East Meets West in Rap Off at Celebrity Theatre

Because rap music was born on the broken sidewalks of New York, West Coast hip-hop acts seldom get the respect that their Eastern brethren claim as a birthright. “Try harder” seemed to be the watchword for two California rap groups that held their own with Bronx-based Boogie Down Productions in an East-meets-West bill Saturday at Anaheim’s Celebrity Theatre.

MC Hammer, hailing from Oakland, and the Los Angeles duo of Rodney-O and Joe Cooley both put a good deal of flash and sweat into their sets and managed to motivate the near-capacity house as much as Boogie Down Productions, which has won critical applause for its socially-conscious album, “By All Means Necessary.”

BDP’s live beats and sonics were unambitious, but rapper Kris Parker (KRS-One) was an effective, good-natured personality. While the 23-minute set kept high energy throughout, it lacked direction until Parker hit a sustained groove at the end with an extended version of “Stop the Violence.”

Similar difficulty in shaping a coherent set beset MC Hammer. The white-clad rapper was a bundle of whirling dance moves who bounded onto the stage looking like a minister ready to work his congregation into a frenzy. But Hammer didn’t deliver on that promise until the end, when the Latin-tinged rhythms of “Let’s Get It Started” packed the stage with dancers in a nice communal funk workout.

Hard-working rapper Rodney-O and deejay Joe Cooley capped their party-oriented set with Cooley’s flashy solo record-scratching display. L.A.’s 7A3 opened with a tepid, puerile set partly redeemed in the end by a firm rap against gang violence.