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b. Tony Cottrell, Cincinnati, Ohio, USA. Although usually assumed to be from the east coast because of his association with leading underground label Rawkus Records, hip-hop producer Hi-Tek actually comes from Cincinnati, Ohio. He first rose to prominence during the early 90s, when several local Cincinnati producers/rappers took the youngster under their wing and showed him the ropes. By 1992, he was working with up-and-coming Midwest rappers Mood, collaborating on the track ‘Hustle On The Side’. Through his work with Mood, Hi-Tek became friendly with a rapper who was also working with the outfit, Talib Kweli, resulting in him producing a project for the Rawkus label by his new friend and Mos Def, 1998’s acclaimed Black Star. Hi-Tek and Kweli did not stop there, as they formed a separate group themselves, Reflection Eternal, and issued 2000’s Train Of Thought (also on Rawkus). Hi-Tek continued working for Rawkus during the early 00s as an in-house producer, building up a reputation f...