Tech N9ne and Travis O’Guin, inside Strange INDIE KINGS Music’s massive warehouse in Lee’s Summit, Missouri.

Words Matt Barone /// I m a g e s A r i M i c h e l s o n

Over the past decade, Kansas City, Missouri’s Strange Music has built an independent empire under everyone’s noses. Now it’s time MOST known UNKNOWN for hip-hop heads to get familiar.

056 jul/aug 2010 X X L m a g . c o m dark beats tinged with rock sensibilities, and driving city to city in the Midwest to plaster provocative content), a frustrated Tech re- posters everywhere. Says O’Guin, “All those turned to Kansas City. While performing at a tools that we still use today [on tour]—sam- local fashion show in 1998, he caught the at- plers, flatbeds, flyers, posters—is how we On a rather hot April after- tention of O’Guin, a young, monetarily strong started this whole thing.” entrepreneur known for lucrative ventures, in- While O’Guin and company were hus- cluding a fashion company (Paradise Apparel tling, JCOR, they felt, wasn’t delivering on Group Inc.) and a furniture repair compa- dollar-signed promises. In 2002, Strange ny (Furniture Works Inc.). A meeting was ar- Music switched distributors for Tech’s next al- noon in Lawrence, Kansas, ranged. “I was thinking, Maybe I can give him bum, Absolute Power, moving over to M.S.C. Mother Nature’s heat is no match for the hell of a niche for itself out of the independent- has watched its finances steadily increase. some business advice,” recalls O’Guin, a life- Music, a boutique company started by former small army of eager fans waiting in line to music market. Rigorous touring (204 shows Touring has generated large dividends. When long hip-hop fan who became a self-made mil- Priority Records co-founder Mark Cerami. shake hands with their favorite underground in 2009, 202 in 2008, 196 in 2007), a steady ticket and merchandise sales are added up, lionaire at age 22. “It was just a big mess. A There, in a 50/50 joint venture, the flip side oc- MC, Tech N9ne. The iconoclastic, Kansas stream of album releases, incessant self-pro- SM’s concert intake ranges from $25,000 lot of people had seen the talent in Tech and curred: M.S.C. was overspending. “[Cerami] City, Missouri–born vice president of Strange motion and merchandising, plus close interac- to $125,000 a night. Last year alone, the la- tried to attach themselves to it. They didn’t re- did things like throwing too much money at Music, a hugely successful independent tion with SM’s dedicated fans have set it apart bel pulled in just under $15 million, show- ally have his best interests in mind; they had radio, to the tune of $1.6 million, and we’re Midwest rap label currently celebrating its 10th from other indie outfits. ing growth from the $11 million it earned in their own.” responsible for half of every one of those dol- anniversary, soon struts in sporting an outfit of Onstage, Tecca Nina provides a theatrical 2008. “We’re doing all this during the decline O’Guin believed in Tech’s talent enough lars,” says O’Guin. “We thought, We’re never his traditional colors of black, red and white, balance of showmanship and lyrical wizard- of the music business, along with catastroph- to devote more than a year to negotiations gonna make any money if we keep throwing with pitch-black wraparound sunglasses. ry, wearing his signature white face paint dur- ic financial devastation of the markets and ev- with Quincy Jones and Warner Bros., dedi- money out the window like this.” Five hours before showtime, the pre- ing every show, while roaring through 100- erything else, and we’re having a ball,” says cated to getting Tech out of his contracts. Over the next four years, Strange, as a dominantly White group of about 30 Strange plus minutes of high-octane performance Strange Music CEO/President Travis O’Guin, O’Guin won, and soon he and Tech launched whole, sold over 500,000 albums, between Music aficionados, all gripping V.I.P. passes, alongside his hype men, and fellow Strange 38. “Somehow we’re recession-proof, and it their own record label in a 50/50 partnership, Tech’s two solo LPs and three full-lengths crowds into the lobby of Lawrence’s Liberty Music artists, Krizz Kaliko and Kutt Calhoun. freaks me out a little bit sometimes. But I’m completely out of pocket. A huge fan of sem- (all released in 2004) from Kutt Calhoun Hall, which doubles as a two-screen indepen- True friends to their fans, Tech and crew hold confident that we have it figured out.” inal rock group The Doors, Tech took one (B.L.E.V.E.), Project: Deadman (Self Inflicted) dent movie theater and a 1,050-capacity con- hour-long V.I.P. meet-and-greets before ev- of his favorite Doors songs, 1967’s “People and Skatterman & Snug Brim (Urban Legendz). cert venue. Tech, the man of the hour, gets ery show, for 30 to 300 fans, during which, For Tech N9ne, Strange Music began out of Are Strange,” and came up with the com- In 2006, the final shift came, when Strange ready to pose for a picture with an excited for $99, prepurchased-pass wearers can take necessity. With street records (such as “Let’s pany moniker, Strange Music. With such an Music linked with Universal-backed Fontana fan. She’s just gotten her second Tech tat— pictures, get autographs and talk with all of Get Fucked Up”) igniting his buzz in Kansas unclassifiable artist as its flagship MC, the for its distribution. To this day, SM has han- it’s his name, and it’s inked on the back of her the Strange artists, as well as walk away with City in the early 1990s, the then-unknown Tech company’s title was apt. “The mentality was, dled all facets of business—everything from neck. Tech strikes a pose, pretending to lick $200 worth of merchandise (posters, T-shirts, soon attracted interest from major labels. In ‘Okay, let’s just show these labels that there the printing of CDs to promotions. “That’s the new art, as her male friend snaps a photo. dog tags, CD samplers). 1993, the upstart rhyme slinger inked a deal is a market for clusterfucks,’” says Tech. when it got fun,” says O’Guin, referring to the If she ever e-mails her new photo to Strange “I’m trying to be the hip-hop president,” with the now-defunct Perspective Records, By August 2001, Strange Music’s first re- Fontana connection made four years ago. Music’s headquarters, in Lee’s Summit, says Tech (a.k.a. Aaron Yates), 38. “I’m gath- headed by superproducers Jimmy Jam and lease, and Tech’s debut, Anghellic, was put “That’s when we turned the corner. Now we Missouri, the pic will join the label’s ever-growing ering fans up under everybody’s nose… Terry Lewis (known for their hits with Janet out through a distribution deal with JCOR have nobody in between us and our money. collection of over 3,600 snapshots of Strange [We] understand that it’s a campaign. During Jackson, Usher and Mary J. Blige). Three Entertainment, a no-longer-in-existence indie We are the decision makers.” Music–related body art (SM and Tech logos, a campaign, you have to get out there and years of inactivity, however, led to Tech’s 1997 label that also released LPs from Brooklyn Tech’s portrait, etc.) sent in by diehard fans. touch the people. We’re not on TV and radio, exit to Quincy Jones’s Qwest imprint, which MC O.C. and southern legends 8Ball & MJG. After 10 years, 20 LPs (including five Tech so we have to find a way to touch these peo- was under Warner Bros. Tech relocated to L.A. The LP sold over 20,000 copies in its first solos and two Tech collabo LPs) and near- Tech N9ne and his Strange Music co- ple, let them know that we’re real.” to work with the legendary producer, but his week, an impressive feat for an unknown rap- ly 1.5 million records sold by Tecca Nina horts aren’t exactly household names—hell, As real as it gets, frankly. While the mu- musical output on Qwest was nil. per from an untapped locale. Dipping into alone, Strange Music is in a strong spot, de- they aren’t even big hip-hop names. But the sic industry as a whole continues to sweat Looking for an effective outlet to showcase their own pockets, Tech and O’Guin promot- spite the lack of mainstream hip-hop sup- Kansas City–based company has carved one bullets over shrinking profits, Strange Music his unique artistry (hip-hop-styled lyricism, ed the album by wrapping their own vans and port from the industry or the fans, or much ra- dio or video play. It doesn’t hurt, though, that what the label pushes is a roster of diverse entities. The most recognizable faces, oth- er than Tech, are fellow Kansas City natives Krizz Kaliko and Kutt Calhoun. The former, a plus-size live wire with slick raps and a sing- ing voice steeped in opera and gospel influ- ences, makes the brand’s most commercial- ly viable music. Calhoun’s been with Strange since its start and reps the streets with his lyr- ics, along with Big Scoob, a rhyme partner of Tech’s from the pre-Strange days. And in May 2009, O’Guin introduced a Los Angeles– based division, Strange Music West, which signed Cali horrorcore veteran Brotha Lynch Hung as its first act. Only nine acts have signed to Strange since 2000, a self-imposed limitation that has allowed O’Guin to devote maximum energy to projects and ensure fan Strange Music satisfaction. Left to right: O’Guin, Tech, Big Scoob, merchandise, stored Violet Brown, director of urban music for the Krizz Kaliko, Kutt Calhoun at their warehouse. Tech live onstage record-store chain Trans World Entertainment,

