Hi-Tek - The Official Mixtape Intro To Cincinnati's Illest Presented By Talib Kweli (Mixed By DJ Esque)

MIXTAPE REVIEW




HHH/LNN Official Rating: 4.5/5
Lyrics Rating: 4/5
Beats Rating: 4.5/5
Music Quality: 4.5/5


- by the god Dirty Backpacks







First off, let me say this - it is unfair for me to rate each of the songs on this mixtape, as almost all are considered classic material in some form by most. The degree of how classic that material is would cause too much of a debate - this is not like judging an MCs body of work; with this album, I'm judging the work of a producer who has given out beats to some of the biggest cats in Hip Hop.

Now with that out the way...

When a discussion comes up of the top beatmakers out there, who do you name? Kanye West? Pharrell? Dr. Dre? Timbaland, DJ Premier, Pete Rock, The Alchemist, Havoc, Just Blaze, Scott Storch, Lil' Jon...the list could go on. But one cat I never hear mentioned for some odd reason is Cincinnati's own Hi-Tek. Why is this?

Well, in all fairness, up until listening to this collection of his work, I wouldn't have thought to mention his name in my top producers either. This isn't because he isn't nice; on the contrary - son is a beast. The thing is, because he's relatively humble compared to the list of producers I listed (with the exception of Primo and Pete Rock, who are just as humble), heads tend to overlook the work he's done because every track doesn't have an amplified voice saying "Hi-Tek!" Likewise, you're not likely to hear him calling out his own name on a track, nor are you likely to see him dancing in front of the camera in your favorite rapper's video. But guess what? Your favorite rapper knows who he is, and if he/she hasn't worked with him already, they want to.

How do I know this? Just LOOK at this collection of songs he did! Many cats who've heard this album walked away after hearing it saying "I didn't know he did that joint!" And the diverse array of artists he's worked with speaks to the level of respect he's gained in the music industry - everyone from Mary J. Blige to Slim Thug. On this collection alone, he's got tracks with Black Star, Talib Kweli (together they form Reflection Eternal), Common, Snoop Dogg, 50 Cent, The Game, Beanie Sigel, and Method Man. If that's not an all-star list, I don't know what is.

And he's not pigeon-holed into making beats that sound the same - many of these beats are extremely distinctive in sound, yet all are dope! From smooth to hard, minimalist to fully orchestrated, this Best Of will have even the most ardent of haters immediately vault Hi-Tek into the top 10 of all contemporary producers - and make you think about his place in Hip Hop history itself once you realize exactly how long he's been producing and the overwhelming dopeness of his work.

The only complaint I could think of anyone lodging is that Hi-Tek has "Pete Rock Syndrome" - a dope producer that can't seem to stay away from the mic. But even that doesn't bother me, cuz when Tek grabs the mic, it's not for long and he usually reps rather nicely. I'm not saying he could pull off a Kanye West and do a whole album for dolo (who knows? maybe he could), but his rhymes are considerably better than the aforementioned Chocolate Boy Wonder who sometimes tends to annoy the listener with his attempts to rhyme (have you ever heard Pete Rock & CL Smooth's 2nd album?).

Whereas he may not be high on the producer radar of the general public, the industry knows exactly who this kid is. Whether he's crafting smooth R&B for the elegant Jonell or underground bangers like "Re-Definition" (my favorite Black Star song of all-time), Hi-Tek's pedigree is official - and so is this mixtape. Don't just peep it - this is a MUST-OWN for any purveyor of Hip Hop. Buy the mixtape at mixunit.com - click here.

Once again, thanks to Dave Dar for the exclusive!




TRACK LIST


1. Hi-Tek Intro
2. Cincinnati (Mood w/Holm Skillit)
3. How We Do It (Reflection Eternal w/Snoop Dogg & Slim Thug)
4. 1-9-9-9 (Common)
5. Sun God Intro
6. Sun God (Hi-Tek w/Common & Vinia Mojica)
7. Git That Doe (Beanie Sigel)
8. Round & Round (Jonell w/Method Man, Pharoahe Monch & Kool G. Rap)
9. The Time Is Now (Reflection Eternal)
10. Get In My Car (50 Cent)
11. G-Unit Intro
12. G-Unit Intro (G-Unit)
13. I Get High (Lloyd Banks)
14. Runnin' (The Game w/Tony Yayo)
15. Ryder Music (50 Cent)
16. Hi-Tek's Inspiration
17. Feeling Froggy
18. Break Bread (Hi-Tek, Holm Skillit, Crunch, Donte & Main Flo)
19. Definition (Black Star)
20. Re-Definition (Black Star)
21. Respiration (Black Star w/Common)
22. Love Speak Easy (Reflection Eternal)
23. The Blast (Reflection Eternal)
24. On My Way (Hi-Tek w/Talib Kweli & Snoop Dogg)
25. On My Way (Reflection Eternal)
26. I Believe In You (Snoop Dogg w/Latoiya Williams)
27. Beautiful (Mary J. Blige w/Black Star)
28. Beautiful Struggle (Talib Kweli)



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