As a music lover and photojournalist, I have followed Tech N9ne’s career since his early years and have bared witness to his meteoric rise in the music industry.  His hard work and unbelievable business acumen paid off in spades, and he ultimately became the undisputed #1 independent rapper in the world.  With 13 albums under his belt (and 8 additional in his collabos series), Tech has sold more than 2,000,000 albums worldwide and has toured extensively all around the world.   Add in his now infamous Bou Lou Beer (a business venture with brewing giant Boulevard Brewing Company) and it’s easy to see why everyone under the sun wants to team up with Tech N9ne is some way, shape or form.

On Tuesday May 30th, Tech N9ne and his Strange Music disciples descended upon the House of Blues in San Diego, CA for one of the first stops of 2019’s It Goes Up Tour.  Legions of fans (known as Technicians) showed up early for a meet & Greet as well as a chance to crash the barrier early for a chance to see Tech up close and personal. 

The first opening act to take the stage on Tuesday was Los Angeles hip-hop artist know as Dax.  Goodness gracious, the energy that this guy had throughout his 30-minute set was unbelievable.  The crowd was on their feet and fully engaged from start to finish in a way that most openers might not be able to pull off.  If you are a fan of real hip-hop, I’d check out Dax’s latest single, “Self-Proclaimed 2”.  It’s straight fire.

Next up was Miami based hip-hop trio known as ¡Mayday!  Active in the game since 93’, Bernz and Wrekonize along with percussionist extraordinaire NonMS slayed their set with a passion and precision rarely seen in rap these days. One of my favorites from ¡Mayday! has always been “Darker Shades” off of their 2012’s release, Thrift Store Halos.  I’m happy to report that they absolutely killed it along with every other song in their set.  These guys are what’s right with hip-hop today, and well worth the price of admission on their own.

As fans were just beginning to catch their breath, UBI from the CES CRU assaulted the crowd with a powerful set that literally rocked the venue to its core.  He whipped up the now packed house into an all-out a frenzy that would set the stage for the rest of the evening’s festivities.  After a raucous 30-minute set, you may have thought his was all said and done until Ubiquitous jumped down into the pit.  Those lucky enough to smashed up against the barrier got serenaded by UBI with one final track that put an exclamation point on an incredible performance.  Super fun set from one of Kansas City’s finest and a perfect segway to the main attraction Tuesday night, Tech N9ne.

Around 9:40pm, the lights finally dimmed, and a short video played signaling the arrival of Tech N9ne on the House of Blues stage.   The place went nuts as he kicked off the show with “N9NA” of his latest album (of the same name).  Krizz Kaliko then joined Tech on stage performing “E.B.A.H.”, and as always, this dynamic duo was brilliant.  Over the next hour and a half, Tech N9ne put on a near-flawless show that seemingly blew the roof off of the House of Blues.  Technicians were treated to a massive set consisting of over 20 mind-blowing tracks featuring classics like “Am I Psycho”, “Riotmaker”, and “Einstein”.  These jams got even the most reserved concert goer out of their seat and on to their feet.  Tech’s set finally ended around 11:00pm with a searing encore featuring hits “Caribou Lou” and “Hood Go Crazy”.  Perfect way to end a Tech N9ne show and one I won’t soon forget.

For those who have the opportunity to see Tech N9ne on his 2019 It Goes Up Tour this year, make the call now and buy your tickets today.  Tech N9ne is an absolute genius - flawless vocals, relevant lyrics, and non-stop energy from beginning to end. He brought it on Tuesday evening and showed San Diego why he is considered one of the most incredible artists on the planet today.