Revolutions per Minute is the second studio album by American hip hop duo Reflection Eternal, released May 18, 2010, on Blacksmith Records and Rawkus Records. Composed of rapper Talib Kweli and DJ/hip hop producer Hi-Tek, it is the duo's follow-up to their collaborative debut Train of Thought (2000).

The album debuted at number 18 on the US Billboard 200 chart, selling 21,000 copies in its first week. Upon its release, Revolutions per Minute received generally positive reviews from most music critics.

Background Like the first album, Revolutions per Minute was recorded at Electric Lady Studios. It is their second album after a 10-year hiatus. Hi-Tek produced the entire album. The album features five singles: "Back Again", "Just Begun" with Mos Def, Jay Electronica and J. Cole, "In This World", "Strangers (Paranoid)" with Bun B, and "Midnight Hour" with Estelle. The album was released May 18, 2010, on Blacksmith Records and Rawkus Records.

Reception

Commercial performance The album debuted at number 18 on the US Billboard 200 chart with first-week sales of 21,000 copies.Kaufman, Gil. Another 'Glee' Soundtrack Tops Billboard Album Charts. MTV. Retrieved on 2010-05-31. It also entered at number five on Billboards R&B/Hip-Hop Albums,R&B/Hip-Hop Albums – Week of June 05, 2010. Billboard. Retrieved on 2010-05-31. at number three on its Rap Albums,Rap Albums – Week of June 05, 2010. Billboard. Retrieved on 2010-05-31. and at number 11 on its Digital Albums chart.Digital Albums – Week of June 05, 2010. Billboard. Retrieved on 2010-05-31.

Critical response

Upon its release, the album received positive reviews from most music critics, based on an aggregate score of 80/100 from Metacritic.Revolutions per Minute (2010): Reviews . Metacritic. Retrieved on 2010-06-03. AllMusic writer Gregory Heaney commended Kweli's and Hi-Tek's musical chemistry and wrote "Hi-Tek's soul-infused beats create the perfect laid-back atmosphere for Kweli's casual verbal acrobatics, crafting beats that bring the listener into the group's chilled-out space with their minimal aesthetic".Heaney, Gregory. [ Review: Revolutions per Minute]. AllMusic. Retrieved on 2010-05-18. Steve Juon of RapReviews gave it a 9/10 rating and praised Kweli's rapping, stating "Kweli is using his keen powers of observation to see the world for what it really is, and then translate that knowledge into a musical form you can simultaneously enjoy and learn from".Juon, Steve. Review: Revolutions per Minute. RapReviews. Retrieved on 2010-06-03. Exclaim!s Anupa Mistry wrote that Revolutions per Minute is "doused in their working chemistry".Mistry, Anupa. Review: Revolutions per Minute. Exclaim!. Retrieved on 2010-05-18. Boston Phoenix writer Chris Faraone gave it 3 out of 4 stars and stated "The chemistry between these two remains bubbling".Faraone, Chris. Review: Revolutions per Minute. Boston Phoenix. Retrieved on 2010-05-18. HipHopDX writer Kathy Iandoli gave it 4 out of 5 stars and wrote that it "displays the evolution of both the emcee and the deejay".Iandoli, Kathy. Review: Revolutions per Minute. HipHopDX. Retrieved on 2010-05-18. Giving it an 8/10 rating, PopMatters writer Dave Heaton praised Kweli's lyrics concerning the importance of money in life, building a career in hip hop, the differences between celebrity and work, and the former's effect on a person, stating:

Giving it 4 out of 5 stars, Slant Magazine writer M.T. Richards described the album as "brainy, energizing stuff" and praised Kweli's rapping, stating "Sinking his no-frills flow into calm, bassy tracks, Kweli lands punchline after punchline with the kind of finesse Jay and Common could only dream of".Richards, M.T. Review: Revolutions per Minute. Slant Magazine. Retrieved on 2010-06-03. The A.V. Clubs Nathan Rabin gave the album a B rating and wrote "Hi-Tek lacks a trademark style, but his chemistry with Kweli remains potent, even when Minute doesn't hit the heights of the duo's debut".Rabin, Nathan. Review: Revolutions per Minute. The A.V. Club. Retrieved on 2010-05-25. Mosi Reeves of Spin gave the album 3½ out of 5 stars and viewed Hi-Tek's "jazz-inflected riffs and soulful vibes" as complementary to Kweli's "mercurial" style, stating "congenial beats balance intricately daring rhymes". Alternative Press writer Casey Boland gave it four out of five stars and viewed it as an improvement for Hi-Tek's producing and Kweli's rapping, stating "he sounds at home with Hi-Tek. His cadence has never locked so tightly with the tune, his lyrical flow never so sinuous".Boland, Casey. Review: Revolutions per Minute. Alternative Press. Retrieved on 2010-06-03. Henry Adaso of About.com noted a "musical maturation" by the duo and wrote that the album "finds Kweli masterfully marrying the physical with the philosophical atop Hi-Tek's rich palette of headphone music". Pitchfork Medias Nate Patrin gave Revolutions per Minute a 7.5/10 rating and commended its "conscious yet unpretentious lyricism delivered with acrobatic dexterity over on-point, no-gimmick beats".Patrin, Nate. Review: Revolutions per Minute. Pitchfork Media. Retrieved on 2010-05-25.

Track listing All songs produced by Hi-Tek.

Sample credits "RPM's" contains elements of "Hollywood Dream Trip", written and performed by John Mills-Cockell. "Strangers (Paranoid)" contains samples of "Redemption (Theme from Rocky II)", written and performed by Bill Conti. "In This World" contains elements of: "What in This World's Happening to Love", written and performed by Kimberley Briggs. "Moment of Clarity", written by Shawn Carter, and performed by Jay-Z. "Midnight Hour" contains samples of "Mama Said", written by Willie Denson and Luther Dixon, and performed by the Shirelles. "Ballad of the Black Gold" contains samples from "Let Me Back In", written by Jerline Shelton and Maurice Commander, and performed by Heaven and Earth.

Personnel

Naim Ali – A&R Steve Baughman – mixing Ski Beats – engineer Austin Briggs – engineer Erik "Baby Jesus" Coomes – bass, guitar Affion Crockett – Skit Dave Dar – engineer Nabil Elderkin – Photography Estelle – arranger Ethan Gouldbourne – keyboards T. Greene – arranger, composer Hi-Tek – producer, engineer, executive producer, mixing, Scratching, Skit, Group Member Daniel Jones – keyboards Joseph I – stylist Liza Joseph – A&R Samuel Kalandjianv – engineer, assistant engineer Eddie Krakaur – engineer Talib Kweli – executive producer, vocals, Group Member Belinda Lipscomb – composer, vocals

Zach Lucas – Sax (Tenor) Christopher Lee Lyons – Art Direction, Design Midori Nishijima – A&R Neal Pogues – mixing Jack Rayner – engineer Daniel Seeff – bass, guitar, composer, producer Sha Money XL – executive producer, Management Corey Smyth – executive producer, Management Kevin Sokolniki – Assistant Chris Soper – assistant engineer Estelle Swaray – composer Tekzilla – vocals Carolyn Tracey – Package Production Imani Uzuri – vocals Pat Viala – engineer, mixing Ellen Wakayama – creative director, Visual Direction Denise A. Williams – creative director, Visual Direction Young Guru – arranger, engineer

Charts

Weekly charts Chart (2010) Peakposition Canadian Albums (Nielsen SoundScan) 61

Year-end charts Chart (2010) Position US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard) 92

References