"Just Begun" | ||||
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Single by Reflection Eternal featuring Jay Electronica, J. Cole and Mos Def | ||||
from the album Revolutions per Minute | ||||
Released | February 2, 2010 | |||
Recorded | 2009 | |||
Genre | Hip hop | |||
Length | 3:37 | |||
Label | ||||
Songwriter(s) |
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Producer(s) | Hi-Tek | |||
Reflection Eternal singles chronology | ||||
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Jay Electronica singles chronology | ||||
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J. Cole singles chronology | ||||
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Mos Def singles chronology | ||||
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"Just Begun" is a song by American hip hop duo Reflection Eternal,composed of New York rapper Talib Kweli and Ohio producer Hi-Tek. The song was released on February 2,2010,as the second single from their second studio album Revolutions per Minute (2010). The song is a posse cut featuring verses from rappers Jay Electronica,J. Cole and Mos Def,the latter of whom also forms a duo with Talib Kweli,known collectively as Black Star. [1]
The song's production was handled by Reflection Eternal's Hi-Tek. [2] The song contains samples of "We've Only Just Begun" as performed by The Singers Unlimited. [3] The four recording artists rap in succession,without a bridge or refrain separating their verses. They complement their verses by continuing each other's rhyme scheme. Jay Electronica and J. Cole share nose imagery with "I’m on a higher level,I’m on top of nosebleeds / Niggas say they sick,but when they rock they don’t sneeze". Mos Def practices internal rhymes,rapping "Get off him,there is not a parcel or a portion / Or a measure of a fortune more awesome". Talib Kweli makes references to Donnie Brasco, The Count of Monte Cristo ,Iago and Othello of Othello,the Moor of Venice ,as well as cigarillos. [4]
Nathan S. of DJBooth.net wrote "this All-Star emcee roster live up to their mic killing reputations,collectively creating something in the ballpark of a quasi-underground,super laid-back version of 'Forever'". [2] Del F. Cowie of Exclaim noted "over a minimalist Hi-Tek beat,'Just Begun' is a shrewd merging of established and cutting edge lyricists. Jay Electronica,with his current single,'Exhibit C,' and Jay-Z Roc Nation signee J. Cole are both riding waves of increasing popularity,and both MCs put in notably hungry appearances that overflow with humility and hedonistic swagger,respectively. Kweli leads off the whole affair with a simile-laden verse,while the rejuvenated Mos Def's economic treatise cleans up on a track clearly focused on pugilistic lyrical dexterity." [5] Chris Coplan of Consequence of Sound ,criticized the instrumental,writing "'Just Begun' has a beat that is like bad smooth jazz on a loop and that burns and eats its way into your brain. Want to know what Mos Def was saying by the final verse? Me too. But Hi-Tek isn’t simply to blame. Kweli is a veteran of the game,and with that said,the lack of variances in his flow can be a hindrance." [6]
Country | Date | Format | Label |
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United States | February 2,2010 [7] [ deprecated source ] | Digital download | Warner Bros. |
Mos Def &Talib Kweli Are Black Star is the debut studio album by American hip hop duo Black Star,composed of rappers Talib Kweli and Yasiin Bey. The album was released on September 29,1998,to critical acclaim. The title is a reference to the Black Star Line,a shipping line founded by Pan-Africanist Marcus Garvey. The album deals with modern-day issues,philosophical ideas,and life in Brooklyn,New York City as the two artists know it.
The Native Tongues were a collective of late 1980s and early 1990s hip-hop artists known for their positive-minded,good-natured Afrocentric lyrics,and for pioneering the use of eclectic sampling and jazz-influenced beats. Its principal members were the Jungle Brothers,De La Soul,A Tribe Called Quest,Monie Love,and Queen Latifah. The collective was also closely tied to the Universal Zulu Nation. Rolling Stone cites the track "Doin' Our Own Dang" as "the definitive Native Tongues posse cut".
Tony Louis Cottrell,better known as Hi-Tek,is an American rapper and music producer from Cincinnati,Ohio. He is best known for his work with Talib Kweli. His father is singer Willie Cottrell of the Willie Cottrell Band,whom Hi-Tek featured on his second album,Hi-Teknology 2.
Reflection Eternal is an American hip hop duo composed of emcee Talib Kweli and producer Hi-Tek. They released their first album,Train of Thought,in 2000. They have since released a mixtape,The RE:Union,in late December 2009,and their second album Revolutions Per Minute was released May 18,2010.
Rawkus Records was an American hip hop record label,owned by James Murdoch,known for starting the careers of many rappers. Rawkus started in 1995 with releases in hip-hop,drum and bass and fun-dustrial.
Quality is the first studio album by American rapper Talib Kweli. The album was released on November 19,2002,by Rawkus Records. It received wide critical acclaim and had some commercial appeal from the song "Get By",produced by Kanye West. Kludge magazine included it on their list of best albums of 2002.
Vinia A. Mojica is an American singer from Queens,New York. She is best known for her collaborations with the Native Tongues collective and other hip hop artists.
