“I’m Going To Tell You Who The Biggest Artist In America Is That Nobody Really Knows About”

Hip-Hop veteran Fat Joe has given his thoughts on the current state of rap and which artist is currently the biggest underrated emcee.

Joey Crack believes the rap game has gotten better since 2006.

“There’s always been good music and some bad music. There’s some great music coming out and there’s some bad music. That’s the way hip hop has always been, ill take the good with the bad. I like music more now then I liked it four years ago when everybody had a novelty album. I thought hip-hop was dead.” (Global Grind)

Joe believes Midwest rapper Tech N9ne is hip-hop’s best kept secret.

“I’m going to tell you who the biggest artist in America is that nobody really knows about: Tech9. He tours all year round and I go to his shows and there’s always 5000 dudes mashing it up and everything. He could be one of the richest rappers on earth because his following is incredible but you don’t hear him on the radio. He’s a true genius of marketing. Because of his demand he’ll eventually have one record go through the cracks into the mainstream. He has a huge following and it’s just a matter of time.” (Global Grind)

Last summer, Grammy-winning rapper Lil Wayne publicly co-signed Tech N9ne’s music.

“I’ve been saying to myself that I really want to do a song with either Andre 3000 or my man…Tech N9ne,” he said. “Other than that, I’ve been really trying to do a song with this little dude, this boy Weezy. That boy Weezy, he’s stupid [laughs].” (Hot 97)

Tech later came forward and spoke on the props Wayne gave him while serving out a one-year jail sentence.

“His people have been contacting us already, so I’m anxious to see what he sends me,” N9ne said in an interview. “I’m hearing his camp is all ready to send over some music. And I’ll be in New York soon so hopefully I can visit him before he gets out. I just want to thank Wayne for even mentioning me. I’ve been following his career since he started. Just watching him evolve–he was always clever with the rhymes. My own quest was always to get my music out to everybody in [the] world and working with Wayne is truly a way to get it out there.” (VIBE)

Check out a recent Fat Joe interview below: