Cincinnati Hip Hop icon Hi-Tek’s legend began when he established his singular production sound with Cincy’s own Mood, as well as his early work with Mos Def and Talib Kweli. From there, Tek became one of the more in-demand producers in Hip Hop, working with 50 Cent, Snoop Dogg, Lloyd Banks and Dr. Dre, among many others.
His guest-laden solo albums, Hi-Teknology (Volumes 1-3), were also successful and remain favorites of many Hip Hop die-hards. Tek has been teasing a forthcoming new album, Hi-Teknology 4, most recently releasing the fantastic single “Ohio Players,” which features fellow Ohio greats Bootsy Collins, Bow Wow and Krayzie Bone, and pays tribute to Dayton Funk/R&B legends The Ohio Players and their late guitarist, Hamilton, Ohio-native Leroy “Sugarfoot” Bonner (the Players’ immortal track “Fire” is sampled).
Tek’s headlining appearance Saturday on Fountain Square is billed as “Hi-Tek and Friends,” and this is a man with oodles of talented friends, so you never know who might show up (last month, Tek reunited with Kweli and Mos Def — now going by his given name, Yaslin Bey — at the Radio City Music Hall comeback shows by another famed Ohio resident, Dave Chappelle). The rest of the supporting lineup is a mix of R&B, Funk, Jazz, Soul and Rock featuring Jillian Faith Ellis, Suave & Under New Order, Frankly Speaking, Cadre, B. Soul and Haze.
7 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 2. Free. Fountain Square, Fifth and Vine streets, Downtown, myfountainsquare.com.
