By Amanda Fletcher
Daily Bruin Senior Staff
The heat was on at The Beat’s Summer Jam 2000 at the Verizon Wireless Amphitheater.
Onstage acts like Lucy Pearl, Da Brat, Lil’ Kim, De La Soul, Eve, Next, May and Dilated People churned out sizzling performances.
Offstage, Mother Nature was doing some sizzling of her own on this flesh-frying Aug. 13.
Beginning at 11 a.m. and running until long after dark, the music was bumpin’ but the conditions were trying for even the most devoted hip-hopper.
The show opened with Ideal, featured many of today’s hottest rap and hip-hop superstars, and closed with surprise guest legend Stevie Wonder.
The heat almost kept crooner Carl Thomas backstage in the shade and rumors of sunstroke floated through the stifling air. Thomas made it to the stage, however, and it wasn’t the heat but his performance that had the females in the audience swooning.
Next was on Next and lead singer RL got the ladies hot and bothered when he jumped into the crowd to dance to “Too Close” with a lucky few.
The concert was sold out, but half of the seats remained empty until the sun went down and the arena cooled off.
The only artist to perform without dancers or a backup posse, Brooklyn rapper Mos Def held the stage on his own, preaching coastal unity parallel to The Beat’s “no color lines” theme.
With three guitars, one bass, drums, keyboards and even bongo drums, Lucy Pearl provided a creative break from mainstream DJ-backed hip hop with their upbeat jazzy sounds.
Da Brat busted out with a couple tricks when she and hard-bodied Tyrese paired up for their foreplay song. Da Brat also introduced her protégé, a 13-year-old boy calling himself Lil’ Bow Wow who performed like a seasoned professional.
Common Sense did a unique flashback sequence singing hip-hop classics from the 1960s, ’70s and ’80s, while matching his threads to each decade. But like many of the afternoon performers, Common Sense didn’t get the appreciation he deserved as the sun seemed to melt away the crowd’s energy.
Four members of the Wu-Tang Clan stopped by and kept true to their combative nature by providing most of the day’s non-lyrical obscenities.
The most intriguing part of their performance wasn’t their music, but the man whose sole purpose was to stand next to the DJ, bop his head and hold a WWF-like belt over his shoulder for no apparent reason.
Judging by the “hoots” and “hollahs,” Lil’ Kim the “Queen Bee” was the most anticipated act. Audience members stood the entire time to hear her sexually frustrated lyrics and to see more crotch grabbing than at a Michael Jackson concert.
Filling the void between acts seemed to be the most difficult part of the show for everyone, despite the live DJ who got people dancing when the sun went down.
The Beat radio personalities who hosted the show were less than bearable. The most annoying and unoriginal was DJ La La. As if her name wasn’t redundant enough, every time she came onstage she asked, “Where my ladies at?” Though it elicited a high-pitched female scream every time, the repetition was tiresome.
High points included an appearance by L.A. Laker Derek Fisher. The real hero, however, was actor/comedian Steve Harvey, who provided much-needed entertainment between acts.
Making fun of various members of the audience, from the large-bottomed woman in the middle decks to a loud-mouthed man in the pit, Harvey had the crowd on the floor
The “oohs” and “ahhs” really came when Harvey brought out his 3-year-old son who stole the mic and the show by waving and saying hi to the crowd.
The excitement wasn’t all onstage. During De La Soul’s late afternoon performance, a crowd gathered to the right of the stage where a man had collapsed; paramedics were called in.
Most of the artists sang their hits and threw in a few new tracks from upcoming or recently released albums.
All money raised at the event was donated for charity, so even though the heat may have gotten to some, the money raised for L.A. schools was like a breath of fresh air.