Late entry from Talib Kweli and Hi-Tek’s Revolutions Per Minute. Directed by Joslyn Rose Lyons.

Reflection Eternal “Ballad of the Black Gold” from Sam Ellison on Vimeo.

Talib Kweli and Hi-Tek’s “Ballad of the Black Gold” gets a well-timed video release, taken from Revolutions Per Minute, in stores now. Directed by Sam Ellison.

Reflection Eternal (Hi-Tek and Talib Kweli) talk to Hard Knock TV’s Devi Dev about new album Revolutions Per Minute, How and why they formed the group, the meaning of the album title, the significance of the song Ballad of the Black Gold and how its so relevant to the Louisiana Oil Spill and Obama’s take on Drill Baby Drill. Kweli also says that J Cole and Jay Electronica are the hottest young MC’s out + more.

On the day of the release of “Revolutions Per Minute”, AOL caught up with the Talib Kweli and Hi-Tek in Los Angeles — where Kweli dwells part-time — and shadowed them as they ran around town, making promotional television and radio appearances, in support of their new record.

Ten years ago, Talib Kweli and DJ Hi-Tek helped define the face of Rawkus Records, as well as the indie hip-hop movement, with their self-titled debut LP, also known as Train of Thought. Arguably a hip-hop classic, this magnum opus captured the essence of the one producer / one emcee team up, much like classic duos that came before them, such as Pete Rock & C.L. Smooth, Guru & Premier, and DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince. Talib’s thought provoking lyrics meshed perfectly with Tek’s moody, lush production, but the collaboration was almost too good to be true, as it only lasted one album. The two went their separate ways – still collaborating on various tracks from time to time – but both focused on their individual solo careers. In retrospect, while many dope songs came out of both artist’s respective repertoires, it is safe to say that as far as their full-length albums go, Train of Thought trumped them all.

Much like Raekwon’s better-late-than-never Only Built For Cuban Linx Part II, the dissolution of the music industry has allowed for one positive aspect amid declining sales: allowing artists to make art. The formulaic “rich rapper” album formula pioneered by Nas, Jay-Z and Biggie found just about every emcee assembling teams of hand-picked producers and guest artists to make the most marketable record possible – while this still happens in this day and age – it did take away from the one emcee / one producer approach that helped produce so many classic albums throughout hip-hop history. Revolutions Per Minute brings it back around, finally reuniting Talib Kweli and Hi-Tek for a second LP.

Talib Kweli has a lot to say, and a massive seventeen tracks to say it on. Tek’s production has evolved from it’s once purely backpack roots, delving into several different styles of production, all within his signature trademark style. The album gets off to a bit of a slow start, with the murky “City Playground” and a not-quite “The Blast” sequel, “Back Again” (feat. Res). But things kick in nicely by the time “Strangers” rolls around, as Talib and Bun B drop some of their best verses in recent memory, as Tek’s horns sound the alarm every few bars. The soulful “In This World” also knocks it out the park, as Tek brilliantly chops the original sample and Kweli flows effortlessly atop the beat. “Lifting Off” is notable as well, as Tek channels his inner-Dilla for this zoned out drug ballad, while the depressing “In The Red” explores the dark realities of post-celebrity lifestyle. The posse cut “Just Begun” features J. Cole, Mos Def, and Jay Electronica, as the quartet flow over a vintage jazz loop, reminiscent of the classic “Fortified Live”. But the album’s shining jewel is “Ballad Of The Black Gold”, which is arguably Tek’s strongest beat and Talib’s most poignant speech, especially in light of the recent BP oil spill.

With an album so packed with material, the duo could have trimmed the fat a little. “So Good”, for instance, merely plods along with Tek’s redundant beat, while the aforementioned “City Playgrounds” and “Back Again” get the album off to a bit of a slow start. Fans might turn their noses up at the more “commercial” (in the loosest sense of the term) collaborations with “Get Loose” (feat. Chester French) and “Midnight Hour” (feat. Estelle). Neither are bad – both are respectable, in fact, however they do feel somewhat out of place among the album’s other tracks.

