Dontez Antonio Yates might come off as your average 16-year-old teen going to school and hanging out with friends at the mall, but not every teenager can say that their father is the independent king himself. When the Blue Springs native was asked what it is like to be the son of Tech N9ne, he responded,

“It feels good and brand new because I barely get to see my dad, but at the same time he is pretty cool and one of the greatest dads’ ever.”

Upon being asked who his favorite artist is on Strange Music, Dontez proudly answered,

“Everybody in Strange is my favorite artist, because they’re all tight in their own way. Everyone from Strange is on my iPad and iPod, for real; every song, collab, and verses on all of the albums from strange are the best!”

Most Strange Music fans would have to agree with Dontez, and like most Strange Music fans that have been inspired in some way by Strange Music, Dontez says that Strange Music is his main inspiration to graduate high school, and go onto college and “learn everything I don’t already know.”

In “Cult Leader”, a fan favorite from Tech N9ne’s All 6′s and 7′s, Tech says:

“If I happen to die at the end of my run, please give all my note books and guns to my son.”

When asked what these lyrics meant to him, Dontez answered,

“I think what he is trying to say to me personally, is that if anything happens to him take his notebooks and learn them, learn the lyrics and carry on the legacy. Tech N9ne never dies. As far as the guns go, my dad is always telling me to watch out for myself and to stay on my toes because it can be a cruel world out there. So he is saying ‘give all my guns to my son’ because he wants me to protect myself from all the demons and the people who do stupid things.”

When asked if he plans to follow in the footsteps of his father, Dontez laughed and said

“Maybe, maybe not, because it takes a lot of practice to rap as fast and great as him, but I think I can do it–you never know. Some of my best memories are being on stage with him and the rest of the strange crew and I also recorded a small part for the song, ‘This Ring’, from my dad’s Anghellic album when I was little. So you really just never know.”

Whether you are just an average fan sitting at home listening to your Strange Music albums with friends and family or you’re the son of Tech N9ne himself, it is apparent that we are all equal fans of the Strange Music movement and we all share a common interest…and that’s good music.

“I am not a fan of Strange Music because Tech N9ne is my dad; I’m a fan of Strange Music because of how great it is.” – Dontez Yates

Click HERE to watch a Facebook video of Dontez and his father, the legendary Tech N9ne, kicking it in the studio.

Written By Jeremy Putra