Tech N9ne - Special Effects

Tech N9ne
Special Effects
2015

Tech N9ne has never and will never conform to what you think He should be. His approach to Hip Hop is always one of pushing the art forward while leaving and idea of commercial success far far into the the background. Special Effects the fifteenth studio album from Tech pulls zero punches in its genre bending art exploration 24 track extravaganza. The album moves from straight hip hop to hardcore and makes stops everywhere between. He has a track with the lead singer of Slipknot which for all intense and purposes is a hardcore song, then he has a song called "Give It All" which sounds exactly like a Prince song which just shows how vast his range is. Then there are Tech's incredible lyrics, he can be bombastic he can be personal and he can do it all while rhyming faster and better than almost anyone out there. His speed rap track "Speedom (WWC)" is an absolute achievement. The track features Eminem who is incredible and brings out speed that we have not heard from him in years.

Every time Tech N9ne has a featured artist on a track (of which there are many) He manages to be the star but still elevates whoever he is working with. T.I. brings out skills that he hasn't brought out in years on "On the Bible". The only knock I have on the record is as always with rap records: The skits. On this album they aren't just funny interludes but actually have some substance but they still are out of place and interrupt an album that is otherwise great. Special Effects is an achievement and something will put people on notice that true hip hop still has a place in world turned pop. Go listen to Special Effects as fast as you possibly can.

9 out ot 10