Black Star is an American hip hop duo formed in 1996,from Brooklyn,New York City. The duo is composed of rappers Yasiin Bey and Talib Kweli. The duo is named after The Black Star Line,a shipping company founded by Marcus Garvey. Their critically acclaimed debut album Mos Def &Talib Kweli Are Black Star was released on September 29,1998. After decades of only releasing singles and appearing on compilations,Black Star released their sophomore studio album No Fear of Time May 3,2022 on the podcasting platform Luminary.
Best of Decade I:1995–2005 is a compilation album,featuring singles released on Rawkus Records during their first ten years. The compilation revolves around the label's star Mos Def,who appears on eight of the fifteen tracks. There is one previously unreleased track featured on the album,which is the Mos Def song "Beef".
Hi-Teknology²:The Chip is a sequel album to Hip hop producer Hi-Tek's first album,Hi-Teknology. Born as Tony Cottrell,He had spent most of his time in the low key hip-hop scene of Cincinnati,Ohio who eventually ran into Mood in 1992. Working with them kickstarted his career and affiliated himself with many MCs. He is best known for his collaboration with Talib Kweli on the album Reflection Eternal. He rose in popularity with the underground hip-hop scene and has worked alongside many talented even Grammy-nominated artists such as 50 Cent and Busta Rhymes. Although working with many talented artists and having a huge impact working with Rawkus Records Collective,it was time for him to show off his own unique abilities which led to his three solo albums. The release of his sequel album Hi-Teknology gained quick recognition and was soon to be sought after by many up-and-coming artists to produce their own albums.
Train of Thought is the debut album of American hip hop duo Reflection Eternal,released October 17,2000,on Rawkus Records. Collaborating as a duo,rapper Talib Kweli and DJ and hip hop producer Hi-Tek recorded the album during 1999 to 2000,following their individual musical work that gained notice in New York's underground scene during the late 1990s. Kweli had previously worked with rapper Mos Def as the duo Black Star,and Hi-Tek had served as producer on the duo's debut album.
"The Blast" is a hip hop single from Reflection Eternal's debut album,Train of Thought. It features rapping from the duo's emcee,Talib Kweli,as well as from its producer,DJ Hi-Tek. It is the only Reflection Eternal song that Hi-Tek raps on,and like all Reflection Eternal songs,he produces it. The song has a somber and jazzy beat backed by vocals from Vinia Mojica. It has a music video directed by Little X in which Kweli and Hi-Tek are rapping in a rainstorm. Yasiin Bey aka Mos Def,Pharaohe Monch and Kweli's grandmother,Javotti Greene make cameo appearances. The music video version is extended in length,and gives Talib Kweli an extra verse. The song peaked at #2 on the Billboard Hot Rap Tracks and #49 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs and was engineered by Guy Snider. The official remix features new verses by Talib Kweli as well as neo-soul singer Erykah Badu.
"Respiration" is a song by American rappers Mos Def and Talib Kweli,collectively known as Black Star. It was released as the second single from the duo’s eponymously titled 1998 album. It features a guest verse from fellow American rapper Common and guitar playing by DeChown Jenkins. The song’s production was handled by Hi-Tek,who sampled "The Fox" as performed by Don Randi. In addition,the song's introduction samples a monologue from the hip hop documentary Style Wars. It is found on Best of Decade I:1995-2005,a compilation of Rawkus Records' best songs. It can also be found on Howie B's compilation album Another Late Night:Howie B. The single reached #54 on the Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart.
The Ecstatic is the fourth studio album by American rapper Mos Def,released on June 9,2009,by the independent record label Downtown Records. After venturing further away from hip hop with an acting career and two poorly received albums,Mos Def signed a recording contract with Downtown and recorded The Ecstatic primarily at the Record Plant in Los Angeles. He worked with producers such as Preservation,Mr. Flash,Oh No,and Madlib,with the latter two reusing instrumentals they had produced on Stones Throw Records. The work of Stones Throw rapper MF Doom was also cited by Mos Def as an influence,while singer Georgia Anne Muldrow,formerly of the record label,performed as one of the album's few guest vocalists,along with rappers Slick Rick and Talib Kweli.
"Get By" is a song by American hip hop recording artist Talib Kweli. It was released on March 11,2003,as the third single from his debut studio album Quality (2002). Produced by Kanye West,the hip hop track samples "Sinnerman" as performed by Nina Simone and features background vocals from Abby Dobson,Chinua Hawk,Kendra Ross,Vernetta Bobien,and William "Na2" Taylor. The song peaked at number 77 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and at number 29 on the US Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs,becoming Kweli's most successful solo hit.
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).
D. (Derick) Prosper began his career as a poet on the NPS National Poetry Slam circuit. He won several regional competitions and featured on the 1994 Providence Poetry Slam Team. D. Prosper was the youngest poet featured on the tour. He ranked fourth in the nation at the NPS finals in Asheville,North Carolina. Prosper was also featured in respected publication Fast Folk Music Magazine. He eventually earned a coveted spot on the 1994 Lollapalooza Tour D. Prosper's love of spoken word poetry ignited his passion for hip-hop music.
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Soundbombing is a hip hop compilation album by Rawkus Records,released on October 14,1997. The album helped launch the careers of Mos Def and Reflection Eternal,who later became Rawkus's most popular artists. Soundbombing is regarded as a "scene-defining" underground hip hop album.