Tech N9ne's new album, "K.O.D." (King Of Darkness), dropped today. "K.O.D." is the fifth solo album from the Kansas City, Mo. rap veteran.

As is to be expected from the most successful independent rapper in the nation, Tech's performance on the album is excellent. Like many of his albums, "K.O.D." is far longer than most rap albums; at 24 tracks it barely fits on a CD. However, rather than packing the album with throwaway tracks, Tech uses the space to express a wealth of deep emotional pain and turmoil, making nearly every track on the album enthralling and worth listening to numerous times.

"K.O.D." might surprise many of Tech N9ne's more recently acquired fans. His last two CD releases, "Everready" and "Killer," included a number of songs that gave the impression Tech simply is another partying rapper. Many fans forget the reason that Tech's favorite drink is "151 Rum, pineapple juice and Malibu" is not simply because it "makes baby girl come out of her shell" but just as much because Tech uses 151 Rum to kill his inner pain.

The new album marks a return to Tech's earlier music because his pain and struggles once again boil up to the surface. The album opens with "Show Me A God," in which Tech contemplates his mother's battle with cancer and thus finds himself struggling to believe in God. The song sets the tone for the album, which becomes increasingly emotional and twisted as it progresses.

Over the years, Tech N9ne has been criticized for numerous reasons. One of the main reasons is that the majority of his fans are white, and many people feel Tech has catered his music to the tastes of his white fans.

In "K.O.D.," Tech has tried his best to appease his critics, making songs that seemed targeted at attracting more mainstream fans and even lashing back at critics. On "Blacken The Sun," the fourth track on the album, Tech screams, "I went out of my way to do music for you. I did s*** with E-40, Scarface, everybody, all your heroes, Yukmouth. Now I'm gonna do it my way. I don't give a f*** what ya'll think of me." Tech's decision to make music with no intent of pleasing his critics is probably the main reason it is better than the other albums he released has recently.

Many of the songs on "K.O.D." are incredibly dark and at times creepy; some of them feel like they would fit in a horror movie soundtrack. "It Was An Accident" features several stories of accidental murders Tech says he committed over the years.

On "Shadows On The Road," Tech reflects on his own mortality, wondering if the evil he has committed in his life is catching up with him and if he will die an early death in payment for his sin. While Tech's performance of the song is not as impressive as some other tracks, the song features amazing vocals from Krizz Kaliko and is my favorite on the album.

One of the most important themes in "K.O.D." is Tech's struggle with lust, a topic that long has been central to his work. Rather than glorifying promiscuity as he has done on the last few albums, he used "K.O.D." to show the deep effects it has had on his life. On the track "Demons," Tech personifies lust as a demon that he has little or no ability to control — a demon that cost him his marriage and happiness. While the track features Academy Award-winning Three 6 Mafia, its contributions pale in comparison to Tech's emotional verse.

Having said so much about the darkness of "K.O.D.," I might have left some readers with the impression that this album has little to offer to anyone who is not slightly disturbed or a hardcore rap fan. While the album might be more twisted than anything the average person experiences on a daily basis, Tech N9ne's battle with depression, lust, mortality and his mother's failing health makes the album far easier to relate to and far more artistic than the work of many pop rappers today.

-Eli B. Neal is a junior in English. Please send comments to edge@spub.ksu.edu.