A quick Happy Born Day shout-out to Cincinnati's own, Hi-Tek. I first heard Hi-Tek on the underground gems from the Cincinnati crew, Mood, in the mid-90s. Their singles 'Hustle On The Side,' 'Karma,' and 'Snakebacks,' as well as their debut, 'Doom,' were exceptional records that I sold damn near everytime I put them on the turntables at Fat Beats (before they closed their doors). Those records were some of my introductions, but he'd later release a collaborative album with Talib Kweli (who also got put on by Mood), as Reflection Eternal, in 2000 on Rawkus Records. 'Train of Thought' as an entire body of work helped move the needle for underground Hip-Hop entering the new millennium. Until I read this interview, I was unaware of Hi-Tek's lukewarm sentiments to his debut producer album, 'Hi-Teknology.' In his own words, it wasn't the album he would have done, but as a stepping stone to more opportunities, he made it a point to display the versatility in his production and surely crafted a nice lane for himself with joints with Common, Jonell, Mos Def, Slum Village, etc. Subsequent albums would include more fierce production coupled with features from Nas, Q-Tip, Busta, Bun B, Raekwon, Ghostface, and more. He may always remain underrated in this climate of Hip-Hop, but he's highly respected among the elites in the industry. For those more familiar with music that transcends Hip-Hop, Hi-Tek also produced 'Come Down' on Anderson .Paak's smash album, 'Malibu,' last year, and I trust we'll be hearing a lot more from him in 2017. Click HERE and be sure to give him a follow and a born day salute! Check out Hi-Tek's 'Music For Life' below...