Editing Tech N9ne (section)

== Early life ==
Yates was born and raised in [[Kansas City, Missouri]].<ref name="allmusicbio" /> He began rapping at a very early age, and would rap the letters of his name in order to remember how to spell it.<ref name="Inkkc.com">{{cite web |url=http://www.inkkc.com/content/cover-story-tech-n9nes-haunted-mind |title=Tech N9ne's haunted mind |first=Sarah |last=Benson |date=November 2, 2010 |publisher=Inkkc |access-date=November 8, 2010}}</ref> His father Carlton Cook was estranged from the family and his mother suffered from [[epilepsy]] and [[Systemic lupus erythematosus|lupus]] when he was a child, which emotionally affected him and inspired him to "search for God".<ref name="Inkkc.com" /> He would explore abandoned buildings with his best friend, hoping to catch a [[ghost]] on film.<ref name="Inkkc.com" /> He attended [[Southwest High School (Kansas City, Missouri)|Southwest High School]] in Kansas City.