Ten years ago MC Talib Kweli and DJ/producer Hi-Tek formed the group Reflection Eternal and released what many consider to be a classic album, Train of Thought,that gave us classics such as Move Somethin’ and The Blast . With Hi-Tek, now working under Dre’s Aftermath label, he’s been pushing his beats under the Hi-Teknology series of albums and with Talib Kweli releasing 3 solo LP’s. This album in a lot of ways is a continuation of what Talib and Hi-Tek have been doing in their own solo careers.
The opening cut on the album “City Playgrounds” is a weak start to the album and only Kweli’s strong verses carry this overly simple Hi-Tek beat. The current single Midnight Hour featuring Estelle is a slight departure from the Talib Kweli and Hi-Tek sound. In an obvious attempt to gain commercial appeal Midnight Hour features Kweli using a regressed rhyme style to cater to the Motown style beat and retro Mark Ronson-style horns.
Besides the filler of tracks such as “Got Work”, there are moments of brilliance such as the great narrative on “Ballad of the Black Gold”, a history lesson on the disastrous effects that the greed of oil produces. Talib Kweli’s word play combines social consciousness with geeky pop-culture references, sometimes over the course of a single line for example with references to 2009 Sci-Fi movie “District 9″. Then there’s “Just Begun,” an outstanding posse cut with three supreme lyricists — Jay Electronica, J. Cole, and Mos Def, and probably my favourite track on the whole album. Whilst on “Get Loose,” Kweli and Chester French embrace hip-hop/new-wave fusion.
Comparisons between Train of Thought and Revolutions Per Minute are inevitable, but almost unfair, given the extended period of time between the release of the two projects and a hell of a lot has changed since former label, Rawkus, was the home of progressive hip-hop, but the duo’s commitment to making good music hasn’t changed at all.
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