Hi-Tek

Cincinnati Beginnings

Hi-Tek was born Tony Louis Cottrell on May 5, 1976, in Cincinnati, Ohio, a city that seldom made the national rap map in the 1990s. He started out in the local group Mood, which had a regional hit called "Hustle on the Side." He was part of Mood's 1997 album Doom, whose credits include "Snakebacks (Karma Pt. 2)." Through Mood he met Brooklyn MC Talib Kweli, and that partnership launched his career.

Rawkus and Reflection Eternal

Hi-Tek produced six songs on Mos Def & Talib Kweli Are Black Star (1998), one of the defining records of the Rawkus-era independent scene. Kweli and Hi-Tek then formed Reflection Eternal as a duo, and Hi-Tek produced almost all of Train of Thought, released by Rawkus on October 17, 2000. The album reached No. 17 on the Billboard 200. "Move Somethin'" hit No. 1 on the rap chart and "The Blast" reached No. 2. He followed with his first solo album, Hi-Teknology (May 2001). He produced every track and left the rapping to guests including Common, Talib Kweli, Mos Def, Cormega, Slum Village and Buckshot. "Round & Round," featuring R&B singer Jonell, topped the rap chart and made it to No. 62 on the Hot 100.

Aftermath and G-Unit Years

Hi-Tek went on to work as a staff producer at Dr. Dre's Aftermath Entertainment, and his sound moved into the mainstream. His credits from that period include "G Unit" and "Eye for an Eye" on G-Unit's Beg for Mercy (2003), "Get in My Car" and "Ryder Music" on 50 Cent's The Massacre (2005), and The Game's "Runnin'" from The Documentary (2005). He also produced for The Game's later albums and for Snoop Dogg. He continued his own series with Hi-Teknology 2: The Chip (2006) and Hi-Teknology 3: Underground (2007), both released through Babygrande.

Later Work

Reflection Eternal came back after ten years with Revolutions per Minute (May 2010, Blacksmith/Rawkus/Warner Bros.), which debuted at No. 18 on the Billboard 200. In 2015 Hi-Tek joined The Soul Council production team, and in 2016 he worked with Anderson .Paak on "Come Down." Across all of it, his warm, soulful production has linked backpack rap and the mainstream in a way few producers from his generation managed.