SAN FRANCISCO — Although Bahamadia was cut short, sets from Slum Village, Cali Agents and Spontaneous at the Justice League club on Wednesday showed no ill effects from the uncharacteristic peninsula heat.

Despite Philadelphia rapper Bahamadia's late arrival and technical

problems with the sound system, the event lived up to the tour's title,

Good Vibe 2000.

The show started late, at around 10:30 p.m., but the first

three-quarters of Good Vibe went off more or less without a hitch.

Openers Spontaneous and Justice League beat-boxing regular

color="#003163">Radioactive were well-received by the crowd.

Cali Agents' Planet Asia (born Jason Green) and Rasco (born Keida Brewer) got a loud reception as they assumed the stage and plugged their debut, How the West Was One, released Tuesday.

"Neva Forget" (RealAudio excerpt), from their new album, showcased the solo MCs' chemistry as a duo. Facing each other and acting out their raps like an argument, Rasco and Planet Asia captivated the attention of audience members, who had talked among themselves until that point. Always energetic, Planet Asia jumped into the crowd with his microphone for a verse, getting up close and personal with the audience.

Rasco also performed "Unassisted" from his debut 1998 album, Time

Waits for No Man. Planet Asia did not originally appear on the

track, but his inclusion spiced up the song.

Chris Tu, 27, of San Francisco, liked Time Waits for No Man but

thinks the new Cali Agents album is better. "They have a West Coast

sound that no one else is doing," he said.

Detroit natives Slum Village enjoyed the tightest crowd density of the

night, and members Baatin and

T3 rocked the set despite a

noticeably hoarse Baatin. The group's lineup did not include

lyricist/beatmaker Jay Dee, but

DJ Dez, who performed adeptly in the understudy role and also DJed for Bahamadia late in the evening.

After giving a shout-out to Q-Tip,

formerly of A Tribe Called Quest,

Baatin (born Titus Glover) and T3 (born RL Altman III) pulled out the

collaboration they did with the rapper, "Hold Tight" (

href="http://media.addict.com/music/Slum_Village/Hold_Tight.ram">RealAudio excerpt), from their recent release, Fantastic Vol. 2. Baatin, fighting through the hoarseness of his voice at the end of the song, boasted, "Are you feeling it now? We're the hurricane. We're the whirlwind around the planet."

The event went smoothly until after Slum Village, which commenced a

long, time-killing period. Opening artists Spontaneous and Planet Asia,

as well as Bay Area/New York MCs King

Koncepts and Kirby Dominant and L.A. rappers Roman Numerals and Prosperus, populated the stage with several lesser-known rappers for more than 30 minutes. At first, it appeared that the MCs would briefly display freestyling skills, but the impromptu component of the event lasted longer than many of the earlier sets.

The fact that the rappers seemed to be killing time was not lost on the

crowd. "They're trying to string people along because Bahamadia isn't

here," Erin Telford, 25, of San Francisco, said. "There's a lot of

talent here, but energy is low because it's so hot. The delay factor is

kind of irritating, but I love the Justice League."

Not all audience members shared Telford's kind feelings about the venue. "No matter what, the Justice League always takes it a step down," 22-year-old San Francisco resident Dan Ghosh-Roy said. Ghosh-Roy praised Slum Village for their flow and synchronization to the tracks but reiterated that they could have excelled if they didn't have to contend with the failings of the space.

About 1:40 a.m., after inexplicably waiting on the sidelines well after

the freestyling session, Bahamadia took the stage, clad in a jean jacket and hair braided tightly in rows. One of the early numbers, "Chaos," from Rawkus Records' 1999 Soundbombing 2 and originally recorded with Reflection Eternal, drew positive feedback from the thinned-out crowd.

Bahamadia's EP, BB Queen, comes out July 25. It features "Pep

Talk" (RealAudio excerpt), with its skittering jungle beat and fast-paced vocal cadence.

Right before 2 a.m., when it became apparent that her set would be cut

drastically short, Bahamadia explained to the fraction of the audience

that stuck around, "I couldn't be here — I was stuck at the

airport." After relating that the promoter was cursing her out for being late, the rapper said, "I'm very considerate to my fans, and I really appreciate my fans. I wish we had more time." The last comment was cut short by the microphone getting shut off. Bahamadia clowned apologetically as she made her way offstage.

Good Vibe 2000 next hits Portland, Ore., on June 20, then continues to

Seattle, Vancouver, British Columbia, Chicago, Detroit, Boston and New

York before concluding July 5 in Philadelphia.