Name: Talib Kweli & Hi-Tek
Album: "Reflection Eternal"
Released: October 17th, 2000
Category: East Coast, Positive
Rating: 5/5
Reviewed By: Infinite on 1/14/01
Often you hear hip-hop outsiders refer to rap music
as being materialistic. Rap music as being violent,
misogynistic or monotonous.
The aforementioned
sentiments are rank with bergiouse and ignorance.
The description of rap as being one thing or the other
is an altogether grafted view of a diverse art form.
And it is albums like Talib Kweli and Hi-Tek's "Eternal
Reflection" that drive the point home. On tracks
such as "Move Somethin" "Some Kind of Wonderful" and
"Ghetto Afterlife," Kweli poses as a battle rhymer.
Exposing fake thugs with lines such as, "These niggaz
ain't thugs/The real thugs is the government/Doesn't
matter if you independant/Democrat or Republican."
Other tracks such
as "The Blast" and "Memories Live" Kweli finds himself
reflective, and calm. Enjoying the beautiful things
in life that are often overlooked. Xzibit adds
his welcomed left coast perspective to the album on
the track, "Down For the Count" in wich he trades rhymes
with East Coast natives Kweli and Rah Digga. Kweli
breaks down the word "love" on the track "Love Language"
and meets the attempt with much success. "It's
tragic when you wonder where you lost that magic/Without
understandin that you never had it/Tried to grab it/Beg
to get a nut off/Communication cut off/Gettin mad because
you turned her on/Wonder when she shut off."
The album ends
with the songs, "Good Mourning" and "For Women" both
touching tracks. With the latter being sad enough
to make the hardest thugs shed a tear. A tear
for the characters in the song, a young rape victim,
and a a 100 year old women Kweli says he looks up to.
Hi-Tek offers a noteworthy performance on the production
end. With the sounds of live instruments as apposed
to the sonic beats that run ramped in today's rap climate.
This album is great because Kweli makes us remember
the important things in life, and the beauty that we
often overlook. And he does this with all the
masculinity and bravado that is hip-hop music. - Infinite
