Already in the midst of a tour that my friend Matt describes as “ballin’ severe,” Talib Kweli and Hi-Tek are set to release Revolutions Per Minute, the first Reflection Eternal album since 2000’s Train Of Thought (an album that made my list for TMT’s Favorite Albums 2000-2009). To commemorate the reunion, they have created a classic MySpace page (ask your parents) where one can stream the new singles and watch behind-the-scenes and in-front-of-the-scenes music videos.
On the single “In This World,” Hi-Tek samples the now-infamous lyric from Jay-Z’s “Moment of Clarity”: “If skills sold/ Truth be told/ I’d probably be/ Lyrically, Talib Kweli.” Jay-Z, who knew that lyrics in fact do not sell, proceeded to release two awful LPs and a movie soundtrack, while Kweli continued to hover just below the threshold of mainstream popularity. While “Strangers” features some good old-fashioned Kweli quick-flow (what the fuck is he saying at 1:08?!), “Midnight Hour” is completely absent of Kweli’s trademark tricky-ass rhymes. Still, I have to admit I’m sold on Hit-Tek’s faux-60s-soul-pop production. And while complicated, multi-syllabic rhymes may have become Kweli’s trademark, his real strength lies in his ability to deliver lyrics of any complexity with a consistent god-damn-ness.
So check out Revolutions Per Minute on May 18, and be sure to catch Reflection Eternal’s tour ballin’ severe. If you don’t trust a stranger named Matt, then why do you even trust me? And If you don’t get that joke, reread the first paragraph.
Revolutions Per Minute tracklist:
01. Revolutions Per Mindset’s
02. Back Again” (feat. Res)
03. City Playgrounds
04. Strangers (Paranoid) (feat. Bun B)
05. In This World
06. Got Work (Fame)
07. Midnight Hour” (feat. Estelle)
08. In the Red
09. Lift’in Off
10. Black Gold Intro (The Black Gold Countdown)
11. Ballad of the Black Gold
12. Just Begun (feat. Mos Def, Jay Electronica & J. Cole)
13. Long Hot Summer
14. Get Loose (feat. Chester French)
15. So Good
16. Ends (feat. Bilal)
17. Outro
Reflection Eternal tourdates:
05.10.10 - Kansas City, MO - Midland Theatre
05.11.10 - Tulsa, OK - Cains
05.12.10 - Houston, TX - Warehouse
05.13.10 - Dallas, TX - Granada Theatre
05.15.10 - Boulder, CO - Fox Theatre
05.16.10 - Denver, CO - Bluebird
05.19.10 - Los Angeles, CA - House of Blues
05.20.10 - Anaheim, CA - The Grove
05.21.10 - Phoenix, AZ - The Clubhouse
05.22.10 - Tucson, AZ - DV8
05.23.10 - Ventura, CA - Ventura Theatre
05.24.10 - San Francisco, CA - Fillmore
05.25.10 - San Diego, CA - House of Blues
05.26.10 - Santa Cruz, CA - Catalyst Nightclub
05.28.10 - Portland, OR - Aladdin Theatre
05.29.10 - Seattle, WA - ShowBox at the Market
• Reflection Eternal: http://www.myspace.com/reflectioneternal
• Blacksmith: http://www.yearoftheblacksmith.com
