Some of the most popular artists of hip-hop and soul made their way to The Windy City last Friday for BET Presents The Phattest Concert in the 95, featuring Jodeci, Mary J. Blige and artists of Bad Boy Entertainment.

A crowd of 12,000 packed the Rosemont Horizon to capacity to see the biggest concert of the year. Tense security urged the people along, prodding concert fans to keep moving in the right direction. Teens were everywherefrom girls with plastic miniskirts and bustiers to guys with huge gold chains and wild braids all looking as if they were imitating their music idols from a rap video. These fashion no-nos slowly filled the arena during the first two performances. Others lingered by concession stands to take group photos, waiting for the bigger acts to reach the stage.

The highlight of the concert, multi-platinum R&B group Jodeci, caused women to flock to the front of the stage, screaming madly. The stage was dimly lit with sporadic flashes of colored lights and hazy smoke. However, during the performance, an over-abundance of stage smoke caused people seated on the main level to choke and rub their eyes. One irritated spectator said to his friend, That shit will kill somebody.

They were a sight to seeraunchy, yet appealing to women spectators. K-Ci was moaning and groaning in a lustful call while JoJo sweetly serenaded during Freek n You. Dalvin and DeVante, the two most attractive members of the group, could hear their names in shrill tones throughout the evening. When Devante asked the female spectators, How many ladies want to come back to the Sheraton with me after the show? it was all over. Arms flailed as women hollered at the top of their lungs for a good two minutes. Couples swayed in each other’s arms as Jodeci sang its classic hit Forever My Lady in a passionate display. As they closed the show, the four members harmonized, pumped, grinded and exposed tattoos until the end.

Mary J. Blige was exceptional. Her voice was steady and strong, contrary to prior performances, and her show was filled with action and rhythm. She captivated her audience during the ballads My Life and Believe in Me, with bare-chested muscular men providing her with trinkets of affection. Blige accentuated her energetic male and female dancers rather well, especially during her new song from The Show soundtrack, Everyday It Rains. Even her cover of Aretha Franklin’s Natural Woman sounded good. I was impressed.

The Bad Boy Entertainment artists kept the show grooving with performances from Craig Mack, Notorious B.I.G., Total and Junior M.A.F.I.A. Cheers went wild as Notorious B.I.G. came to the stage. B.I.G. blew up the spot on every song. With assistance from his executive producer, Sean Puffy Combs, B.I.G. mesmerized the crowd with Big Poppa, Juicy and One More Chance (both versions). His vocal delivery made it unmistakably clear why he became so popular this year. He can execute his rhymes unlike any other rap artist. Complete with wardrobe changes, B.I.G. and Puffy embodied true player style. Unfortunately, labelmates Total were not as successful. Its song, Can’t You See, was strained and off-key. Total continued in its attempt to get a positive reaction from the crowd by jumping onto the speakers and holding out their microphones to the audience, but nothing worked. Men in the crowd noted that the best part of Total’s performance was a leather minidress worn by one of the singers, which was short enough to expose her printed panties. Junior M.A.F.I.A. later came out in varied suits to chant its hit, Player’s Anthem and as expected, Notorious B.I.G. and Lil’ Kim delivered their verses like veterans. The audience went into a frenzy as they threw money into the audience.

Naughty by Nature made sure it represented to the fullest as they performed its catchy-phrase rap hits. Rapper Treach demonstrated his lyrical skills on OPP, Hip Hop Hooray, and Feel Me Flow, receiving a great response from both men and women in the audience. After their stage time, a conflict ensued behind the scenes. A Rosemont security official and other witnesses informed me that lead rapper Treach of the trio was jailed later that evening for slapping a security officer with his trademark chain and padlock. The security employee allegedly asked Treach to show his backstage pass when the offended rap star stuck him in the face. Treach was released by the time the tour left for Detroit at 5 a.m. the following morning.

Adina Howard did a wonderful job appealing to mens’ libidos, but her vocal abilities were weak. She donned a skin-tight black leather pantsuit as the performance of her only hit song, Freak Like Me, reached a pinnacle of mediocrity. However, visual stimulation was heightened as her female dancers gyrated on chairs and did headstands spread-eagled.

As the first act, The Luniz fired up the crowd on contact. During its hit, I Got 5 On It, Yukmouth and Knumskill used huge hand props to give each other five, along with passing around a four-foot marijuana joint. Hands flew into the air as they threw the joint into the crowd, while cheers for blunt use surged through the audience like a Free the Herb rally.

One spectator said she enjoyed The Phattest Hip Hop Tour in the 95 because it was well-organized and the acts had enough flair to keep her entertained.

There weren’t long breaks between acts, and the groups kept the audience interested, Alicia Jackson of Chicago said.

The month-long bus tour will reach nearly 30 cities in the U.S., ending Nov. 24.

The Phattest Hip Hop Tour in the 95 truly lived up to its name, despite the disappointing performances from Adina Howard and Total. The roster of this concert brought something that Chicago hasn’t seen in a whilea host of popular rap and R&B acts under one roof. Tickets averaged $35, but the energy and exuberance of the artists made it well worth the price.