Busta Rhymes' Thursday-night appearance at Bogart's started as a rather innocuous hip-hop show but took a confrontational turn when a crowd member and the star of the show addressed the hot Cincinnati topics of police relations and boycotts.

        Through the hour-and-40-minute performance, lyrics about drug use, violence and sex flowed freely from the New York rapper's mouth. But lyrical content is the least-noticed component of Busta's act. His gangster pose has always been softened by comical traits, like the wild hair-dos, the wacky clothes sense and the disarming smile, as well as the ultra-fast pace with which he spits out rhymes. Of all the New York rappers who claim street credibility, Busta Ryhmes ranks as the closest to a novelty act.

        That's why his mid-set, between-song rant came from left field. Throughout the show he was calling out individuals in the crowd who, to him, didn't seem to be enjoying themselves, or who didn't clap to the beat upon his demand. Busta called one such man to the front of the stage, and gave him the microphone. The man, who identified himself as a school teacher, expressed his anger at the Cincinnati police. This set off Busta on a five-minute rant.

        “Keep killing a black man out here, and I don't care how much money you offer me, I ain't coming back,” he said. “I don't believe in violence, but I believe in justice. If you come up at me with a (expletive) action, you deserve a penalty for the (expletive) action. I murder a police if they come after me.”

        At first his speech spurred a big crowd reaction, but the cheering waned as he continued. He asked the crowd for “a moment of silence for the souls we lost to the police.” It didn't work the first time he tried, so he asked again for five seconds of silence, and most of the crowd complied.

        In the end, his hit songs proved to fire up the crowd more than his polemics. Except for a couple lengthy spells of stage chatter, the show came fast, frantically and furiously. It was a simple production, with backup supplied by two members of Busta's longtime collaborators the Flipmode Squad. Spliff Star doubled Busta's vocals, and DJ Scratchator spun the minimalist snare and bass drum beats.

        The highlights came from Busta's lastest release, Genesis. “What It Is” and “Break Ya Neck,” two singles off the album, provided a high-energy ending to the show. And the title track was the night's best song, a sort of P-Funk styled visionary chant-along that makes impossible solutions for transcending life's troubles seem within reach.

One year later: Baby Kamryn knows who her mother is
Annual fishing trip catches more than bass
Magazine ranks city 37th for women's interests
The Insatiable Shopper
Busta Rhymes tries to climb on boycott bandwagon
Museum Center hosts Irish Culture Fest
Composer captures 9/11 mood
Ant Farm spices up bland SnoCore tour
Cheerios sponsors literacy campaign
House rules: Mottos help family members do the right things
On the Fridge
'Nightline' national treasure
Get to it