Happy Birthday, Tech N9ne!

Today, Nov. 8, is the birthday of rapper Tech N9ne, who now turns 47.

Since releasing his debut, The Calm Before The Storm in 1999, Tech has been one of the most successful underground rappers of all-time, selling over one million albums independently without the help of a major label. In 2013, he made headlines when he was named to the Forbes Hip-Hop Cash Kings list at No. 18, a landmark for an independent artist.

On Dec. 9, 2016, Tech dropped The Storm, with features from Problem, Logic and of course his Strange Music cohorts. The LP was divided into three parts—Kingdom, Clown Town and G.Zone—which showed off three different sides of his personality.

In 2017, Tech N9ne has continued to push a string of singles, and embarked on the Strictly Strange Tour, performing 68 shows in the span of 74 days. During that time, Tech dropped Dominion, a collaborative effort showcasing several artists on the Strange Music roster. If that doesn't seem like enough, "Caribou Lou" finally reached Platinum status in June, and on Friday the 13th he dropped Strange Reign, his latest collabo project.

Last year, Tech N9ne was featured as one of XXL's 20 cover stars for the 20th anniversary issue. The revered rapper discussed his nearly 30-year career, the challenges he's faced in the industry and why he looks up to Dr. Dre. In addition, it's his first XXL cover. Read all of that and more, here.

Happy Birthday, Tech N9ne!

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