Reflection Eternal, the groundbreaking duo of rapper Talib Kweli and producer Hi-Tek, collaborated on late 1990s singles and on the 1998 Black Star album with Mos Def before releasing their eponymous landmark album in 2000. Since then, Talib Kweli has established himself as one of rap’s premier acts, delivering stunning, uplifting singles like “Get By” and acclaimed, well-rounded and thought-provoking albums like 2007’s Eardrum. 50 Cent has named Kweli as one of his favorite rappers and he’s also been famously name-dropped in Jay-Z’s rhymes. At the same time, Hi-Tek has become one of rap’s go-to producers, working extensively with Snoop Dogg, Dr. Dre, 50 Cent, G-Unit, The Game and Ghostface Killah, among others.
Now, after working with one another on each other’s solo material, Reflection Eternal has reunited for its second stellar sonic offering, Revolutions Per Minute. The album’s title has a double meaning, the obvious one being the number of times a record can go around on a record player. The other has a meatier objective. “It’s the idea of revolution through music,” Talib Kweli explains. “It’s the idea that people in today’s culture take things in YouTube-sized bites and clips and if it’s not in a clip or a soundbite or something that you can fit in under a minute, people don’t pay attention to it. The idea is: How many revolutions can you get accomplished in under a minute in a quick culture?”
Reflection Eternal’s signature blend of edutainment shines brightly on “In This World.” Backed by Hi-Tek’s throbbing bassline and stirring soul sample, Kweli outlines his recipe for success while realizing that we tend to live by the following troublesome axioms: “Slave to our possession/Greed the Devil favorite weapon.” “I get a chance to brag and boast a little bit on that song, but it’s really about the hustle,” Kweli says. “A lot of hip-hop artists make songs about the hustle, the grind. Those are key words, tag words that are really overused in our culture, but they’re not overused for the sake of people trying to sell records. They’re overused because people really relate to a song that talks about really grinding and hustling.”
More than a decade after their first collaborations, Talib Kweli and Hi-Tek are each among the most respected in their respective crafts. Kweli is a torchbearer for those craving commercially viable music that matters, while Hi-Tek has been able to deliver impeccable work that ranges from bombastic beats for the most progressive backpack rappers to bone-crushing soundbeds for the gruffest gangster rappers.
But it’s their work together as Reflection Eternal that may ultimately define the legacies of both Talib Kweli and Hi-Tek. And that’s a great thing given the exemplary work both of these masters display on Revolutions Per Minute, a continuation of Grade A musicality.
“My music is music that is often categorized as conscious or revolutionary or political,” Kweli says. “But at the same the time, I strive for — and I think Hi-Tek does as well — entertainment value and musicality, to make you feel good when you hear the music. I think it was important for us to convey that energy, which is a revolutionary energy, and to keep it in musical terms.”
It’s a revolution indeed, and the more revolutions per minute the better..
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