For Tech N9ne, it’s been a long time coming. Born Aaron Yates in Kansas City, Missouri, Tech spent the majority of the '90s in major label limbo—getting shelved on one label after another. But Tech hit his stride in 1999 when he founded his own label, Strange Music, which he has slowly built into an independent empire that has sold over 1.5 million records and pulled in $15 million in 2009 alone. Over time, Tech developed a diehard fanbase which he dubbed the Technicians. And yet, the majority of hip-hop fans don’t know much about him and only vaguely recall his guest verse from Sway & King Tech’s 1999 hit, “The Anthem.” But all that looks to change. Last year, Lil Wayne said he wanted to work with Tech and recently followed through on his claim. We got on the horn with Tech—who’s busy writing material for his upcoming album All 6’s and 7’s—to talk about working with Wayne, getting props from legends, and what being on Tha Carter IV will mean for his career.
As told to Insanul Ahmed (@Incilin)
