— The chart-topping multiplatinum hip-hop legend and the most successful independent rapper of all time proudly presents his most open-hearted and honest album to date, 5816 Forest, out now via Strange Music.
To celebrate the arrival of his new album, Tech N9ne just uncovered a wild music video for the new single “Yoda” featuring Lil Wayne. It notably marks their fifth collaboration together, and it has all the makings of a classic. On the track, a gust of keys swirls into the haze of lightsaber waving, and Tech N9ne actually raps like Yoda! With enough bravado to fuel the Millenium Falcon, he spits, “Be the, be the best I will,” and Weezy gets into the spirit with quotable quips of his own. The accompanying visual is just as crazy as the song’s bars.
Clocking in at 22 tracks, 5816 Forest sees Tech N9ne make a statement. He recounts the memories that molded Aaron Dontez Yates into Tech N9ne, bringing listeners into his childhood home, inviting them on his block, and guiding them through what life was like for him in 1988. Producer JPZ (E-40, YoungBoy NBA, Young Dolph, Yo Gotti) notably cooked up the production for this whole journey, riding shotgun with Tech through KC.
He teased the album with “This I Know” featuring Kevin Church Johnson. The latter has already amassed over 714K Spotify streams and 1.5 million YouTube views on the music video. Right out of the gate, VIBE plugged it, and UPROXX hailed it among “The Best New Hip-Hop This Week,” going on to profess, “The OG indie-rap pillar shares a soulful rumination on his comeup, reflecting on both mistakes and the lessons learned.” HotNewHipHop was blown away by the “raw emotion and detailed storytelling.”
Earlier this year, Tech N9ne sat down with Bunnie Xo for an episode of her Dumb Blonde Podcast and gave a fascinating interview to Bootleg Kev for his Bootleg Kev Podcast. TMZ spoke to him about the album and Esquire just looked back at how Dwayne Johnson also “‘put in the hours’ on a song with Tech N9ne.” The Kansas City Star reaffirmed, “Tech N9ne’s story is deeply woven into Kansas City’s vibrant music and community fabric.”
He previewed this era with “J6’s” last month. In its wake, HotNewHipHop declared, “Tech N9ne, one of the most slept on MCs in terms of pure technical ability, is going to be reminding everyone real soon of his storytelling skills.”
Prior, Kansas City’s The Pitch hailed another staple “RDV,” stating, “With that intro and stripped-down production, it’s as though Tech and his squad stepped back in time to the ’90s. The black-and-red soundstage aesthetic throws back, too, letting the lyrics do the heavy lifting while Tech and company flex onscreen.”
Thus far, songs from 5816 Forest have generated millions of streams. It has all the makings of a Tech N9ne classic.
Catch Tech live on stage this summer and fall on Summer Daze, July 18 in NV, he’ll also be joining the God Is A Weapon Tour alongside Falling in Reverse throughout August and on the Ruggish Mafia Tour 2025, running from August through October, bringing his explosive energy and signature rapid-fire delivery to cities across the country. In addition, he is set to appear at the Louder Than Life Festival this September, one of the most anticipated rock and hip-hop fusion events. For full tour dates and ticket information, visit Strange Music Inc. – Tours.