POP MUSIC REVIEW : Benefit Show Goes on Without D. J. Quik

A series of concerts to raise money to promote peace between gang members in Los Angeles got off to a bumpy start Thursday night at the downtown Mayan Theatre.

The long night’s journey into morning left a remarkably patient audience cheated wheJ. Quik, the Compton rapper who headlined the event, left without performing. The rapper refused to appear during the sparsely attended 5 1/2-hour event because he wasn’t able to bring his bodyguard and entourage into the theater, a spokeswoman said. Khalid Shah, the promoter, said he had objected to the size of Quik’s party, which he estimated at 40-45 people.

The fans, who had paid $16 to attend the show, weren’t completely left empty. Playboy appeared briefly to sing his tongue-twisting hit, “Ditty,” while members of his group danced wildly on stage.

Sponsored by a coalition of Latino and African-American groups, the concert featured 12 other local groups who performed energetically. The Hispanic M.C.’s rap version of “Tequila” highlighted the multiethnic band’s funky set.

Poetess, the sole female rapper invited to perform, was the only artist to address the benefit’s theme of “Stop the Violence; Increase the Peace.” Between numbers, she said, “If you all wanna fight for something. Fight for equality. Fight poverty. Fight racism.”