| Train of Thought | |||||
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| Studio album by Reflection Eternal (Talib Kweli & Hi-Tek) | |||||
| Released | October 17, 2000 (U.S.) | ||||
| Genre | Alternative Hip-Hop | ||||
| Length | 65:73 | ||||
| Label | Rawkus/UMVD | ||||
| Producer | Hi-Tek | ||||
| Professional reviews | |||||
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| Talib Kweli chronology | |||||
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| Hi-Tek chronology | |||||
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Train of Thought is the first and only album by Reflection Eternal, a hip hop duo composed of rapper Talib Kweli & DJ Hi-Tek. It was released on October 17, 2000 (see 2000 in music) by Rawkus Records. Due to a series of underground hits in the late 1990s, both Kweli and Hi-Tek were hyped in the hip hop music media, and Train of Thought was a critical success, though sales were slim. Kweli's reflections on modern African-American culture, including criticisms of commercialism and violence like "these cats drink champagne/To toast death and pain/Like slaves on the ship talkin' 'bout who got the flyest chains". A PopMatters review describes 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".[1] Rolling Stone 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"[2]. With former partner Mos Def's critical smash Black on Both Sides to be compared to, Reflection Eternal earned some criticism for a perceived shallowness in the social and political content of some of the lyrics, for example the PitchFork review stated: "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 as he does when rhyming with the LLC"[3].
Contents |
Track listing
| # | Title | Songwriters | Producer(s) | Performer (s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Experience Dedication" | Tony Cottrell, Talib Kweli Greene | Hi-Tek | Dave Chappelle, Talib Kweli |
| 2 | "Move Somethin'" | 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" | Tony Cottrell, Talib Kweli Greene | Hi-Tek | Hi-Tek, Talib Kweli, Vinia Mojica |
| 5 | "This Means You" | Tony Cottrell, Talib Kweli Greene, Dante Smith | Hi-Tek | Mos Def, 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, Hi-Tek (co-producer) | Talib Kweli |
| 9 | "Down For The Count" | Tony Cottrell, Talib Kweli Greene, Rashia Fisher, Alvin Joiner | Hi-Tek | Rah Digga, Talib Kweli, Xzibit |
| 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, Talib Kweli |
| 12 | "On My Way" | Tony Cottrell, E. Isaacs, J. Thomas | Hi-Tek | Kendra Ross, Tiye Phoenix, Vinia Mojica |
| 13 | "Love Language" | Tony Cottrell, Talib Kweli Greene, Helene Faussart, Celia Faussart | Hi-Tek | Les Nubians, 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 | Pasemaster Mase, Posdnuos, Talib Kweli, Trugoy the Dove |
| 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 Dave West, Talib Kweli |
| 19 | "Good Mourning" | Tony Cottrell, Talib Kweli Greene | Hi-Tek | Talib Kweli |
| 20 | "Expansion Outro" | |||
| * | "Four Women" | Tony Cottrell, Talib Kweli Greene | 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) |
Samples
Move Something
- "Shaft's Mama" by Charlie Whitehead
This Means You
- "Cloud in My Sunshine" by Redbone
Too Late
Memories Live
- "I Can't Stand the Rain" by Ann Peebles
- "Carol Ann" by Soft Machine
Ghetto Afterlife
- "Tomorrow I May Not Feel the Same" by Gene Chandler
Love Language
- "Welcome" by Norman Connors
Love Speakeasy
- "Welcome" by Norman Connors
Soul Rebels
- "Patch it Up" by The Commodores
Eternalists
- "Follow the Leader" by Eric B. & Rakim
Big Del from Da Natti
- "Divided Reality" by Bo Hansson
Good Mourning
- "Dizzy" by Hugo Montenegro
Album singles
| Single cover | Single information |
|---|---|
"The Express" (Non-album single)
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| "Move Somethin'" | |
| "The Blast" | |
"Down for the Count" (UK Only release)
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Album chart positions
| Year | Album | Chart positions | ||
| Billboard 200 | Top R&B/Hip Hop Albums | |||
| 2000 | Reflection Eternal | #17 | #5 | |
Singles chart positions
| Year | Song | Chart positions | ||
| Billboard Hot 100 | Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks | Hot Rap Singles | ||
| 2000 | Move Somethin' | - | #32 | #1 |
| 2001 | The Blast | - | #48 | #2 |
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
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| Albums | Black Star · Train of Thought · Quality · The Beautiful Struggle · Right About Now · Liberation · Eardrum |
| Singles | "Definition" · "Respiration" · "The Express" · "Move Somethin'" · "The Blast" · "Down for the Count" · "Good to You" · "Fortified Live" · "Waiting for the DJ" · "Get by" · "Peace of Mind" · "I Try" · "Never Been In Love" · "Flash Gordon" · "Fly that Knot" · "Gettin' Up Anthem" · "Listen" · "More or Less" · "Hot Thing" · "Say Something" |
| Related articles | Discography · Reflection Eternal · Blackstar · Songs |
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| Albums | Train of Thought · Hi-Teknology · Hi-Teknology 2 Hi-Teknology 3: Underground |
| Singles | "Express" · "Move Somethin' · "Blast" · "Down for the Count" · "Round & Round" · "Sun God" · "Fortified Live" · "Where It Started At" |
| Related articles | Reflection Eternal · Doom · Babygrande Records · Hip hop production |
