"Am I a Psycho?" is a song by American rapper

Tech N9ne Aaron Dontez Yates (born November 8, 1971), better known by his stage name Tech N9ne (pronounced "tech nine"), is an American rapper. In 1999, he and business partner Travis O'Guin founded the record label Strange Music. He has sold over two ...

, from his eleventh studio album '' All 6's and 7's''. The song features vocals from fellow American rappers

B.o.B Bobby Ray Simmons Jr. (born November 15, 1988), known professionally as B.o.B, is an American rapper and record producer. Raised in Decatur, Georgia, Simmons was signed to Jim Jonsin's Rebel Rock Entertainment imprint in 2006. Two years late ...

and

Hopsin Marcus Jamal Hopson (born July 18, 1985), known professionally as Hopsin, is an American rapper, songwriter, and record producer from Los Angeles. In 2007, he was signed to Ruthless Records, and had founded his own record label, Funk Volume, i ...

. In the song, each rapper’s verse is based on the concept of

insanity Insanity, madness, lunacy, and craziness are behaviors performed by certain abnormal mental or behavioral patterns. Insanity can be manifest as violations of societal norms, including a person or persons becoming a danger to themselves or t ...

Background

History

Tech N9ne was supposed to be featured on B.o.B's mixtape; B.o.B wanted to do a song with Tech for his mixtape, "No Genres", but was unable to get hold of him. Eventually the two did meet and B.o.B gave Tech a beat, which would end up being used for the song. Hopsin, who was featured on the record, claims that he feels this song was his mainstream debut. B.o.B was the first to record his verse, after he finished, Tech N9ne sent the track over to Hopsin, who recorded his verse afterwards.

Lyrics and composition

Each rapper has a different lyrical topic based on the song's main concept,

. Tech N9ne's verse revolves around a

BDSM BDSM is a variety of often erotic practices or roleplaying involving bondage, discipline, dominance and submission, sadomasochism, and other related interpersonal dynamics. Given the wide range of practices, some of which may be engaged ...

fantasy, caused by confusion thinking that a regular woman's a hooker. Hopsin's verse is more aimed towards insanity, claiming that Heaven is to blame if he goes to Hell. He also mentions the likelihood of becoming a successful rapper standing against so many other people. He closes his verse by claiming that he has no remorse for his self-injuries. B.o.B's verse follows. It has been assumed that the verse is a response to

OFWGKTA Odd Future Wolf Gang Kill Them All, better known as Odd Future and often abbreviated as OF, was an American Hip hop music, hip-hop Musical collective, music collective formed in Los Angeles County, California in 2007. The original members were Ty ...

frontman

Tyler, The Creator Tyler Gregory Okonma (born March 6, 1991), known professionally as Tyler, the Creator, is an American rapper and record producer. He is one of the founding members of the music collective Odd Future. Okonma self-released his debut mixtape ' ...

, who dissed B.o.B in his song "

Yonkers Yonkers () is a city in Westchester County, New York, United States. Developed along the Hudson River, it is the third most populous city in the state of New York (state), New York, after New York City and Buffalo, New York, Buffalo. The popul ...

", after the former's previous diss "No Future" got praise from Tyler. However B.o.B claims that he has no interest in feuding with Tyler saying "the whole beef thing is kinda lame".

Music video

Plot and development

While performing on the Lost Cities Tour, Tech N9ne announced at a concert that B.o.B, Hopsin, and himself would be shooting a music video for the song on November 29, 2011 The video was shot in Atlanta, which is where B.o.B is from. The music video premiered on MTV2's "Sucker Free Sunday" on January 22. Tech N9ne encouraged all of his fans to tune in to "be participating in the shift

Strange Music Strange Music is an American independent record label specializing in hip hop music and founded by Tech N9ne and Travis O'Guin in 1999. History In 2009 Skatterman & Snug Brim fulfilled their commitment to Strange Music and left the label. In ...

has been thriving for since it began". Based on traditional slasher films, the music video depicts two people tied together, Tech N9ne, dressed as Michael Myers, scares them while performing his verse. Hopsin then walks to the house with a chainsaw, dressed as

Jason Voorhees Jason Voorhees () is a character from the ''Friday the 13th'' series. He first appeared in '' Friday the 13th'' (1980) as the young son of camp-cook-turned-killer Mrs. Voorhees, in which he was portrayed by Ari Lehman. Created by Victor Mi ...

. After arriving at the house, he assists Tech in scaring the two people. Meanwhile, B.o.B, dressed as

Norman Bates Norman Bates is a fictional character created by American author Robert Bloch as the main antagonist in his 1959 thriller novel '' Psycho''. He has an alter, Mother, who takes from the form of his abusive mother, and later victim, Norma, wh ...

, is seen throughout the video freaking out in a room. When his verse starts, he proceeds down the stairs and watches as Hopsin and Tech N9ne scare the people. During the chorus, Tech N9ne can be seen standing outside the house without his mask on.

Reception

The music video received a lot of attention from networks, often being called a horror movie-music video hybrid. David Greenwald of MTV called it a "sequel" to " Martians vs. Goblins", another popular horror-influenced music video at the time.

Certifications

References

{{authority control 2011 songs 2012 singles Tech N9ne songs Hopsin songs B.o.B songs Songs written by B.o.B Song recordings produced by B.o.B Horrorcore songs Songs about the media Songs written by Hopsin Songs about BDSM