We’ve brought our Queued Up interview series up to a size XL and it’s not hard to see why. Legendary rapper and music industry innovator, Tech N9ne recently came by the BPM Supreme office to give our Production Team an exclusive listening session of his latest album, Planet. We sat down with the talented rapper and asked some in-depth questions about his 20+-year music career.

Tech N9ne, a.k.a. Aaron Yates faced a lot of criticism and even censorship in the beginning of his music career because of his controversial stage name and overall image. In 1999, he and his business partner, Travis O’Guin, started the record label Strange Music Inc. Their ultimate goal was to keep creative control of the music being made, even if that meant staying underground. It wasn’t until the early 2000’s that Tech N9ne’s music started to climb the charts.

Fast forward to 2018 and Tech N9ne’s 20th album, Planet, helped him to break the record for the most top 10 albums by any artist on Billboard’s Top Rap Album chart (his 19th time), which began in 2004. After successfully taking the crown for this title from both Gucci Mane and E-40 (both with 18 top 10 albums), Tech N9ne says he has no plans to slow down or stop making music.

Throughout the years, Strange Music Inc. has remained an independent record label. Tech N9ne has signed a handful of talented artists to the label, including Murs, Jay Rock, Stevie Stone, and Rittz, just to name a few.

As if this man isn’t busy enough, Tech N9ne also recently collaborated with Boulevard Brewing Co., a brewery from his hometown of Kansas City, Missouri. Inspired by his song, “Caribou Lou,” a new beer called Bou Lou was born. It’s an unfiltered wheat beer with subtle notes of coconut and pineapple – a nod to the recipe for Tech N9ne’s go-to cocktail, made with Malibu coconut rum and pineapple juice.

Tech N9ne is currently in the middle of his 2018 Planet Tour. To see if he’ll be in a city near you, visit the Strange Music Inc. website. Watch the full interview above and hear more about Tech N9ne’s incredible and enduring career. Also catch his advice on what it takes to be an independent artist and his thoughts on the music industry as a whole.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BkDbU1fnO2M/?taken-by=therealtechn9ne

How did you like this episode of Queued UP XL? Is there an artist you’d like to see us interview next? Leave a comment below.