058 jul/aug 2010 X X L m a g . c o m SM’s back Warehouse parking lot.

Soda machine Signed copies of the covered in Strange Music discography. Strange logos.

honest introspection to indictments against shows a year is staggering. Yet what’s baf- where a mirrored wall dubs as a rehearsal Minutes later, the headliner makes his grand I’m trying to his music-industry peers (see “Crybaby,” on fling is that their tours—including their most- corner. Plus, there’s a large back parking lot, entrance, bursting through the graveyard stage his 2008 double-LP Killer), with dashes of recent, 36-venues-in-37-days Strange Days which houses 23 fully wrapped vehicles used set’s brick wall and immediately breaking out brighten my music political commentary and demonic posses- Tour (tagline: “A Decade of Excellence”), for touring and promotional purposes. Nearly in a rapid-fire flow that’d leave Twista in amaze- sion thrown in. For many, though, looking which began in early May—have yet to reach all of SM’s business is taken care of under one ment. After a few quick-tongued bars, Tech up now, because past Tech’s presentation is a task. “It seems the key Southern markets of Atlanta and New roof, except for O’Guin’s screen-printing and abruptly stops and freezes, arms stretched out- to me that every other race—Whites, Asians, Orleans. Considering how dominant ATL, bus-wrapping companies, which are housed ward, taking in the thunderous applause. [the dark sound Latinos—is more accepting of weird-looking specifically, is these days, that’s a problem. elsewhere in Kansas City. While many inde- A packed Liberty Hall is officially under his imagery, where Black folks seem to want to “I keep telling Travis, ‘Put me on tour with pendent labels rely on their distributor to man- control. is] why a lot of see the same type of dude all the time,” says Ludacris or somebody from the South,’” says ufacture their physical CDs, Strange Music by- During the entire show, the energy nev- Kaliko. “If you think about the general Black Tech. “It’s easier said than done, but bottom passes Fontana and outsources the task to an er dies, nor does the level of performance. Black muthafuckas population coming from the hood, they’re line is, I can’t infect the world if people are independent manufacturer, who they have a Tech, Krizz and Kutt engage in some Michael used to seeing the hood stars that have the alienated.” TK partnership with. “We believe in cutting out Jackson–esque choreography and Blood- stopped listening. cars and money… They want to see these Nevertheless, thanks to constant tour- the middleman,” says O’Guin. walk dances (Tech makes no qualms about entertainers that they can identify with.” ing, in January 2009, O’Guin and Tech were It’s that airtight business sense that has growing up in a Blood-gang environment). A —T e c h N 9 ne Even if his fan base never changes, Tecca able to drop $2.1 million into the renovation enabled O’Guin to earn the respect of all mosh pit full of bombastic White kids breaks Nina and his Strange Music team have little of an open 18,000-square-foot space in Lee’s those around him. There’s something to be out to the sounds of “Ghetto Love.” “Areola,” has long appreciated the label’s consisten- reason to complain. Humility has been the Summit (located 20 minutes south of Kansas said about a CEO who enforces a nine-page the crew’s Miami-bass-inspired joke song, re- cy. “Strange Music is quietly selling millions of label’s best asset. Realizing the limits of un- City), turning it into an immaculate, all-pur- tour rule book, which includes fines for a vari- corded under the guise of “816 Boys” (in hon- units without compromising who they are and derground prestige, O’Guin and Tech aren’t pose SM facility. The Strange logo (a snake ety of offenses (quiet time on buses, starting or of the Kansas City, Missouri, area code), in- what they stand for,” says Brown. “I have said opposed to booking shows with low guaran- and a bat crisscrossed) can be