Tech 9, a prominent battle rapper, has died, according to reports. The news broke on Monday, March 23, with an outpouring of messages on social media. Fellow battle rapper Buttah From The Block confirmed the news that Tech N9ne, born Akeem Micken, has passed away.
He confirmed the news in a Facebook post writing:
Aw man it hurts me to be saying this right now and After speaking to your dad this is even harder to process
…. PHILADELPHIA AND THE BATTLE RAP CULTURE ALL TOOK A LOSS WITH THIS ONE. HE WAS A LEGEND AND A PIONEER, GENTLEMAN, GREAT FATHER ENTREPRENEUR, ENTHUSIAST AND PHILANTHROPIST. With Deep Hurt And sorrow i say we will miss u and love u bro… Tell Spittage We gon hold it down bro.
S.P.I.2.T.A.G.E YALL MVFKAS BETTER GET IT RIGHT WAYNE A.V. … REST IN PEACE TO MY BROTHER
…. PHILADELPHIA AND THE BATTLE RAP CULTURE ALL TOOK A LOSS WITH THIS ONE. HE WAS A LEGEND AND A PIONEER, GENTLEMAN, GREAT FATHER ENTREPRENEUR, ENTHUSIAST AND PHILANTHROPIST. With Deep Hurt And sorrow i say we will miss u and love u bro… Tell Spittage We gon hold it down bro. 
After his rise to stardom, Tech 9 continued to be involved in the battle rap community alongside Jay Blac as a commentator on the platform Champion. His personality was unmatched and he was a true pioneer in the rap battle community where he will be remembered as one of its greatest influencers.
Following his passing, a number of hip hop stars like Kendrick Lamar, Lupe Fiasco, Denzel Curry, and Lloyd Banks sent their condolences.
What we know about Tech 9’s passing can be seen below.
Tech 9 Cause Of Death: Currently Unknown
At the time of this writing, there is no official cause of death.
“Sadly it’s true. We lost a Philadelphia and battle rap legend and pioneer,” Buttah From The Block told XXL in a statement. “Unfortunately we haven’t fully figured the cause of death. We are praying that it was natural causes. He had no signs of harm done to his body.”
Tech 9 is not to be confused with Tech N9ne of Strange Music.
We will update this post with more information as it becomes available.