Train of Thought (Reflection Eternal album)
Encyclopedia
Train of Thought is the debut album
of American hip hop
duo Reflection Eternal
, released October 17, 2000 on Rawkus Records
. Collaborating as a duo, rapper
Talib Kweli
and DJ
and hip hop producer Hi-Tek
recorded the album during 1999 to 2000, following their individual musical work that gained notice in New York's underground scene during the late 1990s. Kweli had previously worked with rapper Mos Def
as the duo Black Star, and Hi-Tek had served as producer on the duo's debut album.
Produced primarily by Hi-Tek, the album is characterized by dynamic, high-tempo tracks and a Soulquarians
-type neo soul
sound. It showcases Kweli's rapping and features themes of revolutionary mentality, love, the state of hip hop, and modern African-American culture. Upon its release, Train of Thought achieved moderate sales success and received generally positive reviews from most music critics.
writer Kyla Kyles gave the album 3½ out of 4 stars, stating "With a flurry of metaphors and below-the-basement underground beats, this train is on the right track. This disc proves that Kweli is a deep-thinking, gifted MC, and Hi Tek is an emerging wax master." Allmusic's Matt Conaway gave it 4½ out of 5 stars and compared Reflection Eternal's music to the work of the Native Tongues
collective, while writing that the album "houses enough merit to establish Talib as one of this generation's most poetic MCs". PopMatters
writer Dave Heaton gave Train of Thought a favorable review and described Talib Kweli as "a hyper-articulate MC with a revolutionary's mind and a sensitive poet's heart, but he's also a world-class battle MC, able to rip other MCs' rhymes apart in a quick second". Rolling Stone
magazine gave the album 3.5 stars and called it "the rare socially aware hip-hop record that can get fists pumping in a rowdy nightclub".
Despite giving the album a rating of 7.9/10, Pitchfork Media
critic Sam Eccleston expressed a mixed response towards Kweli's boastful lyrics, stating "Kweli uses the rhythm as a foundation, building rambling, baroque rhyme structures on top of them, exhibiting his cock-eyed 'skills'. This kind of braggadocio doesn't weaken the effort in the same way his moralizing self-canonization does, if only because he can often back those claims up". Vibe magazine gave it 3 out of 5 stars and shared a similar sentiment, writing "Reflection Eternals great weakness is Kweli's excessive preaching about the state of hip hop, but at least he cares". A retrospective Rolling Stone review gives the album 4 out of 5 stars and calls it "thick with fierce street raps ('Down for the Count' and 'Ghetto Afterlife'), maudlin soul ('Love Language'), and the type of insightful versifying Kweli has made his stock-in-trade ('Memories Live' and 'This Means You')".
information for Train of Thought adapted from TheBreaks.
Move Something
This Means You
Too Late
Memories Live
Ghetto Afterlife
Love Language
Love Speakeasy
Soul Rebels
Eternalists
Big Del from Da Natti
Good Mourning
Singles
Studio album
A studio album is an album made up of tracks recorded in the controlled environment of a recording studio. A studio album contains newly written and recorded or previously unreleased or remixed material, distinguishing itself from a compilation or reissue album of previously recorded material, or...
of American hip hop
Hip hop music
Hip hop music, also called hip-hop, rap music or hip-hop music, is a musical genre consisting of a stylized rhythmic music that commonly accompanies rapping, a rhythmic and rhyming speech that is chanted...
duo Reflection Eternal
Reflection Eternal
Reflection Eternal is a hip hop duo composed of emcee Talib Kweli and DJ Hi-Tek. They released their first album, Train of Thought, in 2000...
, released October 17, 2000 on Rawkus Records
Rawkus Records
Rawkus Records is an American hip-hop record label known for jump-starting the careers of both Mos Def and Talib Kweli. Rawkus started in 1996 with initial releases ranging from hip-hop to drum and bass...
. Collaborating as a duo, rapper
Rapping
Rapping refers to "spoken or chanted rhyming lyrics". The art form can be broken down into different components, as in the book How to Rap where it is separated into “content”, “flow” , and “delivery”...
