While Kweli's stardom may have been initially eclipsed by his more charismatic cohort, Mos Def, Train of Thought houses enough merit to establish Talib as one of this generation's most poetic MCs. 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. It spawned 3 singles: “In This World”, “Strangers (Paranoid)” featuring former UGK member Bun B, and Midnight Hour featuring Estelle.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.
Their second album Revolutions Per Minute was released on with similar praise as their debut album. These 3 songs were released in a mixtape on Janucalled The Re:Union which received positive feedback from fans. Cole, Mos Def, and Jay Electronica on the track “Just Begun”. Also a track “Back Again” has been released along with video. In the same year Bootsy Collins collaborated with Talib Kweli and Hi-Tek on the track “Internet Connection”. The two reunited on stage in Toronto, Ontario, Canada on September 20, 2009. They named their release Revolutions Per Minute. In 2008, it was announced that another Reflection Eternal was in the works. Kweli released his next album, Ear Drum, in 2007, featuring production from Tek Hi-Tek released the follow-up to his debut, Hi-Teknology 2: The Chip, in 2006 and his third album, Hi-Teknology 3: The Underground, in 2007, both on Babygrande Records and both featuring appearances by Kweli. Kweli’s second solo album, 2004’s The Beautiful Struggle, saw the duo working together once again, with three tracks produced by Hi-Tek. The Kanye West-produced single “Get By” became Kweli’s biggest success, charting on the Billboard Hot 100 in 2003.
Hi-Tek was not involved with the project’s production, instead, featuring instrumentals from Kanye West, DJ Scratch, DJ Quik, Ayatollah and J Dilla. In a 2002 interview he also stated that another Reflection Eternal and Black Star album would be released. Kweli released his first solo album, Quality, in late 2002. The album’s single “Round & Round” became a crossover hit in 2002. Though highly acclaimed, the release did not receive a significant amount of commercial attention, despite the success of singles, “Move Somethin'” and “The Blast”.įollowing the Train of Thought album, the duo focused on their solo projects, beginning with Hi-Tek’s Hi-Teknology, released in 2001, on which Kweli appeared. Kweli and Hi-Tek reconnected in 2000 for the release of their debut album, Train of Thought. Hi-Tek provided production for a number of songs on the album, including the singles “Definition” and “Respiration.” The album put the three at the forefront of an underground Hip Hop scene that appeared at the time to be flagging against the influence of the “Jiggy” era of Hip Hop, and was followed by a number of acclaimed compilations and albums. In 1998, Kweli and his high school friend and fellow Rawkus Records artist, Mos Def, formed the duo, Black Star, and released their first, and only album, Black Star, to rave reviews. The tracks from their debut single, “Fortified Live” b/w “2000 Seasons” were included on the Rawkus Records compilation Soundbombing in October 1997. That same year, the two formed Reflection Eternal, and signed to upstart underground Hip Hop record label, Rawkus Records. Talib Kweli and Hi-Tek met in Tek’s native Cincinnati, Ohio, following the release of the Hi-Tek/Mood collaboration “Hustle on the Side.” Kweli and Hi-Tek made their first official collaboration in 1997 on Mood’s debut album, Doom, on the track “Industry Lies”.