Train of Thought (Reflection Eternal album)

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Professional reviews
Train of Thought

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(s)	Hi-Tek
All Music Guide link HipHopDX.com link
Talib Kweli chronology
Black Star (1998)	Train of Thought (2000)	Quality (2002)
Hi-Tek chronology
	Train of Thought (2000)	Hi-Teknology (2001)

Train of Thought is a hip hop album by East Coast rapper Talib Kweli & DJ Hi-Tek (collectively known as Reflection Eternal), released on October 17, 2000 (see 2000 in music) on 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].

1 Track listing
2 Notes
3 Album singles
4 Album Chart Positions
5 Singles Chart Positions
6 Personnel

[edit] 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	Talib Kweli
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"
*	"For 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)

[edit] Notes

Move Something contains a sample from "Shaft's Mama" by Charlie Whitehead
This Means You contains a sample from "Cloud In My Sunshine" by Redbone
Too Late contains a sample from "Passepied" by Tomita
Memories Live contains a sample from "I Can't Stand The Rain" by Ann Peebles
Memories Live contains a sample from "Carol Ann" by Soft Machine
Love Language contains a sample from "Welcome" by Norman Connors
Love Speakeasy contains a sample from "Welcome" by Norman Connors
Soul Rebels contains a sample from "Patch it Up" by The Commodores
Big Del From Da Natti contains a sample from "Divided Reality" by Bo Hansson
Good Mourning contains a sample from "Dizzy" by Hugo Montenegro

[edit] Album singles

Audio samples of Train of Thought

"The Blast" (sample) (file info) — play in browser (beta)
- A single from the Train of Thought album.
Problems playing the files? See media help.

Single cover	Single information
	"The Express" (Non-album single) Released: 2000 B-side: "Some Kind Of Wonderful"
	"Move Somethin'" Released: July 18, 2000 B-side: "Good Mourning"
	"The Blast" Released: July 16, 2001 B-side: "Down for the Count" & "Train of Thought"
	"Down for the Count" (UK Only release) Released: 2001 B-side: "Down for the Count (Solo Version)"

[edit] Album Chart Positions

Year	Album	Chart positions
		Billboard 200	Top R&B/Hip Hop Albums
2000	Reflection Eternal	#17	#5

[edit] Singles Chart Positions

Year	Song	Chart positions
Year	Song	Billboard Hot 100	Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks	Hot Rap Singles
2000	Move Somethin'	-	#32	#1
2001	The Blast	-	#48	#2