If a classic hip-hop concert lands in the forests of Minnesota and no one is around to hear it, does it still happen?

That question was answered in the affirmative Thursday night in Minneapolis, when the LL Cool J-led Kings of the Mic Tour rolled into Target Center and probably sent the concert's organizers into the financial negative. A mere 2,000 fans showed up to the concert. The third-billed act on the lineup, Public Enemy, drew only a few hundred less on its own at First Avenue in December.

Kings of the Mic came to town only four days after 28,000 fans flocked to the Soundset festival in Shakopee, headlined by Snoop Dogg. That event didn't help the turnout at this one, but it did help prove hip-hop is as popular as ever.

Arena rap tours have always been sketchy propositions, though (Lil Wayne's outings a few years ago were the last seen around these parts). In cruel chicken-or-egg fashion — and that's not a play on Public Enemy rapper Flavor Flav's defunct fried-chicken chain — Thursday's vast sea of empty seats only emphasized why.

The booming bass bounced around the arena like giant wads of Silly Putty hitting fans' ears during all four acts. It was so bad acoustically speaking, that fans were challenged trying to rap along to even the best-known songs, including De La Soul's "Me, Myself & I" and Ice Cube's "Straight Outta Compton."

Musically and charismatically speaking, though, the 1980s-generated rappers were pretty spectacular. Ice Cube probably needs money least of all the acts — given his long-established side career as a Hollywood actor and producer — but he actually worked the stage the hardest.

Performing second to last on the lineup, the Los Angeles vet and his grade-A hype man WC hit the stage like stunt men, hitting with the opening tunes "Natural Born Killaz" and "Check Yo Self." Cube kept up the momentum for an hour, tearing through "Why We Thugs" and "I Rep the West" and delivering "Compton" and "Gangsta Gangsta" as images of his old group N.W.A. scrolled across the video-screen backdrop. The crowd especially lit up for his MTV-generated classic "It Was a Good Day."

Even in the unenviable opening slot, De La Soul sparked quite an impressive dance party with its funk-fueled classics, also including "Stakes is High." Public Enemy's bombastic set came next and suffered worst of all from the ricocheting arena acoustics. Frontman Chuck D's immortal question, "Bass, how low can you go?," seemed sadly rhetorical.

Still, Public Enemy was in attack mode from start to finish, cramming in as many classics as it could in a half-hour set, including "911 Is a Joke," "Welcome to the Terrordome," "Don't Believe the Hype," "Fight the Power" and "Bring the Noise," the latter made even mightier with its live band.

The usually mouthy Flavor Flav only had time to explain why he wasn't wearing his trademark wall-clock necklace: in honor of PE's induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame last month. (OK, so, maybe he needed a little more time to explain it properly.)

Eschewing the GQ-fashion look he's known for today, LL Cool J took the stage donning a gold chain, red cap and matching red Adidas T, his muscles ripping out from under the sleeves as he delivered the opener "Jack the Ripper."

On his first full tour in 15 years, LL proved to be in fine shape as a performer, too. After a thrilling live mash-up with Chuck D — a reprisal of the dueling performance at this year's Grammy Awards — he stopped to catch his breath. He then proceeded to breathlessly run through "Doin' It," "4,3,2,1," and a couple of new songs, saving enough power to rock "Going Back to Cali" and "Mama Said Knock You Out."

Twin Cities hip-hop star Slug of Atmosphere fame joined LL at the end of his set for — of all songs — "Big Ole Butt." Had more of them been there, Twin Cities fans might have ranked Thursday night an all-time great moment in local hip-hop history.

Chris Riemenschneider • 612-673-4658