Talib Kweli
Talib Kweli
Talib Kweli Greene , better known as Talib Kweli, is an American hip-hop artist and poet from Brooklyn, New York. His first name in Arabic means "student" or "seeker" ; his in Swahili means "true"...
and DJ
Disc jockey
A disc jockey, also known as DJ, is a person who selects and plays recorded music for an audience. Originally, "disc" referred to phonograph records, not the later Compact Discs. Today, the term includes all forms of music playback, no matter the medium.There are several types of disc jockeys...
and hip hop producer Hi-Tek
Hi-Tek
Tony Cottrell, better known as Hi-Tek, is an American record producer and rapper from Cincinnati, Ohio. He is best known for his work with Talib Kweli on his Reflection Eternal album and on Black Star...
recorded the album during 1999 to 2000, following their individual musical work that gained notice in New York's underground scene during the late 1990s. Kweli had previously worked with rapper Mos Def
Mos Def
Dante Terrell Smith is an American actor and Emcee known by the stage names Mos Def and Yasiin Bey. He started his hip hop career in a group called Urban Thermo Dynamics, after which he appeared on albums by Da Bush Babees and De La Soul. With Talib Kweli, he formed the duo Black Star, which...
as the duo Black Star, and Hi-Tek had served as producer on the duo's debut album.
Produced primarily by Hi-Tek, the album is characterized by dynamic, high-tempo tracks and a Soulquarians
Soulquarians
The Soulquarians is a neo soul and hip hop-informed musical collective with members from Philadelphia, New York, Detroit, Richmond, Brooklyn, Chicago, Dallas, and Oakland. The collective formed during the late 1990s, continuing into the early 2000s, and produced several well-received albums...
-type neo soul
Neo soul
The term neo soul was originally coined by Kedar Massenburg of Motown Records in the late 1990s as a marketing category following the commercial breakthroughs of artists such as D'Angelo, Erykah Badu, Lauryn Hill, and Maxwell...
sound. It showcases Kweli's rapping and features themes of revolutionary mentality, love, the state of hip hop, and modern African-American culture. Upon its release, Train of Thought achieved moderate sales success and received generally positive reviews from most music critics.
Reception
Chicago Sun-TimesChicago Sun-Times
The Chicago Sun-Times is an American daily newspaper published in Chicago, Illinois. It is the flagship paper of the Sun-Times Media Group.-History:The Chicago Sun-Times is the oldest continuously published daily newspaper in the city...
writer Kyla Kyles gave the album 3½ out of 4 stars, stating "With a flurry of metaphors and below-the-basement underground beats, this train is on the right track. This disc proves that Kweli is a deep-thinking, gifted MC, and Hi Tek is an emerging wax master." Allmusic's Matt Conaway gave it 4½ out of 5 stars and compared Reflection Eternal's music to the work of the Native Tongues
Native tongues
Native Tongues is a book by the linguist Charles Berlitz.It is a list of words in different languages, etymology and questions with speculations far and wide about words....
collective, while writing that the album "houses enough merit to establish Talib as one of this generation's most poetic MCs". PopMatters
PopMatters
PopMatters is an international webzine of cultural criticism that covers many aspects of popular culture. PopMatters publishes reviews, interviews, and detailed essays on most cultural products and expressions in areas such as music, television, films, books, video games, comics, sports, theater,...
writer Dave Heaton gave Train of Thought a favorable review and described Talib Kweli as "a hyper-articulate MC with a revolutionary's mind and a sensitive poet's heart, but he's also a world-class battle MC, able to rip other MCs' rhymes apart in a quick second". Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone is a US-based magazine devoted to music, liberal politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J...
magazine gave the album 3.5 stars and called it "the rare socially aware hip-hop record that can get fists pumping in a rowdy nightclub".
Despite giving the album a rating of 7.9/10, Pitchfork Media
Pitchfork Media
Pitchfork Media, usually known simply as Pitchfork or P4k, is a Chicago-based daily Internet publication established in 1995 that is devoted to music criticism and commentary, music news, and artist interviews. Its focus is on underground and independent music, especially indie rock...
critic Sam Eccleston expressed a mixed response towards Kweli's boastful lyrics, stating "Kweli uses the rhythm as a foundation, building rambling, baroque rhyme structures on top of them, exhibiting his cock-eyed 'skills'. This kind of braggadocio doesn't weaken the effort in the same way his moralizing self-canonization does, if only because he can often back those claims up". Vibe magazine gave it 3 out of 5 stars and shared a similar sentiment, writing "Reflection Eternals great weakness is Kweli's excessive preaching about the state of hip hop, but at least he cares". A retrospective Rolling Stone review gives the album 4 out of 5 stars and calls it "thick with fierce street raps ('Down for the Count' and 'Ghetto Afterlife'), maudlin soul ('Love Language'), and the type of insightful versifying Kweli has made his stock-in-trade ('Memories Live' and 'This Means You')".
