***1/2 Talib Kweli & Hi-Tek

REFLECTION ETERNAL

(Rawkus)

As half of the duo Black Star, Talib Kweli bridged the gap between street-corner philosophy and classroom pedagogy with rhymes that quoted Toni Morrison and name-dropped James Joyce novels. Reflection Eternal, a collaboration with the Cincinnati-based DJ Hi-Tek, continues the kind of enlightened politics and nation-building positivity (not to mention the impeccable flow) that's made Kweli an underground sensation since 1997, but it tempers the cerebral linguistics with fist-pumping club anthems and rugged cipher sessions. So for every moving hip-hop eulogy ("Where were you the day hip-hop died?", Kweli asks on "Too Late"), there's a gritty shit-talking session like "Down for the Count," where the Brooklyn resident trades verses with the decidedly thuggish Xzibit and Rah Digga. Kweli's stylistic flip-flopping isn't just for show; it's the sound of an MC trying to balance b-boy braggadocio with emotional sensitivity, heady tongue trips with twitchy booty shake, and boys'-club boasts with bedroom sweet talk. Underground hip-hop's reactionary attitude hasn't left much room for MCs like Kweli -- hard on the outside but soft on the inside. On Reflection Eternal, Kweli and Hi-Tek create their own space.

-- Michael Endelman

(Soulfly perform this Monday, October 16, at Avalon. Call 423-NEXT.)