Absolute Power

2002’s Absolute Power was a breakthrough album for Tech N9ne. It was the first record he released on his own Strange Music label, and it went on to become a massive underground smash, selling over 250,000 copies. The album’s power is built on Tech’s three fundamental values: 1) Blinding technical ability; 2) Unparalleled work ethic; 3) The conviction that a rapper must be original. “The Industry Is Punks” is a brilliant takedown of the rap mainstream. Tech is unafraid to name names, and his lyrical ferocity is self-evident: “I'm a killer when lyricals coming down like miracles / And I come from a kingdom of humble drums and hums become rumbles / I'm the one that begun the unsung / Got sprung, now everyone coming in bundles.” Tech has an arsenal of flows at his disposal. He can weave rhymes like Jay-Z, deliver verses in rapid-fire precision like Twista, and simply flow with supreme funk authority like Rakim. He’s such a brilliant straight-ahead rapper that it’s fun to watch him veer into psychotic subject matter, as on “Trapped In A Psycho’s Body” and “T9X.” Funky, weird, and commanding, Absolute Power has a lot to offer real rap heads.