Revolutions Per Minute

Ten years after their classic contribution Train of Thought sealed their fates in hip-hop lore, Talib Kweli and Hi-Tek present their follow-up venture Revolutions Per Minute! With their first collaboration praised for its uplifting messages and nostalgic soundscape, Kweli's command of the mic and Hi-Tek's versatile production skills have made this album one of the most anticipated hip-hop albums of 2010. Aside from the denotative meaning - the number of times a record can go around on a record player - Talib Kweli explains the title is two-fold: "It's the idea of revolution through music. It's the idea that people in today's culture take things in YouTube-sized bites and clips and if it's not in a clip or a soundbite or something that you can fit in under a minute, people don't pay attention to it. The idea is: How many revolutions can you get accomplished in under a minute in a quick culture?"

Exclusively produced by Hi-Tek, features on the album include appearances by Estelle, Bilal, Bun B, Mos Def, Jay Electronica, J. Cole, Res and Chester French. The album covers an array of topics that discuss the shortcomings of America ("Strangers"), society's obsession with fame ("Got Work"), an honest discussion of drug use ("Lift'in Off"), the pining for a lover returning home ("Midnight Hour"), a music history lesson ("In the Red"), and even a track about Nigeria's corruption-riddled oil business ("Black Gold"). This kind of entertainment with real world application manifests itself on the album's first single "In This World." Accompanied by Hi-Tek's pulsating bass and a gripping soul sample, Kweli contemplates success and the infinite obstacles that prove burdensome to its maturation with a resounding co-sign from Jay-Z. In their time off since Train of Thought, Hi-Tek and Kweli kept busy with a number of projects, collaborations and releases making them some of the most sought after talents in hip-hop. In early 2010, Reflection Eternal released The RE:Union Mixtape, a work of new and old material that would serve as a prelude to what listeners can expect from the full LP.