After decades of building a fiercely independent empire and earning a reputation as one of the most technically gifted lyricists in hip-hop, Tech N9ne returns with 5816 Forest — an album as personal as it is powerful.
Named after the address of his childhood home in Kansas City, 5816 Forest marks a turning point in Tech’s storied career. More than just a reflection on his origin, the project serves as a sonic memoir, capturing the journey from boyhood to manhood.
In this deeply introspective body of work, Tech N9ne opens up about the pivotal moments that shaped him, from trauma and triumph to growth and grace. The album arrives at a crucial moment in his life, as themes of family, legacy, and fatherhood rise to the forefront of his identity both on and off the mic.
“5816 Forest is about everything that made me,” Tech says. “It’s the house that saw my laughter and my pain — it saw the birth of Tech N9ne.”
In this candid Q&A, Tech N9ne sits down with us to discuss the making of 5816 Forest, the evolution of his artistry, and how embracing the roles of father, son, husband, and man has redefined the artist who helped redefine independent hip-hop.
VIBE: The title track on 5816 Forest is incredibly specific and personal. Can you talk about what that address means to you?
Tech N9ne: My homeboy, Black Walter, who gave me my name back in ‘88 approached me with doing this record, 5816 Forest. That’s where I lived from age 12 to age 17, when I ran away from home on a quest to become Tech N9ne. You know what I’m saying?
So, when he told me that I should do a whole album with no features on the verses, I thought it would be boring as hell, man. But as I got into writing it, it felt great. It felt great to find resolve in certain situations, and 5816 Forest just became the title of the album because the stories that happened within that house from 12 to 17 are so good. All the different things that happened in my life. And I knew that I could keep the audience’s attention with all these stories.
Were there any moments during the creation of the album where visiting your past got emotionally heavy?
Emotionally heavy, no. But on songs like “The Punishment,” I’m finding resolve with my stepfather, cause I ran away at 17. I felt like he was being mean to me, but he was a militant, strong businessman, and a Muslim. My mom was a Christian, and we’re coming from a Christian background. My mom marrying a Muslim was a change for me. Such a change that I looked at him as being mean to me, so I ran away from home. So, writing this album, on songs like “The Punishment,” like I said, I found resolve, man. I understood that he was trying to make a man out of me and not a spoiled f’n brat, you know what I’m saying?
And, subconsciously, I was picking up his entrepreneurship. I didn’t know. And when you look at me and my brothers, Hakim, Kiraameen, we all have our own businesses just like my stepfather. Abul Hassan Khalifah, thank you.
How does this album connect to the man you were when you first started rapping?
How does this album connect to the man I was? These are actually real stories, man. I’ve evolved so much since then, of course, because I was in my teens. The connection is that I remember everything that went down verbatim. This is something that’s been in the back of my mind, and I wasn’t even thinking of using it until Black Walt said, ‘I think you should do this album.’ So, to pull all that up from my mental and remember stories of me being 12, 13, and 14, and what happened when I was 14, on some love-ish that broke my heart. I knew exactly how that felt. It took me all the way back. So, I’ve been forever connected to the stories, didn’t know that I was going to ever pull them forth for the world to listen to.
Was there a specific track on the album that felt like the emotional core for you?
The last song on the album is called “This I Know.” And one thing that the song is talking about when I say ‘This I know’ the ‘This’ is music. And throughout that journey, your family saying, ‘Nobody’s going to ever make it out of here, Kansas City, Missouri. You need to get a real job, something that’ll take care of your family when you’re older,’ you know what I mean? And you’re not hearing all that. Talking about “This I Know,” though, ‘This’ I know, I’ll take a chance on this ’cause ‘This’ I know. And I ran away from home on a quest to become Tech N9ne, and I became Tech N9ne.
If I hadn’t done that, I’d feel worse about running away from my mom and stepfather. But I think it was meant to happen, considering what I’ve become. And without that happening, if I had stayed in that house, I probably would have still owned my own business still, but it’s probably going to be in food or something else, I don’t know.
So, I’m glad that ‘This I Know’ was a thing and I had the balls to leave my home at 17 and start on the path to Tech N9ne, man. I’m glad I did it cuz now we’re here talking about it.
Looking back at your catalog, you’ve explored everything from darkness to spiritual questioning to celebration. What new ground do you feel that you’re breaking on 5816 Forest?
To me, all those things that you just said. The darkness will always be there. Not like people think, not like KOD because I don’t have any of my loved ones dying like my mom was back then. There’s always going to be a rollercoaster ride of emotion and light, dark moments on songs like “The Nice One.”
I can’t let the story out, but it’s like a movie on 5816 Forest. Even though the whole album is a movie, but this one is like the movie on there, “The Nice One.” Dark story, few dark stories on there, man, but not in the terms of King of Darkness. It’s just life.
You worked with JPZ on the production of this album. So what was it like hooking up with him and just building that chemistry for the whole album?
Black Walt approached me and said, ‘You ain’t hooked up with JPZ yet.’ I was like, ‘Man, E-40 been trying to hook me up with JPZ for years.’ And I was doing a show out in The Bay and he said, ‘JPZ live out in The Bay, man. He’s from Kansas City, but he lives out in The Bay.’ He came to my show, showed me some music, in the lobby, in my hotel room, or whatever. I forgot where we were, and I really enjoyed his music.
When we started 5816 Forest, Black Walt sent me some Jpz beats and I’m like, ‘Yo I like these JPZ beats’ ’cause they were sending me other producers as well and I’m like ‘Nah, no more producers I want to choose all these from JPZ.’ So I chose 17 tracks from JPZ for this record, man, and it’s the first out of my whole discography, the first album that has one producer all the way through. It’s special.
