It is a rare circumstance when an album achieves a level of excellence beyond the expectations of a listener. After getting all worked up waiting for an album to drop, the initial excitement can disappointingly overshoot the quality of the final product. This has been the case, in my opinion at least, with some of the most anticipated joints of the past few months; De La Soul and Common, for example, fell short of the standards they'd set on prior efforts.

I must admit, I was skeptical when I pressed "play" for the first time listening to Reflection Eternal. I've anticipated its release for nearly three years now, but after hearing Talib Kweli and Hi-Tek's most recent single, "The Express," a few months ago (an underwhelming track conspicuously absent from the album), I thought that my anticipation would be met with another sub par title. Was I ever wrong.

Talib Kweli, a man whose name means "Seeker of Truth and Knowledge," has been a key figure in the ascension of contemporary hip-hop to the next level. He has utilized his gifts of intelligence, self-awareness, humility and introspection to carve out a deeper niche for the musical form in the arenas of activism, social responsibility, and spirituality. Playing a role in a wide variety of projects, including forming one half of the dynamic duo known as Blackstar and leading the effort in the Hip-Hop for Respect EP, his contributions have resulted in some of the most brilliant and important happenings in contemporary hip-hop.

Kweli's ability to comment on everything from social injustice to respecting women to just moving the crowd makes him one of the best emcees today and he has proven his status as a rightful neo-Native Tongue torchbearer. Ever since I heard "Fortified Live" back in '97, Kweli's voice seemed to speak with a capacity unfamiliar to my ears. He is more poet than rapper, more artist than entertainer, and certainly more bookworm than gunslinger.

Joined by his long time producer and Cincinnati native Hi-Tek, the two come together beautifully on Reflection Eternal to form what can absolutely be considered one of this year's most thoroughly entertaining, enlightening and uplifting hip-hop albums. Kweli, sometimes criticized for his attempts to cram too many words into one sentence, has improved his delivery to the point that his flow is absolutely impeccable and Hi-Tek, whose beats on Mos Def and Talib Kweli are Blackstar seemed a bit sluggish to many, attacks proficiently with up-tempo, danceable tracks while still maintaining his amazing abilities on slow, contemplative melodies.

Expressing a general disdain for the hip-hop industry as a whole, Kweli leads the listener down a path whose final destination is unknown but still much more promising than anywhere else. He is aware that "a lot of stars is trekkin' but ain't nothin' final about the frontier" and accordingly strives to push the boundaries of the mind and spirit within hip-hop. While rhyming over the jazz-infused tracks of Hi-Tek, Kweli points in the direction of a conscientious method of living, paying homage to his elders and family and affirming a true reverence for the fragility of life. He is absolutely grateful to be in the position he is, recalling his struggle to make it on "Memories Live." There is none of the money lust and violence that is all too common in music today, as he puts it on "Africa Dream," a track featuring Nina Simone's pianist, Weldon Irvine: "These cats drink champagne/And toast death and pain/ Like slaves on the ship talkin' bout who got the flyest chain." This is the absolute opposite of jiggy.

A potent mixture of sarcastic wit, biting criticism, pure talent and knowledge of self and the world make it no wonder that even Nelson Mandela was willing to throw down a shout to Kweli and Hi-Tek. That's right, Nelson Mandela opens the first track and listens to these guys when "chilling in South Africa." Now that's respect.

Having paid his dues as an underground emcee for several years now, Kweli proves he is still able to hold it down on battle tracks like "Move Something" and jump in on a posse cut with "Down For the Count" featuring Xzibit and Rah Digga. However, the collective talent of Kweli and Hi-Tek shines brightest on the less hard hitting joints, where Kweli's words operate more as another instrument in Hi-Tek's arsenal than as his voice.

"Good Mourning," Kweli's tale of the ongoing urban tragedy, deals with the suddenness with which death can catch up with all of us, particularly in inner cities. The value of life and the repercussions of one's actions are not realized until it's too late. Kweli realizes the waste of it all and calls for positive lifestyles and a celebration of the gift of life. On "Too Late," Kweli contemplates mass produced emcees that have audiences mesmerized with empty rhetoric and asks, "Where were you the day hip-hop died?" Its success lies in its amazing production, perhaps the best on the album. Hi-Tek constructs an intricate atmosphere that's one-third Enya, one-third South American panpipes and one-third Ewok Village. Additional vocals provided by Res resonate in the ethereal distance.

The most thought-provoking and inspiring track on Reflection Eternal comes in the form of the poignant story of four women living in disturbingly difficult predicaments. The title, "For Women," is a reference to a Nina Simone track of the same name. The first tale is of an encounter with a 107-year old woman who went from "Nigger to Colored to Negro to Black to Afro then African American then right back to Nigger;" the second, a story of a mulatto girl conceived in rape, who cannot seem to find her place in society; the next of an orphaned girl who grows up on the streets and falls into prostitution; and the final of a slave escaping to the North in order for her unborn child to breathe a free breath. Kweli paints an amazingly vivid picture with each verse while praising the strength and vitality of each woman. It is a welcome subversion of the misogyny associated with the male dominated hip-hop world.

Reflection Eternal is in the realm of hip-hop classics. The opus of Kweli and Hi-Tek is remarkable in its depth of topic and range of musical styles, drawing on jazz and Afrobeat influences, and with the exception of "Big Del from Da Natti" (an awful solo track by Big Del from Cincinnati that has absolutely no place on such a masterpiece), every track comes through as awesome.

The scope of Reflection Eternal is only enhanced by guest appearances by Kweli's partner in crime, Mos Def, songstress Vinia Mojica, Les Nubians and De La Soul, amongst others, as well as additional shouts from Gil Scott Heron, Rick James, and boxer Lennox Lewis. Kweli's educated eloquence and Hi-Tek's positive vibe will bring you on a trip through the depths of your soul, the annals of history, the synapses of your brain and back again. Hop on board the train of thought.