In the most recent version of XXL Magazine, 10 rappers were asked what their Most Challenging Verses were that they had ever written.  Tech N9ne was one of them, and says that the verse he wrote for the track “Low” featuring Krizz Kaliko from his K.O.D. album was easily his toughest.  To remind you, here are the lyrics to the 2nd verse of that song (which XXL also quoted):

VERSE: My smile is forced, my style is warped
Morale is corpse, now that my really good pal is torched
I’m just gone with the wind, I’m home with the gin, to the dome when I spin
I’m a zone cause the phone must be roamin’ again
Another tone, I’m alone now, don’t want me to spin
Time with I’m just mind this, might find Miss Nine missed
I find my mind in this line dish, dine quick, not even a second for mindless
In the middle of a time when the music’s flyin’ I’ve depleted my kindness!
Low like the grasses, low like poor folks on grass shit
I’m so below the casket, ragged pulse of the maggots
Why do I feel this illness?
I’m lookin’ for somethin’ to come and kill this a little bit
I got my head in the hills cause the real shit is
Momma is sufferin’, takin’ pills with the stillness
And I feel it, I can’t shake it, in any case my space is the basement
I can’t erase my embrace of encasement
I’m chasin’ hatred, my taste’s not complacin’
So as I go to the flo’, the industry finally opened the do’
But now I’m in the motherfucker, all I feel is.. Low

The scan that we were sent was extremely hard to read, but you can see it here:

Click the pic to enlarge!

I went ahead and typed out what Tech said to make it easier on your eyes.  He remembers writing the verse like this:

I ran from it for weeks because I was already in a slump. When you are doing dark music, you find out that you aren’t just creating it, you are actually living it. I had to talk about my dead homie who got shot. Brian Dennis and his girl got shot in front of their daughter.

I knew “Low” was gonna take me deeper into that hole, and I didn’t want to get stuck. It’s just a lot of sadness. I only did two verses becaues I could barely do three. ‘Cause I write my life, so this is not just make believe. This is what’s in my head, for real. The line between insanity and sanity.

I remember being at my house writing it. I remember sitting on that couch, writing “Low.” My mom was actually in the psychiatric center at that time. She’s been in and out throughout her life, but that was a time when she was about to die from pancreatitis. It was a bad time. I did K.O.D. because my angel was dying. And that album came out on my birthday. It was wonderful that she made it through pancreatitis because she wasn’t supposed to make it through.

Much love to Tech for sharing that with the world, and to XXL for continuing to give props to Tech and Strange Music!

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Websites:

• XXLMag.com