seen on ev- at 3 a.m.; no drugs onboard; no stealing hotel spires some ladies to flash their breasts while this thousands of times: There are no casual tees, of, say, $10,000. The rationale is sim- erything from stairs, to floor tiles, to the soda pillows). After three offenses, the wrongdoer hoisted atop friends’ shoulders. One particu- Tech fans.” ple: Take a small payment, kill it onstage machine, to the thermostat frame. There’s a is off the tour. Everyone on the bill, includ- lar female, partially naked from the waist up, In addition to being fanatical, most of his and then anticipate bigger offers the next filing cabinet containing video footage of ev- ing the non-Strange acts (such as Murs and receives a hug from Tecca Nina, which sends followers are also a bit one-dimensional— time around. The capacities of their venues ery show throughout the label’s existence, Slaughterhouse, who have accompanied the her into near convulsions. meaning heavily White. “I’m trying to brighten have ranged from as low as 800 to as many ordered chronologically. One office is burst- label on tours in the past), is held account- It’s business as usual for Strange Music. my music up now, because [the dark sound as 18,000. In May, the label released its sec- ing with high-quality film equipment; anoth- able. Amounts vary from $250 to $1,000 and Today, Lawrence, Kansas; next stop, maybe is] why a lot of Black muthafuckas stopped ond concert DVD, K.O.D. Tour: Live in Kansas er holds the social-networking team. There is fines increase per infraction. If the same rule worldwide domination, albeit one venue at a listening,” says Tech. “For one, my imagery, City, taped last November and serving as a also an office where a man works on building is violated three times, the artist is removed time. “This music game is a popularity con- a Black dude with a painted face—over here, visual testament to the raucous energy at a SM’s new online store, O’Guin’s comfy digs, from the tour. At the end of the tour, the mon- test,” says Tech. “While everybody is doing they don’t do that shit. You gotta go to Africa Tech N9ne show. Not to mention an example a sleek conference room, four different kitch- ey raised from fines is donated to a charity of their popularity thing, I’m gaining all these for that. But, to them, the red spiked hair of SM’s dedication to quality—it’s shot with ens, and quite a few more cubes and offic- the artist’s choice. “If [Travis] wasn’t like that, people in all these towns. So when we do I used to have threw everybody off, and I’ve seven cameras, in high-definition, and is of- es filled with happily working SM employees. we’d be a lot sloppier,” says Calhoun. “If not reach that higher level, where I’m doing the yet to fully get them back.” fered on Blu-ray. The building’s main attraction, howev- for him, we could easily not be where we’re Grammy Awards, they’re gonna wonder why The music speaks for itself. Beyond his In 2008, Tech was one of only three rap- er, is the meticulously organized warehouse at right now.” everybody knows all the music already. face paint and unconventional tastes, Tech is pers to place within Pollstar’s top 50 high- in its back section, where Strange merchan- “All I can say is, don’t let us get on radio or a pure lyricist, deft in double-time flows and est-grossing artists in terms of concert-tick- dise (such as $100 football jerseys, $25 drink- As the packed crowd inside Liberty Hall television,” he adds. “If we do, the industry is multisyllabic rhyme schemes. Contentwise, et sales (the other two were Jay-Z and Kanye ing flasks and $20 ladies panties), tour stage grows impatient, chants of “K.C., Mo! Ohhhh, going to have some problems.” his verses run the gamut from painfully West). That Strange Music exceeds 200 sets and promotional items are housed, and ohh!” (that’s for Kansas City, Missouri) erupt. Y’all have been warned.

Diehard Strange Music fans show their tats.

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