Tech N9ne turns up St. Louis, Missouri

Tech N9ne recently travelled across Missouri from his hometown of Kansas City to perform for a packed crowd at The Pageant in St. Louis. Tech has played this venue at least 10 times over the years and it was clear he felt right at home.

This night, the full room of rap fans were in for a treat. 

Opening the show was a rapper from Sacramento called X-Raided. Starting the show out with a bang, X-Raided began his set by performing while strapped to a cross, Jesus-style. This striking visual was followed up by him escaping his crucifixion, donning a hockey mask and brandishing a machete at the crowd like Jason from Friday the 13th. The rapper from Sacramento was clearly going for shock-value (and succeeded!), which was a very intense way to start out the night!

Following X-Raided was a rap duo who go by the name of ¡MAYDAY!. These two performed an angry type of rap that reminded me of Eminem, but doubled. The pair were accompanied by a very energetic drummer, who played standing up (presumably to make it easier for him to jump around like a wild man). All in all, these guys brought a very high-energy show that helped a lot to get the crowd hyped.

Next was a solo performer named Joey Cool, who brought an energetic and angry set to continue to stir the crowd into a frenzy. By the time he was done performing, everyone was already clearly out of breath and ready to really throw down with Tech N9ne.

As the headliner took the stage, the crowd began to go wild.

Tech N9ne is known for his fast and aggressive rapping style, sometimes described as “Chopper” style or “bizarre hardcore rap”. However you classify it, it was on full display this night. Tech has a deep catalogue of songs, which include features from some of the biggest names in rap history — Kendrick Lamar, Lil Wayne, Eminem and many more. As he powered through his nearly 40 song set list, fans enjoyed new bangers and old hits, such as “Caribou Lou”, “Bubble” and “Riotmaker”. Tech’s flows and vocals almost have a percussive feeling of their own and seem to be crafted perfectly to support the actual beats of the songs. This double-percussion hits you right in the chest and gives you an even greater appreciation for Tech’s technical ability and precision.

All in all, the Kansas City rapper put on an amazing show and is one of the more impressive hip hop performers that I personally have ever seen. Be sure to catch one of the remaining stops on his Asin9ne Tour, as it makes its way across the east coast and southern United States this summer!

Photography by Sean Rider

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