Hi-Tek has been one of the most consistent and focused producers since he broke large with his work from, of course, Rawkus in the mid to late 90’s. Everyone knows about his work with Blackstar, producing brilliant classics for Kweli and now his allignment with west-coast powerhouse Aftermath, but his solo outout consists of this lone album, and an unreleased follow-up Hi-Teknology 2 that was shevled when his deal at MCA (dubbed the Music Cemetery of America by Kardinal Offishal) fell off the tracks. He also had an album with Jonell (Fetured here in the classic R&B joint “Round and Round”) for Def Jam that got shelved and ever since has been quietly dropping beats with no solo joint in sight.

Hi-Tek is very similar to Preemo and Alchemist or even (for a curveball) EL-P, in that his best output is when he handles all, if not the majority, of an album’s boardwork. His expansive, emotional soundscapes work best in an album format, because apart from one or two beats, his work never has that “single” quality to it. It’s much deeper, owing to his use of space and tension while programming (simply check “All I Need is You” from ‘Mega and Jonell), and of course that trademark midwest swang (L.T.A.H.) The tracks on this album breathe and shuffle instead of plod and loop, and for that, it deserves capo status.

If you don’t have this, there’s no excuse.

Hi-Tek - Hi-Teknology (2000) - Download

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