Review: Gene Von Banyard
Photography: JD Garrahy

Tech N9ne (Aaron Dontez Yates) is a rapper who has turned himself into an icon and an institution. He is the co-founder of Strange Music and the champion and definition of the Chopper flow. Tech has forged a dynasty that has positioned him as the most successful, independent artist of all time. He is also a big, big fan of Rock & Metal and has collaborated with many artists from Everblack Media’s cultural/musical focus, including Serj Tankien, Corey Taylor, and of course, Ronnie Radke of Falling in Reverse.

The relationship between Hip Hop & Heavy Metal has slowly been building and merging since the 80s with tracks like Walk This Way (Run DMC & Aerosmith) and Bring The Noise (Anthrax & Public Enemy). The marriage has not always been harmonious, though, and a cultural cringe has always existed in and directed towards both camps.

The 2020s has seen a lessening of that cringe and the unification of sound and energy from the worlds of both Metal & Rap. In 2024/2025, Falling in Reverse‘s Ronald saw Ronnie Radke, Tech N9ne, and Alex Terrible adopting the Chopper flow. Linkin Park is the biggest band in the world, and have you heard the verse Vessel of Sleep Token spits on Emergence? It’s happening, people, the crossover is significant and Everblack Media is here to cover it.

Tech N9ne with Strange Music has been chopping away at the music industry and culture for a good 30+ years and has a plethora of sexy commercial hits and underground anthems in the chamber. This roster was on full display at Eaton Hills Hotel, but Shorty Main and Joey Cool had some appetizing entrees for us to enjoy before the main feast.

First up were Brisbane’s own, Shorty Main. Their set had a touch of party flavor, but their main flavor profile could only be described as cinematic. I am not a party-rap fan (as I am an introverted weirdo) who craves the immersion of finely crafted lyrics and a soundscape that transports you to a world that echoes the artist’s conceptual intent. Not to say that the party material didn’t go off! The crowd at Eaton were there to party and party they did!

With Shorty Main‘s tracks having people throw their hands in the air and wave them side to side, but it was the last two tracks, News For You & Fighting Me, that made people stop, put down their arms, nod their heads in unified rhythm, and just listen to the kid spit, and spit he did. Shorty Main has the skill, energy, and vibe to go a long way and I am here for it.

Next up was Joey Cool. Cool is a Strange Music artist, and his varied approach to style and flow showed why Tech scooped him up. He graced the stage solo, with a mic and a desire to make the crowd rock, and rock they did! As soon as the bass began to pulse and Cool began to spit, the punters pulled out their phones and whooped to the heavens.

Cool proceeded to play an eclectic set ranging from Trap, Emo Rap, Boom Bap, and straight-up Chopper flows that had the audience’s eyes wide and mouths agape.

This was the first time Joey Cool had graced the shores of Australia and the streets of Brisbane, and the crowd loved it! That love, by the end of Cool’s set, was 100% reciprocal. Cool was blown away by the Brisbane audience and vowed to be back, and I am sure that Brisbane will welcome his return.

Next up, the main act himself, Tech N9ne. Tech’s catalog is the epitome of musical/cultural variety, and his set was a testimony to this fact. Like Cool, Tech took to the stage with just his voice, presence, and a mic, and believe you me, that’s all that was needed.

Going back to 1997 with a recounting of underground classics such as Victory to his biggest hits such as Am I Psycho, Caribou Lou, and Worldwide Choppers, Tech showed why he has forged out a musical dynasty in a nebulous cultural sphere. Tech has music for everyone because he keeps a close eye on the industry and culture at large.

He brought the swag for the ladies, thug rhythms and hard beats of the street for the fellas, and his approach to musical and cultural variety was highlighted with the spitting of his verse from Falling in Reverse‘s crossover hit, Ronald (which made this fan very happy).

The crowd at Eaton Hills Hotel loved the night and was there to represent to such a degree that one would not have been surprised if Tupac Shakur himself was alive and playing! They were there for all of the vibes and sounds that Shorty Main, Joey Cool, and Tech N9ne brought to the table, and so was I. As Tech himself proclaimed last night on stage, “Good music is good music, and we are here for it, not the segregation.”

TECH N9NE March 2025 Australian Tour Dates
Saturday 22nd March, SYDNEY – Metro Theatre
Wednesday 26th March, ADELAIDE – Gov
Friday 28th March, MELBOURNE – Northcote Theatre
Sunday 30th March. Perth – Rosemount Hotel

https://metropolistouring.com/tech-n9ne-2025/