type of thing they were used to as well. While it's not his most clever or meaningful song, this is still pretty bloody addictive, and being one of the first Tech songs I ever heard, this one does hold a lot to me.

- F.T.I. (feat. Greed, Kutt, Big Krizz Kaliko, Snug Brimm & Skatterman) (prod. RUBONYX)

I don't know if Snug Brim used to have two "m"s on the end of his name, or if that's just a spelling mistake, but I'll just be optimistic about that and presume it's the former (although, being a rap album, it wouldn't be out of the ordinary for a prominent mistake to slip in, see pretty much all of my reviews). This posse cut's title stands for "Fuck The Industry", a campaign Tech was pushing during the Absolute Power days, when he had just been fucked over by JCOR, and while this is a solid group anthem, it has to be said that there are better in Tech N9ne's enormous discography - a lot of the MCs on here sound fairly boring, and even Tech himself isn't particularly impressive - in fact, the hook is easily the best element here. Also, "This Life (Anghellic)" wipes the floor with this. 

While you'd probably have to be either my or Tech N9ne's biggest superfan to have made it this far into the review, I'll still state this for those remaining: Anghellic is arguably the most underrated hip-hop album of all time. The diverse soundscape on here presented by Don Juan, Icy Roc Kravyn, Will the Weirdo and others is one of the most unique present in early 2000s hip-hop, and pretty much every instrumental here (excluding the slightly painful "Here I Come") is absolutely excellent, from the haunting "Psycho Bitch" to the banging "It's Alive" to the dramatic "Going Bad". And then, we have Tech N9ne himself. This would end up being the only album in his catalogue with anywhere near this amount of solo tracks, and Nina uses them to his full advantage, spitting about different subject matters on most of these songs, whether that be his alcohol addiction, his marriage problems, his religious views or "that butt and those breasts". And he accounts his experiences with all of this and more while using the most insane rhyme schemes and wordplay that you've ever seen. This album truly proved Tech to simultaneously be incredibly personal and in-depth, and also an absolute monster on the mic. Personally, I would take the Reparation version over the original ever so slightly, if only because "Devil Boy" and "Breathe" both destroy "Here I Come" and "P.R. 2K1", but even so, this album is still a bloody masterpiece, and if you didn't already work this out, I'm definitely recommending a full listen here, of both versions. This is one of my favourite albums of all time, and (spoiler alert) the best in Tech's discography. This album is all caps INCREDIBLE.

Best Tracks: All of them, both on the original and re-release... except "Here I Come"

Worst Tracks: Here I Come

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All images taken from Discogs