Amongst critics and within the industry, Brooklyn-born Talib Kweli is one of the most successful rappers of the past decade. Commercially, it’s never quite worked out for him. He burst on to the scene with 1998’s Black Star, alongside Mos Def and DJ Hi-Tek, but never quite recaptured the hot-burning high of that disc, at least in its fully concentrated form. In his first ever live concert DVD, though, Talib Kweli: Live at the Shrine, Kweli is joined onstage by hip hop legend KRS-One, and shows why he’s so respected.

Rocking a white Rawkus Records jacket and canted baseball cap, Kweli turns through a blistering, sharply captured, 70-plus-minute set that includes “Say Something,” “Eternalists,” “Down for the Count,” “Listen,” “Definition,” “Get ‘Em High,” “Too Late,” “Go With Us,” “One Step,” “Never Been in Love,” “Hot Thing,” “Hostile Gospel,” “The Blast,” “Move Something,” “I Try,” “Get By” and “The Perfect Beat.” The camerawork is crisp and production value tight, with high-definition color digital video intercut with just a smattering of artistically-flavored black-and-white footage. Housed in a regular Amray case and presented in 1.85:1 widescreen with Dolby digital 5.1 and 2.0 audio tracks, the DVD also includes full, uncut rehearsal footage and a collection of music videos. There are also interviews with Kweli and KRS-One, though the latter is a post-set dressing room bit interrupted by Corey Smyth and the former is interspersed liberally with inane and/or boastful patter from the likes of Jellyroll, Planet Asia, Phil the Agony, Krondon and Mitchy Slick, among others. To purchase the DVD via Amazon, click here. B (Concert) B (Disc)