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Tech N9ne isn’t necessarily the first name that comes to mind when you think of a squeaky clean rap image–but who is?

The Kansas City native is known to infuse his music with lyrics that warrant a “parental advisory” sticker, and given his rap moniker, he had lots to say on the issue of gun violence.

A friend of Tech’s, Michael Jones, as shot six times after a 2011 show in Reno. Jones died from his injuries, and during an interview with The BoomBox, Tech spoke on the Sandy Hook shooting massacre, and what he feels is at the root of the gun violence epidemic. “Discipline starts at home,” he said. “If your mom has guns like that in the basement, what the f**k is your mom doing? Is she with the militia? You know those are [ Sandy Hook shooter, Adam Lanza’s] mom’s guns right? I’ve got three [children]. I’ve got two 18-year-olds and I have a 13-year-old. When they were growing up I had them listening to Tech N9ne. I let them listen to Eminem. I talked to them about they problems at school, people, everything. Now, these kids being neglected. Why would Adam Lanza even know how to work these guns if his mom was paying attention?”

He also doesn’t believe in the defense of damaged mental health as an excuse for the violence across the nation, and reflected on how his name has been a sore spot to some. “I’ve been [dealing] with that my whole career. It’s never been the fans that have had something to say. It’s always been BET or MTV. Those blocks, those borders, those obstacles that we get. ‘Your name is a gun, we can’t support that. That’s what they used in Columbine, the Tec-9.’ But as you get bigger you see that people are just being a**holes that you weren’t paying enough money. It ain’t about that. Because Mack 10 was everywhere. Now, I’m on the BET Cipher as Tech N9ne. I’m on Hip-Hop Squares as Tech N9ne up there. Because my persona don’t say — even though I come from a Blood neighborhood or gangbang past — my persona don’t say ‘I’m the big blood tough n—a.'”

“I ain’t trying to disrespect nobody. I know what that does. Motherf***ers ain’t looking at me like the super gangbanging dude.”

Even with controversial content, Tech is hailed for his flow, and the aforementioned BET Hip Hop Awards cipher only increased his shine. His next studio album, Something Else, is due out this year.

Photo: XXL