Hip-Hop Holiday

Good tidings and seasonal cheer were only two of the goals when radio station KKBT threw its fourth annual “92.3 Holiday Cooldown” Sunday at the Wiltern Theatre.

For one thing, the concert was a benefit for Shields for Families, a program supporting drug-exposed infants and families, and My Friend’s Place, a resource center for homeless youths in Hollywood. For fans, given the plush setting, it was a rare hip-hop event: One could dress to impress and relax, knowing the evening’s drama would take place only on stage.

But for the slew of entertainers, the well-organized “Cooldown” was anything but a chill-out. It was a serious opportunity for recognition, a chance to boost record sales and--for such acts as Aaliyah and Montell Jordan, whose sophomore albums haven’t had the same impact as their debuts--a chance for career rehabilitation.

On many levels, Mint Condition offered the evening’s most versatile performance. Led by singer and songwriter Stokley, the group served up hearty renditions of such hits as “Change Your Mind” and “Pretty Brown Eyes,” injecting them with extemporaneous beats and guitar riffs as Stokley filled the air with his powerful, melodious voice.

But the real surprise came when the dreadlocked leader dropped his microphone and moved to his own drum set for a contest with his drumming brother Chris. On the tender yet hard-hitting ballad “What Kind of Man Would I Be,” the band blew the dimension and emotional intensity of the song to levels that radio simply doesn’t allow.

Montell Jordan and his band didn’t fare as well. The tall, lanky Los Angeles native has some singing chops, but his dancers--and in some cases his lackluster songs--detracted from his performance. “Make it hot, Montell,” his dancers implored, “make it hot.” But he just couldn’t do it.

He did deliver a heartfelt rendition of his best song, the poignant “Daddy’s Home,” but he seemed resigned to becoming a Vegas-bound one-hit wonder when he played the intro to his biggest hit, “This Is How We Do It,” at a slowed-down lounge tempo.

When Ginuwine, a singer from Washington, strolled out early in the show for his 15 minutes in the spotlight, he worked his pelvis and throat to great effect. He titillated the women with his hard-thumping remake of Prince’s “When Doves Cry.” “Touch if you will my stomach,” he cooed to the shrieking fans. “Feel how it trembles inside.” He seemed to know every sexual shimmy in the work-the-crowd handbook, so it didn’t matter that his voice was run-of-the-mill.

The most emotional performance came from former Jodeci member K-Ci Hailey, who strutted out by himself, singing a ‘70s “quiet storm” classic, “Wild Flower.” His earthy singing brought the crowd quickly to its feet. His equally talented brother Jo-Jo joined him to trade verses during “How Could You Do It,” and K-Ci delivered a forthright rendition of Bobby Womack’s “If You Think You’re Lonely Now” that surpassed the original. One got the feeling that these two will have no problem in their post-Jodeci career.

Like Jordan, teenage singing sensation Aaliyah used a band, dancers and backup singers. Her beautiful, gospel-influenced voice hit the highs and lows with ease, but her testosterone-driven male dancers and regimented choreography lacked heat. Her potentially strongest moment, a gentle remake of the classic Isley Brothers anthem “Choosy Lover,” was ruined when she suddenly switched to a lackluster remix version.

Producer Sean “Puffy” Combs’ latest hit act, 112, came out to a rousing response but its performance was a letdown. When the quartet from Atlanta let its naked voices do the work a cappella, the blend was flawless. But bland backing tracks and lackluster compositions took away from the set.