Tech N9ne’s sound hasn’t changed one bit. From the release of his debut album “The Calm Before The Storm” in 1999 to now, he has always displayed his lightning-quick rap style, bluntly honest lyrics over apocalyptic background music, pounding 808s and electric guitar riffs.
When Tech N9ne announced his newest album, however, he hopped on his label’s website and wrote, “The beats (on this new album) sound nothing like anything you’ve ever heard me on.” To that, I call him a liar.
The album, entitled _Something Else,_ was, in fact, not something else. It’s the same sound fans have grown accustomed to, and it’s a bit of a letdown.
Sure, you can bring in a solid cast of rapping young guns, like Kendrick Lamar, Wiz Khalifa and B.o.B. Sure, you can divide your album into three parts: “Fire,” “Water” and “Earth.” But it’s still the same, “too-dark-for-radio” sound you are used to.
But that isn’t necessarily bad. For example, “B.I.T.C.H.” shows listeners N9ne’s inner rage with a dark track that even makes T-Pain sound evil. He then slows it down with “I’m Not A Saint,” which gives people a look into his gloomy past and his lingering thoughts. To wrap it up, he spits verses like bullets over a sample by the psychedelic sound of The Doors on the track “Strange Days.”
To hardcore Tech N9ne fans, this album may be a welcome listen. But to the typical listener, there’s nothing special here.
_MOVE gives_ Something Else _2.5 out of 5 stars._