Cinncinati’s Hi-Tek got his big break next to Talib Kweli, when the two debuted together as Reflection Eternal, on Rawkus Records almost a decade ago, with their “Fortified Live” 12inch. With the release of their full-length, Talib Kweli and Hi-Tek Are Reflection Eternal (to put it in layman’s terms) the duo reached arguable classic status with the birth of their first collaborative project. Shortly thereafter, the two temporarily split up to pursue respective solo projects. The first was Hi-Tek’s Hi-Teknology, which spotlighted Tek’s production and a team of guest emcees.

     The original Hi-Teknology was just as much of a star-studded affair as today’s sequel is, but in fact is hindered with some of the same problems as the original. The new album once again spotlights Hi-Tek as a producer, lending his beats to an impressive cabal of quality artists from Game to Nas to Ghostface to Kweli. The album is jumped off with Hi-Tek himself grabbing the mic on “The Chip”, setting the album up for the listeners. While not quite as capable of a producer-on-the-mic as some of his peers ( i.e. Pete Rock, Kanye West), thankfully Tek leaves most of the emceeing up to his overqualified guest list. The soulfully cool “Keep It Moving” is a strange team-up between Q-Tip and Kurupt, but it works, as crooner Dion lends the hook to Tek’s breezy beat. “Can We Go Back” almost recaptures the classic essence of Reflection Eternal, as Tek’s track and Kwel’s verse are spot on, but Ayak’s candy-coated hook and Tek’s own verses subtract from it a bit. Ghostface steals the show from relative unknowns, Pretty Ugly and The Willie Cotrell Band, for “Josephine”, still making for one of the album’s better joints. Busta Rhymes “March” is arguably the best track on here, as he is virtually the only artist to craft an entire song with Tek (three verses, plus hooks, bridges, etc). Tek’s nutty beat brings out the best in Busta, as he flexes his trademark animated dungeon dragon styles. Too bad the same couldn’t be said for (ex)-labelmate, The Game, who lazily drops 16 bars before calling it quits on “1-800-Homicide”, leaving the song sounding unfinished. The album closes out with the excellent “Music For Life”, where Nas and Common team-up to profess their love for the art of noise, with poignant answering machine testimonials from Busta Rhymes and the late great J. Dilla.

     That’s the meat of the album, and it is all pretty dope, but unfortunately the album has its share of filler. “I Think I Gotta Beat” re-uses the already tired trend of people putting their damn kids on their album (didn’t work on Idelwild; doesn’t work here either). Following the aforementioned half-a-song from The Game, the Strong Arm Steady helmed “Money Don’t Make You Rich” is the beginning of the album’s downward spiral that lasts for a good few tracks. The fluffy “Baby We Can Do It”, featuring Czar-Nok sticks out like a sore thumb, while Talib Kweli is the only saving grace to Dion’s R&B tour-de-force “Let It Go”. By the time Willie Cottrell Band’s otherwise introspective “People Going Down” kicks in, the audience that Tek worked so capture on during the album’s first act, is taken out of the picture.

      But despite these little road bumps during the album’s second half, for the most part, Hi-Teknology 2 is a solid sequel to the original. Tek’s got all the right people involved here, and considering the fact that most of these artists share the same fanbase, anyone who purchases this record will, for the most part, find satisfaction.