"Tech N9ne" (pronounced "tech nine", aka: Aaron Yates, is an American rapper, record producer and co-founder of the "Strange Music" record label. He has sold over two million albums and had his music featured in film, television, and video games. His stage name, "Tech N9ne", was bestowed by rapper Black Walt, due to Yates' fast-rhyming chopper style ("like a TEC-9 semi-automatic handgun"). 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.