Rolling Stone (6/27/91) - 3.5 Stars - Very Good - "...[hear KRS-ONE] strike a balance between the obvious physical appeal and its more literary purpose of imparting ideas and information..."
Entertainment Weekly (4/12/91) - "...Neither KRS-One nor the roaring crowds can contain themselves: The rapper's voice ripples with glee and passion over resonating, unadorned beats; his audiences hang with him all the way, shouting and chanting along with his messages of black pride and social activism..." - Rating: A+
Boogie Down Productions: KRS-One (vocals); DJ Kenny Parker, D-Nice (scratches).
Additional personnel: Jamal-Ski (vocals); Sidney Mills (bass, percussion); Willie Dee, Ms. Melodie (background vocals).
Engineers: Rebekah Foster, Kooster McAllister, Sidney Mills.
Recorded live at Cuando and S.O.B., New York, New York; London, England; Paris, France.
Though the Boogie Down Productions crew claimed LIVE HARDCORE WORLDWIDE was the first all-live hip-hop album to be released, those actual honors go to 2 Live Crew. Nevertheless, BDP's live album is a solid collection of 23 cuts performed in New York, London, and Paris during 1991.
Included are tracks from CRIMINAL MINDED, BY ALL MEANS NECESSARY, GHETTO MUSIC, EDUTAINMENT, and "Jack of Spades" from the I'M GONNA GET YOU SUCKA soundtrack. The hardest rocking cuts include "Criminal Minded," "My Philosophy," and "South Bronx." While Kenny Parker occasionally goes overboard with default mixer sound effects, being able to experience a BDP show (even on CD) explains why KRS and crew are among hip-hop's most respected groups.