Reflection Eternal is an Americanhip hop duo composed ofemceeTalib Kweli andproducerHi-Tek. They released their first album,Train of Thought, in 2000. They have since released a mixtape,The RE: Union, in late December 2009, and their second albumRevolutions Per Minute was released May 18, 2010.

The duo ofTalib Kweli andHi-Tek met in Tek's nativeCincinnati, following the release of theHi-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". That same year, the two formed as Reflection Eternal, and signed to upstartunderground hip hop labelRawkus Records. The tracks from their debut single, "Fortified Live" b/w "2000 Seasons", were included on the Rawkus Records compilationSoundbombing in October 1997. In 1998, Kweli and his high school friend, fellow Rawkus Records artistMos Def, formed the duoBlack Star, and released their first album,Black Star, to rave reviews. 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 collaborations and albums. Kweli and Hi-Tek reconnected in 2000 for the release of their debut album,Train of Thought. Though highly acclaimed, the release did not receive a significant amount of commercial attention, despite the success of the rap hits "Move Somethin'" and "The Blast".

Following theTrain of Thought album, the duo split for solo projects, beginning with Hi-Tek'sHi-Teknology, released in 2001, on which Kweli appeared. The album didn't receive as much attention or as many sales asTrain of Thought, though the single "Round & Round" became a crossover hit in 2002. Kweli released his first solo album,Quality, in late 2002. In a 2002 interview he also stated that another Reflection Eternal and Black Star album would be released.^[1] Hi-Tek was not involved with the project's production, instead featuring beats from artists likeKanye West,DJ Scratch,DJ Quik,Ayatollah andJ Dilla. The Kanye West-produced single "Get By" became Kweli's biggest success, charting on theBillboard Hot 100 in 2003. Kweli's second solo album, 2004'sThe Beautiful Struggle, saw the duo working together once again, with three tracks produced by Hi-Tek. 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 onBabygrande Records and both featuring appearances by Kweli.

The duo announced that another Reflection Eternal album was in the works in 2008. They named their second albumRevolutions Per Minute.^[2][3][4] They played a live reunion gig in Toronto, Ontario, Canada on September 20, 2009.^[5] In the same year Bootsy Collins collaborated withTalib Kweli andHi-Tek on the track "Internet Connection".^[6] also a track"Back Again" has been released along with video. They also collaborated withJ. Cole,Mos Def, andJay Electronica on the track "Just Begun".^[7] These three songs were released in a mixtape on January 1, 2010, calledThe Re:Union which received positive fanbase feedback. Their second albumRevolutions Per Minute was released on May 18, 2010, with similar praise as their debut album. It spawned 3 singles: "In This World", "Strangers (Paranoid)" featuring formerUGK memberBun B, andMidnight Hour featuring Atlantic recording artistEstelle.

• "Fortified Live"; "2000 Seasons" (appear on theSoundbombing compilation, 1997)
• "Let Me See (Remix)" (from theMorcheeba "Let Me See" single, 1998)
• "The Manifesto" (appears onLyricist Lounge, Volume One compilation, 1998)
• "Chaos"; "On Mission" (appear on theSoundbombing 2 compilation, 1999)
• "Sharp Shooters" (from theLyricist Lounge 2 compilation, 2000)
• "The Express" (from "The Express" single, 2000)
• "Train of Thought" (from "The Blast" single, 2000)
• "The Human Element" (from theUnbound Project, Volume 1 compilation, 2000)
• "Bridge to 'Bama (Remix)" (from theSoulive albumNext, 2001)

• "Industry Lies" (from theMood albumDoom, 1997)
• 6 Songs from theMos Def & Talib KweliBlack Star album, 1998
• "Halfway" (from theBrixx albumEverything Happens for a Reason, 1999
• "Transmorgify" & "Empty Pages" (from the compilationMission Control Presents, 2000; both songs by Mood)
• "Get Back, Pt. 2"; "Theme from Hi-Tek" from the Hi-Tek albumHi-Teknology, 2001
• "Back Up Offa Me"; "Work It Out"; "Beautiful Struggle" from the Talib Kweli albumThe Beautiful Struggle, 2004
• "Testify" from theStyles P albumTime Is Money, 2006
• "Can We Go Back"; "Let It Go"; "Time Is Now" from the Hi-Tek albumHi-Teknology 2: The Chip, 2006
• "More or Less"; "The Perfect Beat" from the Talib Kweli albumEardrum, 2007
• "Time" from the Hi-Tek albumHi-Teknology 3, 2007
• "Every Ghetto" from the Talib Kweli & 9th Wonder mixtapeIndie 500, 2015

• American hip-hop duos
• African-American musical duos
• Musical groups established in 1997

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