''Hegelian Dialectic (The Book of Revelation)'' is the fifth studio album by
American
American(s) may refer to:
* American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America"
** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America
** American ancestry, pe ...
rapper
Prodigy
Prodigy, Prodigies or The Prodigy may refer to:
* Child prodigy, a child who produces meaningful output to the level of an adult expert performer
** Chess prodigy, a child who can beat experienced adult players at chess
Arts, entertainment, and ...
. The album was released on January 20, 2017 through Prodigy's Infamous Records. The first single from the album was "Tyranny", which was released in February 2016.
Background
Production for the album came from Beat Butcha, Budgie Beats, Jordan Reid,
Knxwledge
Glen Earl Boothe (born March 8, 1988), professionally known as Knxwledge (pronounced "knowledge"), is an American hip hop record producer and songwriter based in Los Angeles, California. Since 2009, he has had over 100 releases via Bandcamp. His ...
,
The Alchemist
An alchemist is a person who practices alchemy.
Alchemist or Alchemyst may also refer to:
Books and stories
* ''The Alchemist'' (novel), the translated title of a 1988 allegorical novel by Paulo Coelho
* ''The Alchemist'' (play), a play by Be ...
among others. Ca$h Bilz was the only featured guest appearance on the album. ''Hegelian Dialectic'' was recorded and mixed by Joe the Engine Ear. It was the last album to be released during his lifetime prior to his death in June 2017, which was caused by accidental
asphyxiation
Asphyxia or asphyxiation is a condition of deficient supply of oxygen to the body which arises from abnormal breathing. Asphyxia causes generalized hypoxia, which affects primarily the tissues and organs. There are many circumstances that ca ...
. The album was intended to be the first in a series of three albums he planned to release over the course of several months, with the two sequels entitled ''The Book of Heroine'' and ''The Book of the Dead''.
The album is named after the philosophical concept
Hegelian dialectic
Dialectic ( grc-gre, διαλεκτική, ''dialektikḗ''; related to dialogue; german: Dialektik), also known as the dialectical method, is a discourse between two or more people holding different points of view about a subject but wishing to ...
. It is an argument process explaining the progress of history as being the conflict of ideas, where the interactions between thesis and anti-thesis create synthesis. This idea is the logical foundation stone for
Karl Marx
Karl Heinrich Marx (; 5 May 1818 – 14 March 1883) was a German philosopher, economist, historian, sociologist, political theorist, journalist, critic of political economy, and socialist revolutionary. His best-known titles are the 1848 ...
''Hegelian Dialectic'' received generally positive reviews, with critics praising the new politically driven and socially conscious tone, a notable change from Prodigy's previous work. Adam Seyum of
Music Connection
''Music Connection'' is a United States-based monthly music-trade magazine, which began publication in 1977. It caters to career-minded musicians, songwriters, recording artists and assorted music-industry support personnel. The magazine began ...
gave the album eight out of ten stars, saying "''With songs like 'Mystic', 'Tyranny' and 'Spiritual War,' rodigyencourages listeners to open up their third eye and observe 'the system' meticulously.''"