Do Em All Over Again

Back around '06 when I was in my CD collecting prime, I made sure and copped Hi-Tek's Hi-Teknology 2: The Chip on the strength of the guest features plus Reflection Eternal's classicness. It remains one of my absolute favorite gems of a CD. Unfortunately, I think it turned out about 17 times better than Hi-Teknology 3. That one kinda made me sad.

Tek's production was so perfectly refined. Every song created a highly unique atmosphere to go with perfect selections of guest emcees. And featured singer Dion lent his chamelion-like crooning to a few of the cuts keeping subject transition smoother than anything you could ever imagine. It's so hard for me to choose a favorite track off the project. "So Tired" comes on the ridiculously laid back tip with Bun B and Devin the Dude lending their expertise. "Where It Started At" is one of the few believable NY anthems featuring a crazy collective of Kweli, Jadakiss, Raekwon, and then-relevant Papoose. And "Keep It Moving" has my favorite suprise deal emcees with Q-Tip and Kurupt perfectly complementing each others' 180 degree style differences.

But I think my favorite is churned out by the collaboration of Tek, his father, Wu-Tanger Ghostface, and the unknown Pretty Ugly. It's one of the most genuine chick joints I've ever heard. It's so much more than the usual "girl gone wrong" tracks that are prevalent in hip hop nowadays. Maybe the immense production sets the metaphorical and aural tone immediately. This story makes me feel like I actually knew Josephine. Maybe I actually do. Maybe I know a couple of her.

Hi-Tek - Josephine (feat. Willie Cottrell Band, Ghostface Killah, & Pretty Ugly)

It's the acoustics. It's the gentle, but excited, piano keys. It's the chord progression highlighted by synth touches and choral portions of the bridge. It's the chemistry between Tek's older generation father singing the chorus introducing a woman's story that's picked up by the younger rappers. It's just a really nice finished product. Too many songs have a certain aspect of it that's great, but you're disappointed by the whole thing itself not living up to its potential. This song fulfills. As does the rest of Tek's second magnum opus.

... put 'em both together and you got yourself a super spork.