All in all, Revolutions Per Minute is a different LP than Train of Thought – this one built more around concepts of fear, it’s predecessor more rooted in love. However it’s a sign of the times. Much of what Talib Kweli is saying here needs to be said and heard by many. Truth be told, these two bring the best out in one another – let’s just hope it doesn’t take another ten years to do it again.

]]> http://www.hiphopsite.com/2010/06/02/talib-kweli-hi-tek-reflection-eternal-revolutions-per-minute-review-sticky/feed/ 6 http://www.hiphopsite.com/2010/05/28/reflection-eternal-the-roots-ballad-of-the-black-gold-live-on-fallon-video/ http://www.hiphopsite.com/2010/05/28/reflection-eternal-the-roots-ballad-of-the-black-gold-live-on-fallon-video/#comments Fri, 28 May 2010 10:23:50 +0000 http://www.hiphopsite.com/?p=16602

Talib Kweli + Hi-Tek perform “Ballad Of The Black Gold”, backed up by The Roots. Taken from the album, Revolutions Per Minute, available now. Nice lyric change up – shout out to BP, heh……

New Court Dunn directed clip from the album Revolutions Per Minute, in stores now.

Kweli and Hi-Tek perform the banging “Ballad Of the Black Gold” during their tour stop in San Fran.

As the Revolutions Per Minute tour continues Kweli and Hi-Tek stopped to chat with DJ Reflex, discussing such topics as; the changing nature of hiphop, their return as a group and love for Dilla.

Kweli and Hi-Tek dropped in for an interview on “Friday Night Flavas”, discussing the new LP Revolutions Per Minute, among other things.

Here is the footage of Reflection Eternal and Estelle performing tonight on Jimmy Kimmel Live. Revolutions Per Minute from Reflection Eternal is in stores now.

Real shit right here….. Talib rocks stages, stadiums, and intimate in stores at real record shops. Revolutions Per Minute in stores now.

Nas & Damian Marley – Distant Relatives – ITunes is the only company offering bonus tracks for the Jones / Marley collabo, which gets you the entire digital album for $9.99, plus one exclusive bonus track, “Ancient People”. Amazon counters this with the album for $7.99, without the bonus track, plus a special offer to get a $4.00 credit towards their Video On Demand service. If you’re into that kind of thing. Verdict: Itunes.

Talib Kweli & Hi-Tek (Reflection Eternal) – Revolutions Per Minute - Itunes snatches up some extra content for Reflection Eternal’s long-awaited reunion LP, including three bonus videos: “Strangers” (feat. Bun B), “Back Again”, and “In This World”. However the price of $14.99 is a little steep. You can purchase the album without the videos at Itunes for $11.99, but Amazon’s got them beat there with the a la cart digital album for $9.99. That $4.00 V.O.D. credit applies here too. Verdict: Itunes.

Janelle Monae – The Archandroid - Janelle had some pretty sweet pre-order offers up over the last month, but those are over with now. Still, you can cop the “Deluxe Digital Album” directly from her webstore, which includes two exclusive remixes of “Tightrope” by Mouch & Big and Organized Noize (!), plus the video as well. Verdict: JMonae.com

Roc Marciano – Marcberg – This buzzworthy release has caused some confusion as they released a Marcburg EP with virtually the same cover art a few weeks ago. Never mind that – this is the one you want. Itunes gets the drop on everyone, with instrumentals for the entire album included with purchase of the digital LP, all for $9.99. Steve Jobs is probably freestyling in the mirror over these beats right now. Verdict: Itunes.

Guilty Simpson + Madlib – O.J. Simpson - Stones Throw is already ahead of the game on this one, as they have been offering the album for sale for a few weeks now, but with today’s official street date, they now serve up the vinyl and CD. Purchasing either at $14.99 and $13.99 respectively will net you the exclusive Stones Throw Fan Club 45 of “Friends Only”. Our friends at UGHH are also offering the 45 as well. Verdict: Stones Throw

Vibe TV catches up with Hi Tek and Kweli for a nice ‘Day In The Life’. Revolutions Per Minute will be in stores May 18th.

New drop from Revolutions Per Minute.Just another butter track from Kweli and Hi-Tek.Revolutions Per Minute is stores May 18th.

LISTEN: Reflection Eternal – “Ballad of The Black Gold”