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Talib Kweli Won't Drink Vodka at SXSW

Posted Mar 19th 2010 10:45AM by Charley Rogulewski
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People expecting to see Reflection Eternal perform tracks from their first album in a decade, 'Revolutions Per Minute' due April 20, only got one-half of the duo. Made up of producer/DJ Hi-Tek and Talib Kweli, only the latter showed up for their SXSW showcase at Austin's Aces Lounge late Thursday night (March 18).

"I wanna do some new s---" Kweli told the crowd. With DJ Chaps replacing an M.I.A. Hi-Tek, Kweli still spit out the new 'RPM' tracks 'Just Begun,' 'In This World' and 'Strangers.'

"It smells like weed in this mothaf---er," Kweli called out the crowd. "We got a song for that," he said before launching into his Kanye West 'College Dropout' collaboration 'Get 'Em High.' Kweli would also shout out his homey Mos Def during the Black Star track 'Definition,' and give a tip of the hat to KRS-One during 'The Perfect Beat,' off his '07 album 'Eardrum.' But it was, of course his radio-friendly closer and most popular track 'Get By' that had the venue heated up. The crowd screamed the chorus -- "Feeling my high's, and my low's/ In my soul, and my goals/Just to stop smoking, and stop drinking" -- in unison. Ironically earlier in the night Kweli had a drink in hand.

"I don't drink vodka." he told the crowd. "All the fellas in the crowd who drink dark liquor make some noise!"