Later that year, he and business partner Travis O'Guin founded the record label Strange Music. Yates appeared on the song 'The Anthem' by Sway & King Tech in 1999, which also featured artists RZA, Eminem, Xzibit, Pharoahe Monch, Jayo Felony, Chino XL, KRS-One, and Kool G. The following year, he was featured on the soundtrack for the film Gang Related. In 1997, Yates joined the group the Regime, which was formed by rapper Yukmouth. Yates signed with Qwest Records briefly before moving to JCOR Records. However, the group disbanded soon after being released from the label.

He saw glimpses of success in the group 57th Street Rogue Dog Villians with their single 'Let's Get Fucked Up.' As a member of the group Nnutthowze, Aaron Yates signed with Perspective Records in 1993. History 1991–2001: Beginnings and founding Strange MusicĮarly in his career, Yates was a member of a group formed in 1991 called Black Mafia. He attended Southwest High School in Kansas City. He would explore abandoned buildings with his best friend, hoping to catch a ghost on film. His father Carlton Cook was estranged from the family and his mother suffered from epilepsy and lupus when he was a child, which emotionally affected him and inspired him to 'search for God'. He began rapping at a very early age, and would rap the letters of his name in order to remember how to spell it. Yates was born and raised in Kansas City, Missouri. Despite minimal mainstream success himself, he has featured many mainstream artists on his albums including E-40, Ice Cube, Three 6 Mafia, B.o.B., Twista, Busta Rhymes, Kendrick Lamar, Lil Wayne, T-Pain, Snoop Dogg, The Game, Wiz Khalifa, CeeLo Green, T.I., 2 Chainz, Corey Taylor of Slipknot, Eminem, Logic, and Boyz II Men.

Yates later applied a deeper meaning to the name, stating that it stands for the complete technique of rhyme, with 'tech' meaning technique and 'nine' representing the number of completion. His stage name originated from the TEC-9 semi-automatic handgun, a name given to him by rapper Black Walt due to his fast-rhyming chopper style. In 2009, he won the Left Field Woodie award at the mtvU Woodie Awards. He has sold over two million albums and has had his music featured in film, television, and video games. In 1999, he and business partner Travis O'Guin founded the record label Strange Music. Aaron Dontez Yates (born November 8, 1971), better known by his stage name Tech N9ne (pronounced 'tech nine'), is an American rapper.

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