Tek (rapper)

El-Amin[1] (born Tekomin Benjamin Williams; June 3, 1973), better known by his stage name Tek, is an American rapper, famous as a member of the duo Smif-N-Wessun, and the hip hop collective Boot Camp Clik.

Tek
Birth nameTekomin Benjamin Williams
Born (1973-06-03) June 3, 1973
OriginBedford–Stuyvesant, Brooklyn, New York City, New York, U.S.
GenresHip hop
Years active1993–present
LabelsDuck Down
Associated acts

Career

Tek debuted on Black Moon's 1993 album Enta Da Stage with his rhyming partner Steele. In 1994, Smif-N-Wessun released their debut single "Bucktown", which became a Billboard Hot 100 hit, and gave Brooklyn the nickname "Bucktown, home of the original gun clappers". Smif-N-Wessun dropped their debut album Dah Shinin' in early 1995, a release that is now hailed as a classic underground Hip Hop album. Later in 1995, the duo was sued by the Smith & Wesson firearms company, forcing them to change their name of Smif-N-Wessun to the Cocoa Brovaz. Tek recorded a group album with the Boot Camp Clik in 1997, For the People, then followed in 1998 with a Cocoa Brovaz album, The Rude Awakening. Though not as widely heralded as their debut, the album received moderate sales, led by the single "Black Trump". After Tek's label Duck Down Records was dropped from their Priority Records distribution deal, the Cocoa Brovaz released a single titled "Super Brooklyn", utilizing a sample from Super Mario Bros. The attention received from the single landed them a record deal with popular independent label Rawkus Records. The duo never released an album on the label, and they returned home to Duck Down Records to record another Boot Camp Clik album in 2002, The Chosen Few. In 2005, the Cocoa Brovaz returned with the name Smif-N-Wessun and released their third album Smif 'N' Wessun: Reloaded. Later that year, Tek released a street album titled It Is What It Is. Tek and the Boot Camp Clik released their third group album, The Last Stand, on July 18, 2006. Tek's voice appears in the cartoon Three Thug Mice http://threethugmice.com (2008)

Discography

Solo
  • 24K Smoke (2010)

Smif-N-Wessun/Cocoa Brovaz albums

Boot Camp Clik albums

Mixtapes
  • It Is What It Is The Street Album (2003)
  • I Got This (2006)
  • Underground Prince (2009)

References
  1. Smif-N-Wessun Hip Hop Icon Series Interview at Halftimeonline.net
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