Felipe Andres Coronel (born February 19, 1978), better known by the stage name Immortal Technique, is an American rapper and political activist. He was born in Lima, Peru and raised in Harlem, New York. Most of his lyrics focus on political issues. The views expressed in his lyrics are largely a mixture of commentary on issues such as politics, poverty, religion, social class and racism.
He has been offered a deal with at least one major record label, but he has never signed to any. Immortal Technique has voiced a desire to keep control over his production, and has stated in his music that record companies, not artists themselves, profit the most from mass production and marketing of music.
Coronel was born in a military hospital in Lima. His family, being of Afro-Peruvian descent, immigrated in 1980 to Harlem to escape the ongoing internal conflict in Peru. During his teenage years he was arrested multiple times due in part to what he has said was "...selfish and childish..." behavior. Shortly after being enrolled in Pennsylvania State University, he was arrested and charged with assault-related offences due to his involvement in an altercation between some fellow students and drug dealers. The charges stemming from this incident led to his being incarcerated for a year. After being paroled, he took political science classes at Baruch College in New York City for two semesters. Admittedly, this was at the behest of his father, who allowed Technique to live with him on the condition that he go to school. Although he was able to rhyme since childhood, it was Technique's frustrations about his incarceration, sociopolitical issues and the need to provide income for his family that were the motivations driving him to think of music as a career. Honing his songwriting skills in jail, and unable to find decent wage-paying employment after his release, Technique began selling his music on the streets of New York while battling with MCs whenever the opportunity arose. This, coupled with his victories in numerous freestyle rap competitions of the New York underground hip hop scene such as Rocksteady Anniversary, Braggin Rites and others, led to his reputation as a ferocious Battle MC. As notoriety for his lyrical skills grew, so did the opportunity to reach a wider audience with his views and understanding of many social and political problems he felt were plaguing the lives of people everywhere.
Immortal Technique has described himself as a "
socialist guerrilla". Immortal Technique's music is inspired by historical and often political figures such as
Malcolm X,
Che Guevara,
César Chávez,
Augusto César Sandino,
Marcus Garvey, and
Túpac Amaru II.
Immortal Technique is also a co-founder of the Grassroots Artists MovEment (G.A.ME), which provides health care for the underground artists with whom it works.
Wikipedia: Immortal Technique
