Talib Kweli performs for the enlightened

Spencer Patterson

Monday, June 7, 2004 | 10:39 a.m.

Early in his show Saturday night, rapper Talib Kweli asked, "Where were you the day hip-hop died?" in his song "Too Late."

Judging from the enthusiastic reception fans gave Kweli at the House of Blues at Mandalay Bay, it seemed only to be a rhetorical question.

Sure, the place wasn't packed the way it was for recent appearances by superstar rappers 50 Cent and Ludacris.

But a crowd of close to 1,000 proved that quality acts such as Kweli and opener MF Doom can draw plenty of knowledgeable hip-hop devotees without having hit singles on the radio and MTV.

Though he's been among the genre's names to know since his late-'90s "Black Star" collaboration with rapper-turned-actor Mos Def, Kweli will likely never gain widespread commercial success.

The 28-year-old Brooklyn, N.Y., native spits out lyrics far too cerebral to appeal to many, words that routinely question the political and socio-economic state of affairs in this country.

"Yo, I activism, attackin' the system, the Blacks and Latins in prison," Kweli rhymed in "Get By," a standout live cut off 2002 album "Quality." "I let them know we missin' you, the love is unconditional, even when the condition is critical, when the livin' is miserable, your position is pivotal."

Those types of rapid-fire insights were easy to make out on Saturday, thanks to a crystal-clear sound mix that had Kweli's vocals far out in front of his DJ and two female vocalists.

Dressed simply in an untucked white dress shirt, black pants and a Yankees baseball cap, Kweli gripped the microphone with his left hand and swung his right arm emphatically throughout his performance.

He freestyled a few times, even concocting one rap so current as to include a reference to Ronald Reagan and his "war games" just hours after the former president's death.

Fans near the stage bounced energetically to such favored tracks as "Definition" from 1998's "Black Star" disc and "Move Somethin' " off 2000's "Reflection Eternal."

They also cheered loudly when Kweli asked if they wanted to hear new material from upcoming album "Beautiful Struggle," due out in August but apparently already making the rounds online.

Kweli announced that one of the new tunes, "I Tried," will feature guest vocalist Mary J. Blige. Another, the Kanye West-produced "Lonely People," sampled the chorus of the Beatles' classic "Eleanor Rigby," which turned into a lights-down, lighters-up sing-along on Saturday.

Midway through the set, DJ Chaps spun Michael Jackson and Afrika Bambaataa records while Kweli invited fans to dance onstage. A man in a throwback Dominique Wilkins NBA jersey did the robot, while a break dancer performed an awkward flip and landed flat on his back.

The crowd's energy was encouraging, coming just one night after veteran hip-hop trio De La Soul were treated like a bunch of unknowns at Green Valley Ranch's Whiskey Beach.

Repeatedly, De La Soul MCs Posdnuos and Trugoy attempted to get the crowd of scenesters -- many primarily there to view a screener of new reality TV show "American Casino" -- on their feet and into the music.

"I know you people are having fun over there," the rapper said, pointing to the serious rap fans crammed around the stage. "But how about you people over there?" he asked of those in a nearby VIP seating area.

"You have some cute outfits on, but how about making some noise?"

Kweli and De La Soul share the same management company, leading to speculation they might team up at one of the two weekend events.

That never materialized, but Kweli didn't need any assistance to make his show a success.

Clocking in around an hour, his set should have been longer. Otherwise, there were no complaints, as the New Yorker and his fans demonstrated that high-caliber hip-hop is far from dead, even if you have to do a bit of digging to find it.