Track listing
| # | Title | Songwriters | Producer(s) | Performer (s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Experience Dedication" | Tony Cottrell, Talib Kweli Greene | Hi-Tek | Dave Chappelle Dave Chappelle David Khari Webber "Dave" Chappelle is an American comedian, screenwriter, television/film producer, actor, and artist. Chappelle began his film career in the film Robin Hood: Men in Tights in 1993 and continued to star in minor roles in the films The Nutty Professor, Con Air, and Blue Streak. His... , Talib Kweli |
| 2 | "Move Somethin' Move Somethin' Move Somethin may refer to:*Move Somethin, a 1988 album by 2 Live Crew*"Move Somethin'", a song by Reflection Eternal from their 2000 album Train of Thought... " |
Tony Cottrell, Talib Kweli Greene | Hi-Tek | Talib Kweli Nonye (background) |
| 3 | "Some Kind of Wonderful" | Tony Cottrell, Talib Kweli Greene | Hi-Tek | Talib Kweli |
| 4 | "The Blast The Blast (song) "The Blast" is a hip hop single from Reflection Eternal's debut album, Train of Thought. It features rapping from the duo's emcee, Talib Kweli, as well as from its producer, DJ Hi-Tek. It is the only Reflection Eternal song that Hi-Tek raps on, and like all Reflection Eternal songs, he produces it.... " |
Tony Cottrell, Talib Kweli Greene | Hi-Tek | Hi-Tek, Talib Kweli, Vinia Mojica Vinia Mojica Vinia Mojica is a singer from Queens, New York, best known for her collaborations with the Native Tongues collective and other hip hop artists.... |
| 5 | "This Means You" | Tony Cottrell, Talib Kweli Greene, Dante Smith | Hi-Tek | Mos Def Mos Def Dante Terrell Smith is an American actor and Emcee known by the stage names Mos Def and Yasiin Bey. He started his hip hop career in a group called Urban Thermo Dynamics, after which he appeared on albums by Da Bush Babees and De La Soul. With Talib Kweli, he formed the duo Black Star, which... , Talib Kweli |
| 6 | "Too Late" | Tony Cottrell, Talib Kweli Greene | Hi-Tek | Res, Talib Kweli |
| 7 | "Memories Live" | Tony Cottrell, Talib Kweli Greene | Hi-Tek | Talib Kweli Big Del (background), Donte (background) |
| 8 | "Africa Dream" | Tony Cottrell, Talib Kweli Greene, Weldon Irvine | Talib Kweli, Weldon Irvine Weldon Irvine Weldon Jonathan Irvine, Jr. , also known Master Wel, was an American composer, playwright, poet, pianist and organist.-Biography:... , Hi-Tek (co-producer) |
Talib Kweli |
| 9 | "Down for the Count" | Tony Cottrell, Talib Kweli Greene, Rashia Fisher, Alvin Joiner | Hi-Tek | Rah Digga Rah Digga Rah Digga is an American rapper. Well known as a long time member of the Flipmode Squad, a hip hop group led by Busta Rhymes, she parted ways amicably with the group in 2007. She has been called "one of rap's most prominent women MCs" by Allmusic and "one of hip-hop's most skilled female MCs" in... , Talib Kweli, Xzibit Xzibit Alvin Nathaniel Joiner , better known by his stage name Xzibit , is an American rapper, actor, and television host. He is known as the host of the MTV show Pimp My Ride, which brought him mainstream success... |
| 10 | "Name of the Game" | Tony Cottrell, Talib Kweli Greene | Hi-Tek | Talib Kweli |
| 11 | "Ghetto Afterlife" | Tony Cottrell, Talib Kweli Greene, Nathaniel Wilson | Hi-Tek | Kool G Rap Kool G Rap Nathaniel Thomas Wilson , better known by his stage names Kool G Rap , Kool G. Rap, and Giancana , is an American rapper, from the Corona neighborhood of Queens, New York. He began his career in the mid-1980s as one half of the group Kool G Rap & DJ Polo and as a member of the Juice Crew... , Talib Kweli |
| 12 | "On My Way" | Tony Cottrell, E. Isaacs, J. Thomas | Hi-Tek | Kendra Ross Kendra Ross Kendra Ross is an American singer-songwriter, record producer, and social activist. from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania who currently resides in Brooklyn, New York City.... , Tiye Phoenix, Vinia Mojica |
| 13 | "Love Language" | Tony Cottrell, Talib Kweli Greene, Helene Faussart, Celia Faussart | Hi-Tek | Les Nubians Les Nubians Les Nubians is an R&B Grammy-nominated duo composed of sisters Hélène and Célia Faussart from Paris, France. In 1985 the sisters moved with their parents to Chad. Seven years later, they returned to Bordeaux, France, and began singing a cappella, producing poetry slams in Bordeaux and Paris, and... , Talib Kweli |
