Submitted photoTech N9ne will perform Tuesday at the Midtown Ballroom.

As relentless as Tech N9ne’s tour schedule has been over the past decade and a half, it’s hard to believe there’s still an American town he hasn’t played.

But they exist. When the rapper — born Aaron Yates in Kansas City — calls The Bulletin for an interview, he’s in Laramie, Wyo., a place he’s never been before.

“I don’t know how close it is to Casper. I know I used to play Casper,” he said. “I’ll find out.”

Unlike many artists, Tech has never skipped the small towns. His tour schedule has always included places like Laramie, not to mention Bend, where he’ll stop Tuesday night (see “If you go”).

For years, that kind of hustle was necessary for this fiercely independent rapper, who has released more than 15 albums since 1999, several on his own underground empire of a record label, Strange Music. Combined with his distinctive aesthetic — rapid-fire raps, hard-rock riffs, theatrical style and lyrical tendencies toward religious imagery in addition to more common hip-hop themes — and some serious business/marketing savvy, Tech’s commitment to playing anywhere and everywhere has helped him build one of the biggest fan bases in independent rap.

Now, with his song “Fragile” (featuring white-hot rapper Kendrick Lamar) on the radio and his new album “Strangeulation” in the top five of the Billboard chart, he could probably leave the small towns behind.

Except he can’t.

“I can’t think like that,” Tech said. “I have to think like we’re doing this for the first time for these people. Every time we go to these towns that we’ve been going to for a decade, we ask how many people (are) at their first Tech N9ne show, and the whole crowd erupts. When things like that happen, we have to keep the mindset that new people are coming in every day. So we have to show out on our albums and in our shows. We cannot get lax.”

When he gets rolling, Tech sounds like the coach of a sports team trying to keep his troops motivated. He says that drive comes from his early days “at the bottom with no love” and the fact that he knows there are more potential fans out there.

When prodded, though, he digs a little deeper for the true source of his professional hunger.

“I was born with a God complex and I cannot help it. It’s there, man. It’s there,” he said. “When I was in Barcelona in 2001, we were there for five days. We weren’t doing a show; we just had five days off. When I was walking the streets and nobody knew who I was, I was pissed.

“When I was in Monaco for four days off … we were walking around and nobody knew who I was, and it hurt me. When we go places that they don’t know me, I feel like I haven’t done my job all the way. I dislike it,” he continued. “I give all of my heart to my music. I’m inside out. My insides are out there for people to see and hear, so I expect everything back. That’s that God complex kicking in.”

That’s where places like Laramie and Bend come in. They contain eyes and ears that might not yet know they love Tech N9ne.

“I want the world to know (me). I really do,” he said. “I want them to know the black dude with the painted face, the humongous heart and the evil brain. World domination. I wanna believe that it’s possible, and I think that it is.”

— Reporter: 541-383-0377, bsalmon@bendbulletin.com