Reflection Eternal: ‘Talib Kweli & HiTek’ May 18th

After 10-years since their classic contribution Train of Thought sealed their fates in hip-hop lore, Talib Kweli and Hi-Tek are releasing their follow-up venture Revolutions Per Minute May 18 on Blacksmith/Warner Bros. Records. With their first collaboration praised for its uplifting messages and nostalgic soundscape, Kweli’s command of the mic and Hi-Tek’s versatile production skills have made this album one of the most anticipated hip-hop albumsof 2010. The Source Magazine gave Revolutions Per Minute an early 4½ mic review in their March 2010 issue stating that, “While Train of Thought placed Hip-Hoppers into a soulful, spiritual trance that could be likened to Tribe’s Low End Theory, Revolutions Per Minute adopts a modern Public Enemy timbre with lyrical grace and production that doesn’t alienate.”

Aside from the denotative meaning-the number of times a record can go around on a record player-Talib Kweli explains the title is two-fold: “It’s the idea of revolution through music. 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?”

Exclusively produced by Hi-Tek, features on the album include appearances by Estelle, Bilal, Bun B, Mos Def, Jay Electronica, J. Cole, Res and Chester French. The album covers an array of topics that discuss the shortcomings of America (“Strangers”), society’s obsession with fame (“Got Work”), an honest discussion of drug use (“Lift’in Off”), the pining for a lover returning home (“Midnight Hour”), a music history lesson (“In the Red”), and even a track about Nigeria’s corruption-riddled oil business (“Black Gold”).

This kind of entertainment with real world application manifests itself on the album’s first single “In This World.” Accompanied by Hi-Tek’s pulsating bass and a gripping soul sample, Kweli contemplates success and the infinite obstacles that prove burdensome to its maturation with a resounding co-sign from Jay-Z.

In their time off since, Hi-Tek and Kweli kept busy with a number of projects, collaborations and releases making them some of the most sought after talents in hip-hop. Fans got a chance to catch the duo back in action during 2009’s Rock the Bells tour where they toured along heavyweights such as Nas, Damian Marley, Ice Cube, KRS-One, and The Roots amongst others. Shortly after the New Year, Reflection Eternal released The RE:Union Mixtape, an a workof new and old material that would serve as a prelude to what listeners can expect from the full LP.

Official Tracklisting:
1 RPM’s
2 City Playgrounds
3 Back Again
4 Strangers [Paranoid]
5 In This World
6 Got Work
7 Midnight Hour
8 Lifting Off
9 In The Red
10 Black Gold Intro
11 Ballad Of The Black Gold
12 Just Begun
13 Long Hot Summer
14 Get Loose
15 So Good
16 Ends
17 My Life [Outro]

In Stores May 18th!