Out of the Midwest, Tech N9ne broke all of the rules, subverted expectations, dumbfounded the system, and set a precedent for hip-hop and independent music often imitated (but never duplicated) by generations to follow. At the helm of his own Strange Music proudly based in Kansas City, MO since 2000, he has personally notched four platinum singles, eleven gold singles, and two gold albums. As a whole, the Strange Music catalog also houses 23 RIAA gold and platinum records. The company’s Kansas City headquarters consists of six buildings: Strange Music (label offices), Strangeland (recording studios, soundstage), Strange World (merchandise manufacturing plant), Strange Box (vehicles), Strange Carwash, and Strange Works (construction company). Representing the underground, Tech is practically “a regular” on the Forbes “Cash Kings” list. Beyond gracing the cover of XXL and the stage of ABC’s Jimmy Kimmel Live!, he wound up on the playlist of none other than Sir Elton John and performing to 1 million-plus at the parade for the Kansas City Chiefs’ Super Bowl victory. He’s the only artist (on this planet) who has collaborated with Eminem, Tupac, Lil Wayne, and Kendrick Lamar as well as The Doors, Slipknot, System of a Down, Deftones, Jelly Roll, and MGK. He holds down the record for “most Top 10 albums on the Billboard Rap Chart” and staked a spot in the Top 5 of the Billboard 200 four times. On top of a thriving self-sufficient merchandising empire, he notably joined forces with Kansas City’s own Boulevard Brewery for his craft beer Bou Lou. After three decades in the game, the rapper landed “the biggest hit of his career” with 2021’s “Face Off” featuring Joey Cool, King Iso, and none other than megastar Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson. In unprecedented fashion, he ignited TikTok, generated a quarter-of-a-billion streams, and incited a frenzy from Variety, People, TMZ, NY Post, Today, and Entertainment Weekly. Tech N9ne continued his journey in 2023 with the acclaimed BLISS and more to come.
Earl “E-40” Stevens is a multiplatinum recording artist, actor, entrepreneur and New York Times best-selling author that hails from Vallejo, California. Over the course of his 30+ year career in the music industry, E-40 has firmly solidified his status as a living hip hop legend, having released several multiplatinum and gold studio albums, mixtapes, collaborations and hit singles, including “U and Dat,” “Tell Me When To Go,” “Choices (Yup),” and “Function,” among countless others.
As a solo artist, E-40 holds the record for most solo album entries on the Billboard 200 charts by a hip-hop artist (33) and has collaborated with fellow heavyweights such as Kendrick Lamar, Lil Wayne, Big Sean and many more. He is also part of the hip-hop supergroup Mount Westmore that is comprised of himself, Snoop Dogg, Ice Cube and Too $hort that was profiled in the New York Times. As an actor, E-40 has shined in limited roles, most notably starring alongside Jamie Foxx in “The Jamie Foxx Show.”
Beyond his accolades as an entertainer, the Vallejo native has become equally as successful as an entrepreneur, having built a robust empire in the wine and spirits industry. Since pivoting into the adult beverage space in 2013, E-40 has launched over 17 different still and sparkling wine offerings under his “Earl Stevens Selections” line, a tequila (E. Cuarenta Tequila), a cognac (Tycoon Cognac), a bourbon (Kuiper Belt Bourbon), a gin (Kuiper Belt Gin), a vodka (Tycoon Vodka) and a variety of pre-mixed cocktails (Sluricane) and a golden lager beer (E. Cuarenta Cerveza) with more to come.
In 2021, he also launched his new food brand – called “Goon With The Spoon” – and kicked it off with new lines of packaged sausages and burritos. Most recently in April 2022, he expanded his “Goon With The Spoon” offerings by introducing a line of new ice cream that comes in six different flavors, including Cookie Dough, Bourbon Vanilla, Vanilla Bean, Strawberry, Mint Chocolate and Salted Caramel. Most recently, he unveiled a new soul food line of his “Goon With The Spoon” ice cream brand and subsequently introduced a new Chicken & Waffles ice cream flavor as the inaugural product.
Additionally, E-40 is the co-owner of The Lumpia Company, a growing Filipino food business with a restaurant in Oakland, a stand inside Oracle Park (the San Francisco Giants stadium) and a food truck in San Francisco. In November, 2023, he released his own cookbook called “Goon With The Spoon,” which featured his favorite recipes and ultimately became a New York Times best-selling book.
He is also an avid investor and has helped fund over 50+ startups, including Clubhouse, SpaceX, Ring and several others. E-40’s entrepreneurship has been featured in a wide array of business outlets, including Good Morning America, CBS Mornings, Bloomberg, etc. Given his accolades, he was recently named by Variety as one of the Top 50 Greatest Hip-Hop Executives of All-Time.
His legacy as a musician, entrepreneur and philanthropist was celebrated on Oct. 21, 2023 when E-40 had his childhood street in Vallejo, California renamed in his honor as the 1-mile stretch of Magazine Street that was officially renamed “E 40 Way.” During that same ceremony, E-40 received a proclamation from Vallejo mayor Robert McConnell to officially designate October 21, 2023 at “E-40 Day” in Vallejo, California. He also received the key to the city of Vallejo and he was only the second recipient in Vallejo, California’s 173-year history to receive a key to the city.