Rapper Tech N9ne Has Not Died

    NEW YORK - NOVEMBER 18:  Tech N9ne (Aaron Dontez Yates) attends the 2009 mtvU Woodie Awards at Roseland Ballroom on November 18, 2009 in New York City.  (Photo by Bryan Bedder/Getty Images)
    NEW YORK - NOVEMBER 18: Tech N9ne (Aaron Dontez Yates) attends the 2009 mtvU Woodie Awards at Roseland Ballroom on November 18, 2009 in New York City. (Photo by Bryan Bedder/Getty Images)

    Rapper Tech N9ne is alive and well. Rapper Tech 9, not so much.

    On Monday, news broke that Philadelphia-born Tech 9 (aka Akeem Mickens) died over the weekend.

    But, Tech N9ne (aka Aaron Yates) performed Sunday night at the Capital Ballroom in Victoria, B.C.

    "My family's calling my phone wondering if I'm OK," Tech N9ne said, in a video message recorded in a U.S. Customs line on Monday morning. "My condolences go out to the battle rapper Tech 9."

    Both Tech 9 and Tech N9ne evidently took their stage names from the TEC-9 semi-automatic handgun.

    The former is being described as “one of the architects of modern battle rap” who became a popular commentator on Champion with Jay Blac. The latter, meanwhile, is busy promoting his new album N9NA, which drops April 19.

    The (understandable) confusion is evident on social media: