Wicked Wonka

It was inevitable that Tech N9ne would eventually go Psychopathic on us. After all, the KC mic mauler already has a gravity-defying haircut, devil-themed CDs and an energetic live show that appeals to headbangers as well as to hip-hop aficionados. What Tech doesn't have is a million Faygo-flinging clown kids buying his records, T-shirts and concert tickets. That might change now that the godfather of KC rap is part of Insane Clown Posse's Wicked Wonka tour, a coast-to-coast extravaganza that also includes Bone Thugs-N-Harmony and Kottonmouth Kings. In its first few weeks, the Wonkapalooza has generated a fair amount of controversy. A late-September stop in Seattle was cancelled after ICP refused to tone down its notorious stage show, and an overexcited Salt Lake City juggalo was seriously injured after leaping from a 30-foot-high balcony. With any luck, a similar fate won't befall the tour when it hits KC, one of the heartland's unofficial wicked-clown capitals.