In the world of Strangeland, you’re not just a fan of Tech N9ne, you’re a Technician. When you’re a Technician you’re more than an avid listener, you’re part of an entire community of people joined together for the love of good music. Every once in awhile one of those Technicians breaks out and becomes a star in their own right. Enter Nina Bianca. The femme fatale captured the hearts of not only the fans but the artists themselves with her syllable-for-syllable covers of extremely intricate songs like “Worldwide Choppers”, “Kill Shit”, “Breathe” and many more. We got ahold of Nina Bianca to find out how she got her start in cover videos and what her plans are for the next.

Where are you from?

Well I grew up in Washington state, like way up north in the San Juan Islands. I moved to Idaho during my sophomore year of high school to live with my mom and I’ve pretty much been here since then. For a year I lived in Seattle which was pretty tight.

So how and when did you first get into Tech N9ne?

Well I have heard about him previously here and there from people. I was really super into rap when I was young and then my dad grounded me from rap because I was on the computer singing along to Eazy-E’s “Gimme That Nutt” when I was like ten. He didn’t really like that too much (laughs).

Then I was on a techno kick for a few years. I came across Tech when I was listening to a Lil Wayne album. He did “Interlude” on there and I was like “Shit, who is this guy?” I looked him up and kind of listened to a few of his songs and was like “Shit, I’m in!” I downloaded the whole discography. Sorry Tech, I should’ve paid for it (laughs).

You’ve been hooked ever since then?

Oh God yeah, like way. His music really speaks to me on a whole ‘nother level. It’s crazy that a white girl from Idaho can feel so emotionally connected to his story being a black rapper from Kansas City, but I definitely do feel a lot of his emotions through a lot of the songs he does and of course the party anthems are awesome to bump.

What do you love about Tech and his music?

I love that he can talk about his emotions and his feelings without sounding like he’s a whiner about it. I love that. He really conveys a true feeling that I feel people really connect to and I think that’s why his followers are so dedicated because they really do feel him and his struggle and his drug use and the good times and all of that.

What’s it like being a Technician now and being in that world? Have you met a lot of fans through Twitter?

It’s a whole different world! It’s crazy to have people hit me up and tell me that they’re a fan of me. I never thought in my life I would have fans or anything (laughs) so it’s kind of crazy. I’m not a huge kind of person to throw a whole lot of attention or be the center of attention. I didn’t even really think anyone would watch the videos when I first did them. My friend talked me into doing it. She was like “Hey, maybe Tech will see it and give you a shout out or something!” I was like “Okay, well I guess that would be cool!” I never really thought it would end up being the way that it is now. It’s kind of crazy.

So it all started from your friend’s suggestion?

Well the reason I learned the songs originally was because I love singing along in my car and I was only singing hooks. I was like “Well that’s no fun” so I just kind of learned the songs. I think the first one I learned was “Worldwide Choppers” and it was just fun for me to just go crazy. People in the cars next to me would look at me like “What is this girl doing?” So yeah my friend was like “Wow, that’s super-impressive. You should put that video online. Maybe Tech will see it!” and I was like “Alright, I guess it wouldn’t hurt” and here we are now!

How has doing this expanded your awareness and appreciation for Tech and hip hop in general?

Oh incredibly. A lot of people don’t really listen to lyrics in those songs, even on the stuff on the radio. They just listen to hooks and if it has a catchy beat then it’s a great song. I’m guilty of doing that previously too, but since I’ve actually learned the lyrics I pay way more attention to lyrics whether it’s Strange Music or even stuff on the radio. It’s nice to actually hear what people are talking about and the message they’re getting through and you kind of see the joke that is mainstream hip hop. You kind of wonder why a lot of it is so cool to people.

Are you able to pick up a lot of the lyrics just through your ears now?

Oh yeah.

Really? That’s impressive. I saw you do the Lynch “Takin’ Online Orders” cover and was really impressed that you were able to do Tech’s verse. So did doing this develop your ears or were they already fine tuned a bit?

Well maybe it did fine tune them a little bit more because like I said I haven’t always paid super attention to a lot of people’s lyrics but now when I hear a song I can hear like every word that they’re saying pretty much.

Do you have an idea of what the next one is that you want to do?

Well Tech said that he wanted me to do “Make Waves”. He actually called me a couple months ago before it dropped and was pretty excited to tell me about it. Once I heard it I was like “Oh my gosh, this is amazing.” So that would probably be the next one on my list, but I have been working on some original stuff myself so my time is kind of split between those. I am kind of slacking on the covers for the moment but I’m hoping to pick it back up now that I have more time.

What’s it like that Tech calls you and that you guys have developed that kind of relationship?

It’s crazy man. I don’t know. I just never thought it would be like that, having your favorite artist tell you that he’s a fan of you. He actually called me the other day to ask me what I thought of Strangeulation and told me that he really respects my opinion and stuff. I feel honored really.

You said you were working on solo stuff? Have you always wanted to be a rapper or do music?

Well I’ve always been a writer. I’ve been writing poetry since I was a kid. Mostly though as a tool to help me deal with my feelings. I’ve never been pretty good about expressing them. My dad raised me with my two brothers and kind of raised me like my brothers so I was always a suck it up kind of person. I used poetry to help me get those things out and help deal with emotions. I never really thought it would be anything I would do as a career but since everything’s been going on with Tech people have been hitting me up all the time like “Hey I want to get you on this track,” or “You write? You should do this.” I’ve just been trying my hand in writing some stuff and writing to beats and it’s coming along pretty good. I think I might have something in the works here soon actually.

Tight. Well let us know when that comes out.

For sure.

As we close this out what would you like to say about Tech N9ne and Strange Music?

I think what Tech’s doing is a beautiful thing. He has a great ear for talent. Everybody on Strange that I’ve listened to is just dope and their lyrics are exceptional. I really hope that they continue doing what they’re doing and expose more people to a different style of music that isn’t just mainstream. It has a whole different vibe and a whole different culture.

CLICK HERE TO PURCHASE TICKETS AND VIP PACKAGES TO

THE INDEPENDENT GRIND TOUR 2014

• What do you think of Nina Bianca’s covers?

Leave your thoughts in the comments section below!