Hi-Teknology 2: The Chip

Hi-Tek's All Star Compilation Album

Wow. This is definitely on my list for top five hip hop albums for the year. Unfortunately, it appears that this album will end up being one of those sleepers that doesn’t get the full recognition it deserves. Whether it's because of the timing of its release, or simply because Hi-Tek is a relatively quiet dude, this album likely won’t get the listens it deserves from the masses.

Hi-Teknology 2 is nearly four years in the making, after more than a fair share of record label politics. Geffen absorbed Hi-Tek’s original label MCA, and Tek subsequently requested his release from the label, which prompted him to make the album a true labour of love and funded the rest of its production himself.  The amount of personal love and attention that went into the album is more than apparent, being such a diverse yet complimentary compilation of tracks.

Perhaps one of the benefits of taking so long to record this album is that Hi-Tek was able to work with a lot of artists. One look at the track listing and featured artists will blow you away before even hearing the album. To sum it up, here is a list of some of the impressive vocal artists featured on the album: Talib Kweli, Common, Mos Def, Busta Rhymes, Papoose, Snoop Dogg, The Game, Nas, Ghostface, Raekwon, Q-Tip and Devin The Dude. Serious business. Perhaps the most special of any of the guest appearances goes to an eerily beautiful and inspiring phone call from J Dilla  (RIP) on the intro of the track “Music For Life”. What’s even more impressive, in displaying that he is a true producer, almost every track seems perfectly suited for the artists featured on it; no one seems out of place as is all too often the case on albums that feature this many collaborations. Within the first two seconds of the track “So Tired” you just know that Devin the Dude is gonna hop on. Likewise for Jadakiss on “Where it Started At”.

Aside from the featured artists, the first thing that struck me about this album was the number of tracks that bring a reflective, soulful tip. Hi-Tek has often said that he loves to produce back home in Cincinnati because it’s where he feels at home, at peace and inspired, free of the distractions of the industry. Listening to this album you really get that feeling that this guy literally stayed in a place free of music industry bullshit and just focused on composing dope and pure music.  This album offers several tracks that have a perfect balance between string and flute melodies, with classic drum kicks such as “Let It Go” featuring Talib and Hi-Tek’s promising protégé Dion. To balance this out, tracks like “Where it Started At” and “How We Do It” offer that classic, stripped down pure rap heat. While Hi-Teknology 2 lacks a knock-out single, almost every track is solid and worthy of a head bop.

This album is for those that just love hip hop music and aren’t overly concerned about hip hop industry schematics. There are no diss tracks, there’s nothing controversial, there’s nothing specifically trendy about it. What it does offer is track after track of banging material, a ridiculously impressive gathering of artists displaying there respect for Hi-Tek's craft, and a classic, hip hop vibe that almost anyone can appreciate.

Rating: 4/5

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