Revolutions Per Minute

Conscious hip-hop is barely conscious in 2010. While hip-hop culture has never been more fully immersed in mainstream culture the world over, much of it wants for artists who refuse to fall in the trapdoors of rap clichés. Talib Kweli could and should be the David to confront this Goliath of commercialized/exploitative hip-hop. He’s forged a long career on cerebral lyrics and a deft flow. Though former Black Star associate and childhood friend Mos Def may have found more mainstream praise and acceptance, Kweli deserves as much credit for promulgating consciousness–political, Afrocentric and otherwise–in hip-hop.

Like the best emcees, Kweli owes his success as much to his producers as to his skills as a lyricist. Throughout his career, Kweli has enlisted a slew of diverse talent: Kanye West, the Neptunes, Madlib, J Dilla and dozens more. Kweli reunites with Hi-Tek, who contributed production duties to many tracks throughout Kweli’s solo career. The two haven’t paired up as Reflection Eternal since 2000’s landmark Train Of Thought. Revolutions Per Minute proves why the two should make their collaboration a permanent partnership.

Improving upon his formerly stilted beats, Hi-Tek issues forth sheets of shimmying rhythms and a variety of sounds, samples and instrumentation. While Kweli found some success with mainstream producers behind the board, he sounds at home with Hi-Tek. His cadence has never locked so tightly with the tune, his lyrical flow never so sinuous. As he’s matured, Kweli has refrained from tentative tries at routine rap bravado (found mostly on 2004’s The Beautiful Struggle). Kweli is an intellectual. Instead of trying to downplay that fact (in an egghead-hating culture), Kweli fully embraces it.

Though the potent “City Playgrounds” includes some slight put-downs of other hip-hop acts, Kweli summarizes his lyrical ethos: “You know what my advice is? Fuck my advice.” He examines lessons of history and politics within the fierce “Ballad Of The Black Gold.” Elsewhere he mines personal anecdotes, sometimes involving the opposite sex (“Long Hot Summer” and “Got Work (Fame)”).

Yet the most notable moments are the widest departures for Kweli and Hi-Tek. “Back Again” features Res’ smooth vocals over Fela Kuti-meets-Sly And The Family Stone-style music. “Midnight Hour” puts Estelle’s sensual vocals atop a doo-wop beat that will garner comparisons to Amy Winehouse. While the pair should have more fully explored such detours from the norm, Revolutions Per Minute is arguably the finest hour for both Kweli and Hi-Tek.

Blacksmith http://www.blacksmithnyc.com