Instead of teaming up with Mos Def, his longtime Black Star partner, Talib Kweli has switched up his game with DJ Hi-Tek for a new release, "Train Of Thought."

Kweli and Tek make up Reflection Eternal, and the duo's album arrives in stores next week. When asked about rumors of a Black Star breakup or strife between himself and Mos Def, Kweli explained to MTV News' Sway that it's not a case of being in one group or another, but enjoying the freedom that exists with being able to move from project to project.

"Me and Mos were building a lot together," Kweli began. "He was on the first Reflection single. We were doing a lot of shows, and Black Star came out of the energy of us doing shows together.

"The idea was to put [Black Star material] out," he continued.

"The reason why I can be in Black Star and not be frustrated and still feel free is because I can do Black Star, I can do Reflection Eternal, I can do my own stuff," he concluded. "Mos can do his own thing. It's never [a case where] you're locked into a [group] situation. That's why the music we make has a good energy to it, 'cause we can keep it free," [RealVideo]

Reflection Eternal features guest appearances by Xzibit and Rah Digga on a track titled "Down For The Count," De La Soul on "Soul Rebels," and Les Nubians on "Love Language." The album arrives in stores on October 17. In the meantime, you can watch Kweli and Tek spread their wings on the "Okayplayer" tour with the Roots, Dead Prez, Bahamadia, Slum Village, Jill Scott, and more (see "Roots' 'Okayplayer' Tour Firms Up Acts, Dates").

• Black Star
• Talib Kibwe

Instead of teaming up with Mos Def, his longtime Black Star partner, Talib Kweli has switched up his game with DJ Hi-Tek for a new release, "Train Of Thought."

Kweli and Tek make up Reflection Eternal, and the duo's album arrives in stores next week. When asked about rumors of a Black Star breakup or strife between himself and Mos Def, Kweli explained to MTV News' Sway that it's not a case of being in one group or another, but enjoying the freedom that exists with being able to move from project to project.

"Me and Mos were building a lot together," Kweli began. "He was on the first Reflection single. We were doing a lot of shows, and Black Star came out of the energy of us doing shows together.

"The idea was to put [Black Star material] out," he continued.

"The reason why I can be in Black Star and not be frustrated and still feel free is because I can do Black Star, I can do Reflection Eternal, I can do my own stuff," he concluded. "Mos can do his own thing. It's never [a case where] you're locked into a [group] situation. That's why the music we make has a good energy to it, 'cause we can keep it free," [RealVideo]

Reflection Eternal features guest appearances by Xzibit and Rah Digga on a track titled "Down For The Count," De La Soul on "Soul Rebels," and Les Nubians on "Love Language." The album arrives in stores on October 17. In the meantime, you can watch Kweli and Tek spread their wings on the "Okayplayer" tour with the Roots, Dead Prez, Bahamadia, Slum Village, Jill Scott, and more (see "Roots' 'Okayplayer' Tour Firms Up Acts, Dates").

• Talib Kibwe

Rappers Dead Prez, DJ Tony Touch, The Roots' Black Thought, and Talib Kweli and DJ Hi-Tek of Reflection Eternal have signed on to perform at the third-annual Black August benefit concert in New York City.

Co-sponsored by "Stress" magazine, Rawkus Entertainment, Loud Records, and the Malcolm X Grassroots Movement, the show is designed to raise awareness about the U.S. Navy's resumed military operations on the Puerto Rican island of Vieques and to rally support for exiled political activist Assata Shakur.

Shakur, a former Black Panther, escaped from a New Jersey prison on November 2, 1979, after being convicted two years earlier for her involvement in the death of a state trooper during a shoot-out on the New Jersey Turnpike in 1973.

Shakur has been living in Cuba since 1986, and New Jersey Governor Christine Todd Whitman has been seeking Shakur's extradition back to the U.S. since 1994.

The Black August concert in New York City will actually be the sister show to the Sixth Annual National Rap Festival being held in Havana, Cuba, from August 17-21.

Aside from showcasing Cuban hip-hop artists and rappers, Dead Prez and DJ Tony Touch will travel to the island country to perform at the benefit, which will raise money for the creation of a hip-hop studio and library to be built in Havana.

The Black August 2000 benefit concert will be staged at the New Age Cabaret in Manhattan on August 30. For more information about the event and tickets, contact organizers at (718) 622-8292.

• Dead Prez
• Talib Kibwe

After releasing the "Hip-Hop For Respect" maxi-single last week, Black Star's Talib Kweli is preparing to hit the road for a month-long tour with L.A. newcomers Dilated Peoples, starting on May 4 in St. Louis.

Kweli and the Peoples will be joined on the first two dates by acclaimed underground hip-hop outfit Jurassic 5, who are playing a few warm-up dates before embarking on this year's edition of the Warped Tour (see "Vans Warped Tour 2000 Maps Out Dates").

