Kweli's second solo album, 2004's The Beautiful Struggle, saw the duo working together once again, with three tracks produced by Hi-Tek.

The Kanye West-produced single 'Get By' became Kweli's biggest success, charting on the Billboard Hot 100 in 2003. Hi-Tek was not involved with the project's production, instead featuring beats from artists like Kanye West, DJ Scratch, DJ Quik, Ayatollah and J Dilla. In a 2002 interview he also stated that another Reflection Eternal and Black Star album would be released. Kweli released his first solo album, Quality, in late 2002. The album didn't receive as much attention or as many sales as Train of Thought, though the single 'Round & Round' became a crossover hit in 2002. 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'.įollowing the Train of Thought album, the duo split for solo projects, beginning with Hi-Tek's Hi-Teknology, released in 2001, on which Kweli appeared. Kweli and Hi-Tek reconnected in 2000 for the release of their debut album, Train of Thought. 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. Hi-Tek provided production for a number of songs on the album, including the singles 'Definition' and 'Respiration'. In 1998, Kweli and his high school friend, fellow Rawkus Records artist Mos Def, formed the duo Black Star, and released their first, and only album, Black Star, to rave reviews. The tracks from their debut single, 'Fortified Live' b/w '2000 Seasons', were included on the Rawkus Records compilation Soundbombing in October 1997. That same year, the two formed as Reflection Eternal, and signed to upstart underground hip hop label Rawkus Records. Kweli and Hi-Tek made their first official collaboration in 1997 on Mood's debut album, Doom, on the track 'Industry Lies'.

The duo of Talib Kweli and Hi-Tek met in Tek's native Cincinnati, Ohio, following the release of the Hi-Tek/ Mood collaboration 'Hustle on the Side'.

Reflection eternal train of thought zip