Search - Hi-Tek :: Hi-Teknology 3

The beats remain hot, the rappers not as much

E.J. Rupert | Milwaukee, WI | 12/12/2007

(3 out of 5 stars)

"Hi-Tek - Hi-Teknology 3 (Babygrande, 2007)



Producer Hi-Tek released the solid Hi-Teknology 2 last year starring lots of well-known hip-hoppers like Jadakiss, Busta Rhymes and Nas. A year later, he comes with Hi-Teknology 3 where the focus is mainly on up-and-coming rappers. Unfortunately, the results aren't that great. Though Push Montana shines on "Kill You", the other newbies miss the mark. The worst offense is on "Ohio All Stars", a posse cut that will leave you wondering if that's the best Ohio has to offer. (Ironically, Hi-Tek, from Cincinnati, doesn't rap in this song and even he's a better rapper than those guys.)



Thankfully, Tek kept in touch with people from his last albums. "My Piano" finds him sharing the mic with Ghostface Killah and Raekwon and "Time" is another great Reflection Eternal reunion with Talib Kweli. Also, the soul joint, "Know Me" with Jonell (last heard on the first Hi-Teknology with "Round & Round", its remix with Method Man a big hit) is pretty smooth with help from Marsha of Floetry. But even the well-knowns make a few missteps: Young Buck saves the otherwise weak "God's Plan" courtesy of The Outlawz and Little Brother's "Step It Up" remix is only a remix because of singer Dion's added verse. The way that this album stays afloat is from Tek's great beats so if you're buying this album for that, you're in luck. If you want good hip-hop, you might wanna buy his previous releases first. -EJR

"

Coasting?

Pimplayap1 | Dallas, Tx | 12/11/2007

(3 out of 5 stars)

"Hi tek's latest installment, encounters a few bumps along the way. The two worst tracks stand out like Yao Ming in China. Both "Handling my Bizness" with its overly repetitive chorus and "Know Me" (which is the worst) hurt the albums continuity, flow, listen ability, and replay value. With "Handling my Bizness" the production is not Tek's top quality, but I'm most disappointed with M-1 of Dead Pres. "Know Me" just has a singer of low quality trying extremely too hard. Also "Ohio All-stars" could be thrown in that mix.



Moving forward, with where I probably should have began this review, the intro is basic, but flows right into the next track perfectly. "Life to Me" with Estelle over a dark violin crooning her vocals. She states, "I'm so emotional, I cried a rain forest." That line just stands out to me. Next ten year old Lil Tone raps over the telephone on an answering machine, some may find it interesting, I find it leads my brain straight on the yellow brick road to boredom. He ends it by saying, "That was hot," but no it wasn't. Ok I'm being to hard he could definitely out rap many ten year olds. Possibly the best track on the album proceeds into the stereo, "My Piano." The intro of this song has a piano instrumental and Tek speaking over it. The beat flips into a semi-rock beat, and Tek spit's a pretty good verse. Both Ghost and Rae rip the beat apart. "God's Plan" is another good track dedicated to 2pac. The Outlawz supply quality flows alongside Young Buck. "Ohio All-stars" has ok, but somehwhat overproduced production, very average lyrics, flow, and subject matter. Very average... Nothing more than that. "Back on the Grind" follows with Dion on the chorus with Riz & Kurupt. The beat has a darker feel. This is another above average track especially if you prefer the chorus, but Dion is the only standout here. Kurupt does not explode on this track like he has previously in his career, which leaves much to be desired, unfortunately. "I'm back" featuring Rem Dog has a good military beat, filled with snares and horns. Rem is a decent rapper apparently here, but nothing spectacular. Push Montana makes the first surprisingly impressive appearance by a minor league rapper (unheard of) with "Kill You." He has several good punch lines dug inside his raw flow "have my girl hit em with the dildo they feminine" "ima introduce this loud ****** to the silencer." The production is pretty impressive here also. Following the misstep that is "Handling my Bizness" Tek shows off his abilities alongside no vocals (except a few in the background). It feels like a long interlude, but the track is very relaxing. "Step my Game Up" is another very good song (also on Little Brother's album). "Time" with Talib Kweli, which again, may be the best track on the album (it and "My Piano" run past the others to accept this award, with "Step my Game up" somewhere right behind them). The beat is beautiful as Kweli shares his views on Time.



I wish Tek would have found a few better performers, but his beats at some parts of the album were just as boring as they were.



Best Lyrical Performance:

Talib Kweli "Time"



Most Unique Topic:

Talib Kweli "Time"



Best Production Award(s):

"My Piano"

"Come Get it (Tekstrumentals)"

"Time"



Best Overall Song(s):

"Time"

"My Piano"

"Step my Game Up"



Best Surprise Performance:

Push Montana "Kill You"

"

2-1/2 stars -- Teknological disasterpiece

Anthony Rupert | Milwaukee, WI | 05/15/2008

(2 out of 5 stars)

"People might be ready to call me an idiot for giving a Hi-Tek album such a low rating. But I heard from diehard Reflection Eternal fans that Hi-Teknology 3, Tek's latest offering, isn't that hot. And after I listened to it, I discovered that it's even worse than they said.



Now, if this were an instrumental album, I could easily give it at least four stars ("Come Get It" especially proves this). But the thing is, it isn't; and most of the guests on here are so wack that I can't even enjoy the beats. As is often the case, most of the rappers are unknowns and they really aren't WORTH knowing, especially "Handling My Bizness". And after I heard "Ohio All Stars", I was like, "These are all-stars?"



Other songs with uninspired lyricism include "Kill You" and "I'm Back"; and "Step Ya Game Up" has to be the most aptly titled song ever. But R&B singers don't fare too well either (well, female ones anyway; more on that later). Estelle is very off-key on "Life to Me", and Jonell's "Know Me" really doesn't go anywhere.



The only time tracks really prevail are when Talib Kweli shows up on "Time" and "My Piano" (both songs also feature nice vocals from Dion). But although Young Buck drops a nice verse on "God's Plan", the Outlawz sound wack as usual. Sorry, Tek, but if it weren't for Pimp C and Trill Fam, I'd have to call this the best example of a good producer with bad rappers. If you're a big fan of Hi-Tek and you're still thinking about buying this, wait to see if he'll release an instrumental version of it first.



Anthony Rupert"