| 14 | "Love Speakeasy" | Tony Cottrell, Talib Kweli Greene | Hi-Tek | |
| 15 | "Soul Rebels" | Tony Cottrell, Talib Kweli Greene, Kelvin Mercer, David Jude Jolicoeur, Vincent Mason | Hi-Tek | Talib Kweli, De La Soul De La Soul De La Soul is an American hip hop trio formed in 1987 on Long Island, New York. The band is best known for their eclectic sampling, quirky lyrics, and their contributions to the evolution of the jazz rap and alternative hip hop subgenres... |
| 16 | "Eternalists" | Tony Cottrell, Talib Kweli Greene | Hi-Tek | Talib Kweli |
| 17 | "Big Del From da Natti" | Tony Cottrell, Talib Kweli Greene, D. Geralds | Hi-Tek | Big Del, Talib Kweli |
| 18 | "Touch You" | Tony Cottrell, Talib Kweli Greene, D. Stanford Jr., Dave West | Hi-Tek | Dave Chappelle, Piakhan, Supa Dav West, Talib Kweli |
| 19 | "Good Mourning" | Tony Cottrell, Talib Kweli Greene | Hi-Tek | Talib Kweli |
| 20a | "Expansion Outro" | |||
| 20b | "Four Women" | Nina Simone Nina Simone Eunice Kathleen Waymon , better known by her stage name Nina Simone , was an American singer, songwriter, pianist, arranger, and civil rights activist widely associated with jazz music... |
Hi-Tek, Talib Kweli (co-producer) | Talib Kweli Darcel (background), Imani Uzuri (background), Katushia (background), Neb Luv (background), Tiye Phoenix (background), Tiyi Willingham (background), Tracie (background) |
Sample credits
SampleSampling (music)
In music, sampling is the act of taking a portion, or sample, of one sound recording and reusing it as an instrument or a different sound recording of a song or piece. Sampling was originally developed by experimental musicians working with musique concrète and electroacoustic music, who physically...
information for Train of Thought adapted from TheBreaks.
Move Something
- "Shaft's Mama" by Charlie WhiteheadCharlie WhiteheadCharlie Whitehead was a soul singer from Franklin, Virginia. Whitehead moved to New York City in 1968 and was subsequently signed to Musicor's R&B subsidiary, Dynamo Records, by Charlie Foxx. At Dynamo, Whitehead was paired with Jerry Williams, Jr., and the two wrote songs Charlie Whitehead...
This Means You
- "Cloud in My Sunshine" by RedboneRedbone (band)Redbone is a Native American rock group that was most active in the 1970s. They reached the Top 5 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart in 1974 with the million-selling gold-certified single, "Come and Get Your Love".-History:...
Too Late
- "Reverie" by TomitaIsao Tomita, often known simply as Tomita, is a Japanese music composer, regarded as one of the pioneers of electronic music and space music, and as one of the most famous producers of analog synthesizer arrangements...
- "Passepied" by TomitaIsao Tomita, often known simply as Tomita, is a Japanese music composer, regarded as one of the pioneers of electronic music and space music, and as one of the most famous producers of analog synthesizer arrangements...
Memories Live
- "I Can't Stand the Rain" by Ann PeeblesAnn PeeblesAnn Peebles is an African American singer-songwriter who gained celebrity for her Memphis soul albums of the 1970s on the Hi Records label...
- "Carol Ann" by Soft MachineSoft MachineSoft Machine were an English rock band from Canterbury, named after the book The Soft Machine by William S. Burroughs. They were one of the central bands in the Canterbury scene, and helped pioneer the progressive rock genre...
Ghetto Afterlife
- "Tomorrow I May Not Feel the Same" by Gene ChandlerGene ChandlerGene Chandler also known as "The Duke of Earl" or simply "The Duke", is an American R&B and soul singer-songwriter, producer and record executive. He is one of the leading exponents of the 1960s Chicago soul scene...
Love Language
- "Welcome" by Norman ConnorsNorman ConnorsNorman Connors is an American jazz drummer, composer, arranger, producer, and headliner, who has led some influential jazz and R&B groups. He also achieved several big R&B hits of the day, especially with love ballads.-Biography:...
Love Speakeasy
- "Welcome" by Norman ConnorsNorman ConnorsNorman Connors is an American jazz drummer, composer, arranger, producer, and headliner, who has led some influential jazz and R&B groups. He also achieved several big R&B hits of the day, especially with love ballads.-Biography:...
