Kweli and Hi-Tek reconnected in 2000 for the release of their debut album, Train of Thought. 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 compilations and albums. In 1998, Kweli and his high school friend and 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 Reflection Eternal, and signed to upstart underground Hip Hop record label, Rawkus Records. 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.” Kweli and Hi-Tek made their first official collaboration in 1997 on Mood’s debut album, Doom, on the track “Industry Lies”.