Talib Kweli will be out supporting the "Hip Hop For Respect" single, a benefit project that features appearances from Rza, Common, The Fugees' Pras, De La Soul's Pos, Cappadonna, and EPMD's Parrish Smith (see "Black Star And Friends To Issue 'Hip-Hop For Respect'").

The Dilated Peoples, who first emerged on the scene in 1997 with a pair of singles, "Third Degree" and "Work The Angles," will release their first major-label album, titled "Platform," on May 23 via Capitol Records.

Dates for the Talib Kweli-Dilated Peoples tour:

• 5/4 - St. Louis, MO @ Galaxy (w/ Jurassic 5)
• 5/5 - Lawrence, KS @ Granada (w/ Jurassic 5)
• 5/6 - Minneapolis, MN @ Quest Club
• 5/8 - Chicago, IL @ Double Door
• 5/9 - Detroit, MI @ St. Andrews
• 5/11 - Atlanta, GA @ Masquerade
• 5/12 - Charlotte, NC @ Tremont Music Hall
• 5/14 - Washington, DC @ 9:30 Club
• 5/15 - Philadelphia, PA @ Theater of Living Arts
• 5/16 - Boston, MA @ Axis
• 5/18 - Toronto, ON @ Opera House
• 5/19 - New York, NY @ SOB's (without Talib Kweli)
• 5/20 - Providence, RI @ Lupos
• 5/23 - Los Angeles, CA @ El Rey Theatre
• 5/26 - San Jose, CA @ The Usual
• 5/30 - Portland, OR @ Roseland Theatre
• 5/31 - Seattle, WA @ Aro Space
• 6/1 - Vancouver, BC @ Sonar

• Black Star
• Dilated Peoples
• Talib Kibwe

A hip-hop who's-who turned out on Sunday for the second annual Black August benefit in New York City.

Black Star's Mos Def and Talib Kweli, the Roots' Black Thought, Common, Fat Joe and the Terror Squad, DJ Tony Touch, Les Nubians, and even legendary proto-rap vocalist-poet Gil Scott-Heron came out for the first half of the event, which played to a capacity crowd at the Bowery Ballroom in downtown Manhattan.

The second half of the benefit, which aims to help the legal and educational campaigns of Cuban political prisoners as well as advance hip-hop's profile in the country, will be staged in Havana at the fifth annual Cuban Rap Festival. believed in. I saw the struggle, so, like, I've got a real personal attachment to it, and a lot of respect for the Cuban people."

He added,

The Havana concert will take place on August 27.

• Common
• Fat Joe
• Mos Def
• Talib Kibwe

An estimated crowd of 6000 hip-hop fans, MCs, DJs, breakdancers, and graffiti artists gathered on New York City's west side on Saturday for a free concert held in honor of the 22nd anniversary of pioneering b-boys the Rock Steady Crew.

The main stage featured appearances by the Beatnuts, Arsonists, Natural Elements, and Pharoahe Monch, but the biggest surprise occurred mid-day when Roots member and renowned human beatbox Rahzel was joined onstage by Black Star's Talib Kweli for three freestyle-driven songs.

Saturday's free concert was held on the banks of the Hudson River and was the highlight of the ninth annual event saluting the Rock Steady Crew, the internationally renowned pioneers of b-boying (a.k.a. breakdancing). The weekend included a series of parties, concerts, and DJ and breakdancing battles.

The Rock Steady Crew came together in 1977, showcasing unparalleled b-boying skills that would eventually lead to appearances in films such as "Beat Street," "Flashdance," and "Wildstyle," as well as countless showcases throughout the hip-hop community.

"We've been doing the concert since 1991," Rock Steady member and event organizer Crazy Legs told MTV News. "We started doing it because we wanted to honor those in Rock Steady that had passed away around that time... and also, in retrospect, to show how it used to be back in the day when you could just go to a jam for free during the day and have fun."

"We're talking about a crew that respects all aspects of hip-hop," Juju of the Beatnuts told MTV News. "Rock Steady is graffiti, MCing, breakdancing... all that. So it's like their anniversary is like an anniversary of hip-hop."

"This is what it was like before it was on videos and all that," the Beatnuts' Psycho Les added.

Despite the stifling summer heat, dozens of breakdancers entertained the masses in circles broken out like mosh pits. The b-boy vibe, however, is a much more peaceful one than you might find at a rock show.

"Right now, it's good that we do get the media attention," Crazy Legs said on the resurgence of b-boying/breakdancing. "because it will inspire a lot of young kids to get involved with something that's positive and have the opportunity to learn something that they can use to focus all the negative energy into. All that stress. Just go out there and be competitive, battle somebody. Get it out of your system and shake hands after."

For more on the Rock Steady Crew, log on to www.rocksteadycrew.com.

• The Beatnuts
• Black Star
• Talib Kibwe

A group of music and spoken word artists led by Rage Against the Machine frontman Zach de la Rocha, Black Star's Taleb Kweli and "Slam" screenwriter Saul Williams have been tapped to contribute to a benefit album for death row inmate Mumia Abu-Jamal.

• Black Star
• Rage Against the Machine
• Talib Kibwe