Wait a minute, hip-hop?  On dailybeatz?  Am I on the right site??  YES, you certainly are.  One of the best things about dailybeatz.com is that it absolutely, in no way, discriminates music, as long as it’s GOOD.

I was a senior in high school when I first heard Talib Kweli & DJ Hi-Tek, otherwise known as the duo, Reflection Eternal.  I remember seeing their video for “The Blast” on BET at my parents house and thinking, “who the hell are these dudes!?!?”.  I had just become a big fan of The Roots, after a friend of mine burned me their LP “Things Fall Apart”, and I started learning about them, and people they worked with, etc.  Hence, I learned about Reflection Eternal, who are friendly with The Legendary Roots Crew.  Anyways, I bought the first LP they did together, “Train of Thought” (released in 2000) and fell in love with Hi-Tek’s unique drum beats, and the extremely clever and deeply smart lyrics of Talib Kweli.  They, along with some others, really taught me about hip-hop as an art form, and that there is waaaaaaay more to it than what you hear on the radio.  (another blog altogether…)

Long story short, their upcoming album “Revolutions Per Minute” (release date TBD, possibly March 2010), is one of my most anticipated releases of the year.  They really can’t do wrong in my book, and it’s been ten years since their last full album together.  Needless to say, PUMPED. With that, I give you today’s song…

“Just Begun” is one of the first songs leaked from this upcoming album and it features some amazing guest MCs as well.  The melodic horns that Hi-Tek uses, just really keeps the flow of the song, and gives it that laid back chill that I’ve come to love.  His drums, per usual, are raw and real, but don’t overthrow the rest of the music at all.  Really well done in my eyes (ears?).  Kweli starts out with his trademark clever-almost-too-smart lyrics, but he also sprinkles in some radio worthy lines to keep it fun and mellow.  Next up is one of my favorite MCs out right now, Jay Electronica.  His flow is amazing, and it’s tough to get more innovative than Kweli, but Jay really hasn’t done wrong yet.  This guy is ridic.  The next dude up is J. Cole, best known as the first person signed to Jay-Z’s label Roc Nation.  He does alright, but it’s really not fair with the talent that surrounds him.  That being said, the track gets finished off by well-known veteran, Mos Def.  He doesn’t disappoint, and neither does this first release from an album that will almost certainly be amazing.

Today’s Guest Poster, HockBoi, spends his days working on commercials in Detroit, and his nights listening to music and drinking in bars in Detroit. He’s a lover of Hip-Hop, but more importantly, any good music. To find him, email him or check his twitter @hockboi

reflection eternal – just begun