Talib Kweli Gives US Quality and Quantity With This Timeless Classic

Reflection Eternal
Talib Kweli and Hi Tek



Talib Kweli broke on the rap scene with the amazing The Manifesto, which showed the world all the skill around this amazing lyricist. Even though his flow wasn't that great with lines like "If you’re rhyming for the money then you a prostitute" made the underground embrace Kweli as they waited anxiously for his debut. Talib Kweli debuted with Mos Def in the group called Black Star from Brooklyn. He impressed me with his smooth flow and well crafted lyrics along side some amazing production by Hi Tek. This 11-track album was near flawless so everyone couldn’t wait to hear more from Kweli. Talib Kweli's career continued with the Hi Tek in Reflection Eternal a classic album in every sense. It features tight lyrics with smooth enjoyable and highly addicting production. This album proves why Talib Kweli is one of the most intelligent rappers to ever grasp a mic.

But would it surpass his legendary debut with Mos Def?

Experience Dedication (Intro)
Move Somethin 4 1/2 stars
Some Kind Of Wonderful 5 stars
The Blast 5 stars
This Means You 5 stars
Too Late 5 stars
Memories Live 5 stars
African Dream 4 1/2 stars
Down For The Count 5 stars
Name Of The Game 5 stars
Ghetto Afterlife 5 stars
On My Way (Intro)
Love Language 5 stars
Love Speakeasy (Intro)
Soul Rebels 4 stars
Externalists 4 1/2 stars
Big Nel From Da Natti (Intro)
Touch You 4 stars
Good Mourning 5 stars
Expansion Outro (Intro)
For Women 5 stars

The first real track is Move Something where Hi Tek gives us a hard-hitting beat for Kweli to rap some great battle raps. It features trumpets and a hard baseline, which makes is club available but still kept underground. He also gives us alot of introspective rap which will be found everywhere on this album. For new Kweli fans you will notice Kweli is anti violence compared to most rappers out there. On this single Talib is much more aggressive then usual and is a great way to start off this album. Some kind of wonderful shows Talib with some serious battle raps over another great beat. The first true classic is the addicting The Blast, which actually features Tek rapping. The production is so addicting with a nice smooth jazzy beat and Kweli being chanted every few seconds in the background. Kweli gives us some introspective lyrics including his son missing his father. Hi Teck does a good job to complete this classic with a strong verse and the only time I ever heard him step up to the mic.


Mos Def joins Kweli on the epic This Means You. Black Star is in full force here as they spit pure fire over another smooth beat, which changes from jazzy to an old gladiator theme for the hook. This is a career highlight for both of them and another Black Star track to add to their list of classics. Too late shows him speaking about the death of hip-hop with all the talent less artists making millions of rap. "Where were you when hip hop died, is too early to mourn, is it too late to ride" tells you Kweli is serious on this great. African dream features an interesting beat with African Drums. The unique production helps this song advance even though Kweli only has a small verse but is defiantly worth hearing.

Xzibit and Rah Digga join Kweli on the next track, where all three emcees bring some tight battle raps. Kweli easily outshines both of them over a classic hard hitting baseline, which sounds, likes something Dre used to make mixed with a Hi Teck edge. Next we get the very short Name of the game where Kweli raps for a minute with more lines then you will find in a 6 minute Nelly single. He speeds up his delivery so he can give us one of the best lyrical displays on this album." Stop trying to act up on the microphone, work out your self-esteem issues when you alone" is one of the many quotable available on this amazing track. My only complaint is it is just to short and he should have given us a second verse to go with this amazing production.

After getting political on the Ghetto afterlife Talib Kweli makes a classic love song with Love Language. This RnB track is a great example how you can make an intelligent song about relationships never seen by all these "great artists" on MTV. The hook is amazing as it has love being spoken in many different languages. Kweli meeting up De La Soul with Soul Rebels and Touch You that are some of the weaker tracks off the album but are not filler and are both worth listening too. Externalist is a great battle rap over an addicting instrumental, which will get you hypnotized. This battle raps are some of the better ones I have heard from him thus far. But this is just a teaser for one of the greatest moments in hip-hop with the legendary Good Mourning.

Good Mourning - http://www.epinions.com/content_3881083012

Once this track ends, you will be pretty pleased with the amazing album. But it is not over yet, after the one minute instrumental Kweli gives us another flawless classic with the hidden For Women. Over saddening production Kweli gives us a story of four women who have in countered tough struggles in their life. I will not ruin the story by giving any of it away but Kweli's detailed description could bring anyone to tears. This legendary hip-hop track is one of the greatest stories ever, recited and should not be missed my any means.


It always makes me laugh when people think Quality is his best album and he has improved since this album. Quality was a good album no doubt but this is a hip hop classic up their with such greats as Illmatic, Me against the world, The Realness and 36 Chambers. Kweli gives us a lyrical display that equals Nas or Ras Kass off their debuts with some of the best production ever heard from Hi Tek. This album could easily break into the mainstream because it’s amazingly smooth production and Kweli’s accessible voice but did not because it is much too intelligent and well written. Talib Kweli manages to outshine his Black Star as he proves he can give you Quality and Quantity all in the same album.


5 stars (Classic)


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