You’ve worked with a wide array of artists over the years. Did 5816 Forest feel like a moment to invite others into your world?
The reason why I couldn’t invite too many people into my world is that this is an origin story about me. Nobody else could be on the verses. This is the first (time) in my career that I would do all verses by Tech N9ne and no features when it comes to verses. But a few hooks.. I reached out to Lil Wayne for “Yoda.” I reached out to Church Boy for “This I Know.” I reached out to Kimology for “What I Do.” Jehry Robinson for “Sacrifice,” original Rogue Dog Villains for “RDV,” and so on and so forth.
So these are just on the chorus, though, because all the stories are mine or exclusive to me. It ain’t like I can get Eminem on “Friday to Sunday” since he didn’t know me and I didn’t know him back when I was 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17. This is the origin story, so nobody is on the verses at all, just on the choruses.
You’ve built a massive loyal fan base who’ve grown with you throughout the years. What do you hope 5816 Forest gives them that they might not have gotten from your previous albums?
Well, Tech N9ne, I’ve always been an open book when it comes to my lyrics, you know what I mean? And I’ve always told stories. But this and these stories are so personal, and they’ve never heard them. You know what I’m saying?
Especially in rhyme form, they never heard them. So, I think and I believe that since people are nosey by nature, they’re going to enjoy these stories by me because they’re so in-depth and it’s still with style. Still flipping here and there because I cannot not do that, you know what I’m saying?
And I think they’re going to take away something very special with this album. And people that are not fans too, I think they’re going to see that the art of storytelling, which is a big part of Hip-Hop, I’m one of the best at it.
If you could sit down with your younger self, the one living at 5816 Forest, what song would you play from this album, and what would you say to him?
If I were to play my 12-year-old self a song off of this record, it would be “Yoda” because actually that’s what I wanted to instill in myself, to be the best MC possible. So I would start him off with “Yoda” so he can be all the way equipped for any ciphers. And Lil Wayne is on the hook. He’ll be like, ‘Who was that on the hook?’ I said, ‘Later years, you’ll know. This is from the future. Take this song and when you get to my age now, you’re going to be beyond where I am now.’
Do you feel this album is a combination of everything you’ve been working towards or the start of something new?
I look at 5816 Forest as the start of something new, and this is why. After the last song “This I Know,” we usually end the record with the Strange Music (tag), but after the Strange Music tag, I put another, full song on there called “J6s.” I put it there because “J6s” is two years after I ran away after 17, and when I ran away, it’s two years after that when I’m selling dope for my relative. So, I put it there just in case I want to keep going with the Tech N9ne story. I don’t know if I will, but just in case, I set it up so I can keep going.
I was looking at the tracklist and the name Yates, your government name, pops up a lot on this track list, and it’s not just Aaron Yates. There are a couple of Yates on the tracks (laughs).
Oh, yeah, my children.
So was this album a family affair for you?
Yes, this album was a family affair. It was my homeboy Black Walt’s idea to have skits between every song. We don’t hear that too much anymore. He A&R this whole project, and he was like, ‘You need to be having conversations with your children.’ So, as of now, I have five children. I have Aliyah’s, my first, she’s 31. Donnie’s right behind her, 30. He’s about to be 31. Rain is my third, she’s 26. Just had Alina, she’s two. And my wife has a 17-year-old daughter, Isabella. All five of them are on this record, which makes it extremely personal to me and close to my heart.
You just finished up a tour with Hollywood Undead this past spring, and then you’re currently gearing up for Summer Days coming up next month. What’s it like being on the road and just sharing this new music with the fans?
I love being on the road and sharing the music with the fans. It’s harder to be away from my family as I get older. And I have a toddler. But I love the energy of the fans on tour. Just the time away from home has always been hard, and it will always be hard.
You’ve opened a lot of businesses and built an empire. Do you think that you get your credit on that side as a mogul and a businessman in Hip-Hop?
Yeah, I do. I get a lot of accolades for my business mind. I’m sizzling, but I always say it’s not only me, it’s me and my partner, Travis O’Guinn. They always give us our flowers for sticking our neck out first, letting everybody know that it’s a possibility to do this without a major, you know? And the way we run our merchandise and the way we run our touring and this and that and the other and all our business deals that we make, you know what I’m sizzling? The buildings we build, I always get that love all over the world, and not just for being an elite artist.
Do you have any upcoming singles that the fans can look for?
Well, we dropped like three or four singles already. So, the album comes out next Friday. So, we got one on the way that’s dropping on the release date. And that’s “Yoda.” And it comes with a video, it’s going to be wonderful. Me and Lil Weezyana.
What would you say is next for Tech N9ne and Strange Music?
What’s next for Tech N9ne and Strange Music? My tour in early August with Falling In Reverse and Slaughter to Prevail, Wage War, and other metal bands. Immediately after that, the Thuggish Rugged Mafia Tour with Bone Thugs N’ Harmony, Three 6 Mafia, Tech N9ne, DJ Quick, and special guests, you know what I’m sizzling? I have the Gathering of the Juggalo’s Legends coming up, man. I haven’t done it in some years; it’s a big thing. I got so much happening. The FIFA World Cup in 2026, man; I did the Sonic ID for Kansas City, Missouri. It’s a big thing. Big as the what?! Big as the what?! I’ve got a lot of things coming up, man. More importantly, my vacation with my family is coming up real soon. Tech N9ne!
Listen to Tech N9ne 5816 Forest below.
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