When Tech N9ne was crafting his song “Fragile,” he didn’t think Kendrick Lamar would be able to relate to the cut theme, dealing with criticism. 

“People were so in love with Kendrick I was thinking he might not have had somebody criticize his music or his shows and say anything derogatory,” Tech N9ne says during an interview with LA Weekly. “But he said he did.” 

“Fragile” was released in July 2013 and peaked at #11 on Billboard’s Rhythmic Airplay chart. It has been played on New York radio station Hot 97 and Los Angeles radio station Power 106, two major radio stations that have typically not supported Tech N9ne’s material.

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“I remember 2002 when I went to Power and they were like, ‘Naw, we don’t like [my] song,” Tech N9ne says. “To go back up in there and have love more than decade later – crazy.”

Tech N9ne releases music through his own Strange Music imprint, which had eight albums debut on the Rap Albums chart in 2013, twice as many as any other label. The success of “Fragile” demonstrates the commercial reach of the company.

“It just goes to show how a great record mixed with the right radio staff can transcend the norm of what we’re used to,” says Richie Abbott, Tech N9ne’s A&R and publicist. “Deejays have [wanted] to support Tech for a long time. This was a record everyone loves, so they were able to do that.”

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RELATED:Strange Music Has Had More LPs On Rap Charts Than Any Other Label In 2013