Soul Rebels
- "Patch it Up" by The Commodores
Eternalists
- "Follow the Leader" by Eric B. & RakimEric B. & RakimEric B. & Rakim were a hip-hop duo composed of DJ Eric Barrier and MC Rakim .Hailing from Long Island, New York, the pair are generally considered by hip hop enthusiasts to be one of the most influential and innovative groups in the genre...
Big Del from Da Natti
- "Divided Reality" by Bo HanssonBo HanssonBo Hansson was a Swedish musician best known for his four instrumental albums released in the 1970s.-Early life and musical career:...
Good Mourning
- "Dizzy" by Hugo MontenegroHugo MontenegroHugo Montenegro was an American orchestra leader and composer of film soundtracks. His best known work is derived from interpretations of the music from Spaghetti westerns, especially his cover version of the main theme from the 1966 film The Good, the Bad and the Ugly...
- "C.R.E.A.M." by Wu-Tang ClanWu-Tang ClanThe Wu-Tang Clan is a hip-hop group from Staten Island that consists of RZA, GZA, Method Man, Raekwon, Ghostface Killah, Inspectah Deck, U-God, Masta Killa, and the late Ol' Dirty Bastard. They are frequently joined by fellow childhood friend Cappadonna, a quasi member of the group...
Personnel
- Rick James - Producer
- Hi-Tek - Producer, Engineer, Executive Producer, Mixing
- Weldon Irvine - Keyboards, Producer
- Tracie - Vocals (bckgr)
- Owen Brown - Fiddle
- De La Soul - Performer
- Derrick Gardner - Trumpet
- Troy Hightower - Engineer, Mixing
- Kool G Rap - Performer
- Guy Snider - Engineer
- Teodross Avery - Saxophone
- Ken Ifill - Mixing
- Vinia Mojica - Vocals
- Les Nubians - Performer
- Xzibit - Performer
- Steve Souder - Mixing
- Chris Athens - Mastering
- Mos Def - Performer
- Talib Kweli - Vocals, Producer, Executive Producer
- Monique Walker - Vocals (bckgr)
- Carlisle Young - Mixing
- Rah Digga - Performer
- Asi - Design, Layout Design
- Rikki Stein - Liner Notes
- Bassi Kolo Percussion Group - Percussion
- Big Del - Vocals (bckgr)
- Crossfader Chris - Cutting Engineer
- Dave Dar - Engineer, Mixing
- Darcel - Vocals (bckgr)
- Donte - Vocals (bckgr)
- Katushia - Vocals (bckgr)
- Jerome Lagarrigue - Illustrations, Cover Illustration
- Little Tone - Vocals (bckgr)
- Neb Luv - Vocals (bckgr)
- Nonye - Vocals
- Tiye Phoenix - Vocals, Vocals (bckgr)
- Kendra Ross - Vocals, Vocals (bckgr)
- Imani Uzuri - Vocals (bckgr), Vocal Arrangement
- Tiyi Willingham - Vocals (bckgr)
- Willo - Design, Layout Design
Album singles
| Single information |
|---|
"The Express" (Non-album single)
|
| "Move Somethin' Move Somethin' Move Somethin may refer to:*Move Somethin, a 1988 album by 2 Live Crew*"Move Somethin'", a song by Reflection Eternal from their 2000 album Train of Thought... " |
| "The Blast The Blast (song) "The Blast" is a hip hop single from Reflection Eternal's debut album, Train of Thought. It features rapping from the duo's emcee, Talib Kweli, as well as from its producer, DJ Hi-Tek. It is the only Reflection Eternal song that Hi-Tek raps on, and like all Reflection Eternal songs, he produces it.... " |
| "Down for the Count" (UK Only release)
|
Chart history
Album| Year | Album | Chart positions | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Billboard 200 Billboard 200 The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists... |
Top R&B/Hip Hop Albums | ||
| 2000 | Reflection Eternal | 17 | 5 |
Singles
| Year | Song | Chart positions | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Billboard Hot 100 Billboard Hot 100 The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday... |
Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks | Hot Rap Singles | ||
| 2000 | Move Somethin | - | 32 | 1 |
| 2001 | The Blast | - | 48 | 2 |
External links
- Reflection Eternal: Train of Thought at DiscogsDiscogsDiscogs, short for discographies, is a website and database of information about audio recordings, including commercial releases, promotional releases, and bootleg or off-label releases. The Discogs servers, currently hosted under the domain name discogs.com, are owned by Zink Media, Inc., and are...
- Album Review at RapReviews