Ludacris and friends kick it into overdrive

“Take it back,” Ludacris shouted to DJ Jaycee about 10 minutes into his concert Sunday at the Wiltern LG. With a devilish grin, the nimble-fingered DJ then cued up the frantic “Southern Hospitality,” Ludacris’ spasmodic 2000 hit.

The Neptunes-produced cut’s pulsating keyboards and pounding drums gave Ludacris a seemingly unnecessary shot of adrenaline, as the Atlanta rapper kicked an already energetic stage show into an overdrive that lasted through the remainder of his 65-minute set.

Since appearing on the national hip-hop scene in 2000, Ludacris has become one of the genre’s best and most popular artists. His witty wordplay has a mischievous mix of locker-room humor, sexual innuendo and social commentary, while his knack for accentuating just the right syllable while rapping at a variety of speeds keeps his music exciting and unpredictable.

Somewhat predictably, however, Ludacris’ tongue-in-cheek music has drawn the ire of some media pundits, including conservative television commentator Bill O’Reilly, who in 2002 chastised Pepsi for using the R-rated rapper to push its soda. The soft drink maker soon dropped Ludacris as a sponsor.

On Sunday, Ludacris’ denim jacket and orange T-shirt both featured unflattering comments about O’Reilly. But while many rappers would make their scorn into a concert platform, Ludacris let his clothing do the talking and remained focused on delivering a stellar show, with the help of some high-profile friends.

Multitalented R&B; artist Raphael Saadiq provided a soulful backdrop for “Chase Waterfalls,” while opening act Chingy, who earlier delivered an uneven 45-minute set, provided a smooth foil to Ludacris’ frat-boy antics on “Holidae In” and “We Got.” With supreme skill and talented friends like these, it’s no wonder Ludacris can laugh at O’Reilly’s attack.