Reflection Eternal

1	Experience Dedication / Kweli, Talib & Hi Tek 2:23
2	Move Somethin' / Kweli, Talib & Hi Tek 3:08
3	Some Kind of Wonderful / Kweli, Talib & Hi Tek 3:14
4	The Blast / Vinia Mojica 3:07
5	This Means You / Mos Def 4:12
6	Too Late / RES 3:25
7	Memories Live / Kweli, Talib & Hi Tek 3:58
8	Africa Dream / Kweli, Talib & Hi Tek 4:09
9	Down for the Count / Xzibit 3:51
10	Name of the Game / Kweli, Talib & Hi Tek 1:50
11	Ghetto Afterlife / Kool G Rap 2:58
12	On My Way / Kweli, Talib & Hi Tek 1:09
13	Love Language / Les Nubians 5:02
14	Love Speakeasy / Kweli, Talib & Hi Tek 1:38
15	Soul Rebels / De La Soul 4:02
16	Eternalists / Kweli, Talib & Hi Tek 3:58
17	Big del from da Natti / Kweli, Talib & Hi Tek 1:15
18	Touch You / Kweli, Talib & Hi Tek 4:41
19	Good Mourning / Kweli, Talib & Hi Tek 3:34
20	Expansion Outro / Kweli, Talib & Hi Tek 7:59
21	For Women / Kweli, Talib & Hi Tek

Barnes & Noble

As one half of the conscious rap duo Black Star, Talib Kweli has emerged as one of hip-hop's brightest new stars. And on Reflection Eternal, with the assistance of DJ Hi Tek, Kweli continues to give the lifeless body of mainstream rap a much-needed transfusion with his thought-provoking lyrics. You won't find any frat-boy anthems or gangsta metaphors here. Reflection Eternal is a soundtrack for inner-city rage. On "Move Something," Kweli forewarns plastic rappers that he will "break y'all spirit if y'all fake that realness" over Hi-Tek's militant horns, while his Black Star partner in rhyme Mos Def lends support on the orchestral battle cry "This Means You." Guest spots from old-schoolers De La Soul on the guitar-funky "Soul Rebels," sultry French duo Les Nubians on "Love Language," and nasty man Rick James on the playful chorus of "Touch Me" add new dimensions to Kweli's underground sound. With a splendid blend of inventive production and street-credible yet intellectually rousing rhymes, Reflection Eternal gives listeners a lot to ponder. Ryan Crosby

All Music Guide

After releasing a handful of essential 12"s on various Rawkus Records projects in the late '90s, Talib Kweli and DJ Hi-Tek were on the verge of becoming one of hip-hop's best-kept secrets. Yet their original incarnation as a duo expanded into a triumvirate with the inclusion of Mos Def and transformed their eventual manifestation into Black Star, thwarting their initial bid for acclaim. While Kweli's stardom may have been initially eclipsed by his more charismatic cohort, Mos Def, Reflection Eternal houses enough merit to establish Talib as one of this generation's most poetic MCs. Kweli is a rare MC, as his lyricism resounds with a knowledge that transcends his still tender age. He does not aspire to reprogram the masses with this album, just rehabilitate them, as he laments on "The Blast": "They ask me what I'm writing for/I'm writing to show you what we fighting for." In an effort to celebrate life, Kweli breaks down hip-hop's obsession with death on "Good Mourning" and "Too Late." But it is his varied lyrical content that is most inspiring, effortlessly transitioning from the poignant circle-of-life epic "For Women" to the rugged "Some Kind of Wonderful" and "Down for the Count," featuring Rah Digga and Xzibit. While the unassuming, largely minimalist grooves that Hi-Tek supplied on Black Star's debut longed for a dramatic flair, he displays a remarkable maturation on Reflection Eternal. In fact, Tek's loping keyboard wails, soulful staccato claps, and shimmering piano loops are often sublime in their arrangement and outcome. Though Kweli and Hi-Tek's debut harbors over-ambitious tendencies, clocking in at over 70 minutes in length, they are a duo that will undoubtedly stain their memory into hip-hop's collective memory with this noteworthy debut. Welcome to the new generation of Native Tongue speaking. ~ Matt Conaway, All Music Guide