Week of Vintage Hi-Tek, Day 5

Hi-Tek Ft. Common - Tekzilla

Produced by: Hi-Tek

??? - Rawkus (White Label)

Sorry for the latest bout of my usual wackness. Three things happened all at the same time

1.) New Laptop: MacBook, you touch me so right baby.

2.) New Server for the site: Faster downloads, more reliable. My old host was ass.

3.) Manged to fuck up my whole MP3 collection, and then get it back. When they say don’t unplug the drive, DON’T UNPLUG THE DRIVE MAN!. They are NOT kidding.

Anyways, back on the Hi-Tek ish, and Imma wrap this up:

Jumping off from the last one, I give y’all TEKZILLA.

This is, to me, the definitve sound of late 90’s Rawkus hip-hop. Boom-bap, strings, gorgeous horns, nice, sparse bass, what else you want from ‘Tek man?

Oh, and yes, I post-dated this shit, so I don’t look like such an idiot ;) Oh, and this “week of Hi-Tek” is now a 5-day business week. I need to give yall some fresh crack I got so I’ll cap this off right here.

A Week of Hi-Tek - Day 4

Common Ft. Sadat-X & Talib Kweli - 1-9-9-9

Produced by: Hi-Tek

From: Soundbombing II (1999 Rawkus)

From the damn near legandary Soundbombing II. One of my personal favorites, I just can’t get enough of those string stabs and as always, that bassline knocks.

And why no posts for the last few days? Cause Canadian Music Week is why. Logikal Ethix & Unknown Mizery KILLED it opening for Pharoahe Monch, video to come soon. That night was BIG (and not just cause my beats got love), T-Dot veterans in the house: Mathematik, 2Rude, Mindbender, K’naan…live crowd…it was all dope except for 7L & Esoterrible, who were booed repeatedly during their really, really gay set. So gay.

A Week of Vintage Hi-Tek, Day 3: Good Mourning

Reflection Eternal - Good Mourning

Produced by: Hi-Tek

1998 - Rawkus

Another sweet one from Tekzilla. Off the classic debut Reflection Eternal album. This really put me onto ‘Tek in a big way by showing off his versatility on the boards. The drums have that trademark knock, the swing and that rock solid bass, but instead of the usual jerky guitars and bombastic horns, Tony brings us an atmospheric tip that sets up Kweli to once again do that thing he does. The whispers in the track are key.

A week of vintage Hi-Tek

Reflection Eternal - 2000 Seasons

Produced by: Hi-Tek

1997 - Rawkus

Because why the fuck not? Because since I posted last night’s joint I’ve kept his old Rawkus singles on my decks and been giving em love*.

Hi-Tek’s contributions to the game are, to me, immersurable. Those drums man.

So all week I’m gonna be lacing y’all with some VINTAGE Tony that I know you’ll love.

Hi-Tek: More Or Less (From Hi-Teknology 2)

Talib Kweli Ft. Dion - More Or Less (Instrumental)

Produced by: Hi-Tek

From: Hi-Teknology 2 (The Chip)

Now this is my shit right here. Even the 80’s Hair Metal solo action at the end.

I spent a shitty day stuck in the matrix and got my first proper listen to the new Hi-Tek, even though it’s been out for a minute. It’s pretty dope, but it is as good as his first? Yes and no.

I don’t think the beats are on the same OH MY GOD level as his earlier work, but his production prowess has obviously increased, and, his work on the mic is much less of a joke than on Tekzilla. Even though I’ll admit that the 2nd time around I skipped some joints (which I never do with Hi-Teknology uno), it’s all good, and Busta hasn’t been this animated in years.

This joint is on a pure Reflection Eternal yet Top-40 vibe that’s solid throughout, if a little cheeseball. Dion, Hi-Tek’s RNB crush, appears on many of the joints, and is a solid if uninspiring dude. Much like this post. It did the trick, but really, that’s it?

Note: This does however give me a jump-off for my new button right thurr. From now on y’all click the coz to get the hotness, ok?