First Billboard and now this? “It goes up” seems to be working as the Strange Music motto.

Forbes recently took a closer look at the business behind some of hip hop’s heavyweights and ranked the top 20 highest earners in 2012. Topping the list at #1 is Dr. Dre thanks to his venture with Beats headphones, but it’s another name on the list that may be catching some people off guard.

Rounding out a tie with a few other notable names, Tech N9ne comes in at #20 and marks another triumph for independent music in 2012:

Though not well-known to mainstream music fans, this midwestern emcee racked up nearly 200 tour dates this year and earns big from releases on his indie label, Strange Music.

Others ranked included Lil Wayne, Eminem, Kanye West, and Jay-Z. With E.B.A.H. on the horizon and a touring schedule like none other, Forbes may want to keep an eye on the Kansas City King in the year to come.

It does go up after all.

Click here to see the full listing.

CLICK HERE TO PRE-ORDER E.B.A.H.

• What did you think of the full listing?