Superproducer Hi-Tek spoke exclusively to HipHopDX.com late Friday to announce his new choice in management, as well as new projects the Cincinnati-based beatsmith is currently constructing.
“Due to bad management through my whole career, we stepping it up one time,” says Hi-Tek to HipHopDX.com of his decision to solicit the managerial services of Lloyd Banks and Young Buck’s career guide, Sha Money XL. Tek reached out to the former President of G-Unit Records, and current CEO of management firm/record label Money Management Group, in hopes that Sha can serve in a more helpful capacity than Tek’s previous manager, Zach Katz. “I basically made Zach hot,” says Tek. “He was a lawyer first. Then he turned into a manager. He never was real management. He was just more legal. We got money together, but he really don’t know how to build an artist.”
Hi-Tek has now joined forces with the man who can claim credit for building some of the biggest artists in the rap game. With that kind of support by his side, the producer behind “1-9-9-9,” “The Blast,” “Round And Round,” “Ryder Music,” “Best Friend,” “Music For Life,” and countless other classic creations over the past decade is aiming to take his signature bassline-bolstered soul to an even larger audience on his third compilation release.
“I’m like 70% done,” reveals Tek of the work he’s already completed on Hi-Teknology 3. “[I] look forward to working with Gorilla Zoe – I like him – and Snoop, Mos Def, the cat Riz [who’s also signed to Money Management].”Tek has two songs already locked-in to appear on the album, “Driving Down The Freeway” featuring Young Buck and the Outlawz, and “Step Ya Game Up” featuring Little Brother and Dion.
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Before Hi-Teknology 3 can make its way into stores early next year, Tek has a project set for release this fall. “I just did a movie score I’m real proud of,” says Tek. “It’s a movie called Mr. Untouchable. It’s gonna be in certain selected theatres [in] like October sometime. It’s a documentary with Nicky Barnes in it. He’s still alive. And he’s in the movie telling it all, telling why he did what he did. It’s like the raw version of the American Gangster movie that’s coming out. Dame Dash is involved with the movie too. We ‘bout to start on this mixtape for the movie, and then probably [drop] the real soundtrack.”
In addition to his work on Hi-Teknology 3 and the soundtrack to Mr. Untouchable, Tek is still putting in work on projects outside of his own, lacing a track on Cassidy’s upcoming album (“Cash Rules” featuring Eve and Bone Thugs-n-Harmony) and contributing to Dr. Dre’s long-long-long awaited Detox album (“We trying to get that crackin’ for 2008,” says Tek).
Unfortunately, for fans eagerly anticipating his participation in two much rumored reunion releases, Tek has some bad news. “We started on it,” reveals Tek of his and Talib Kweli’s initial work last year on a sophomore Reflection Eternal album. “We ain’t got back [to working on it]. I don’t know what Kweli’s focus is right now, so I’m just trying to do my thing. I mean, hopefully we can get [back] to [working on] that. I always say it’s really kinda up to him. We been trying to work it out. But I don’t know where Kweli’s head is right now.”
And as for a new Blackstar project from Tek, Kweli, and Mos Def dropping in time for the 10-year anniversary of the album that catapulted all three into the national spotlight, don’t hold your breath. “I mean, it’s always a possibility,” says Tek. “We always rock together, but nothing really solid [is planned for an album].”
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