As a hip-hop draw, Slug has a ways to go in Japan, but the small contingent of fans who showed up showed love as well, so much so that the eternally self-deprecating rapper was at a loss as to how to express his appreciation. "You people are just too nice," he said with all honesty and awe. "Usually at our shows people throw shit at us."

And there was a lot to love, especially in the wicked counterpoint achieved by Slug and his give-and-take man, the equally adept Brother Ali. Generous with the gestures, the pair, backed by simple, potent beats, were as visually compelling as their words were aurally fascinating. The two even learned some Japanese: "hidari, migi," they chanted as the crowd waved their hands in accord.

The love was returned two-fold. "You're ready to party this weekend," Slug asked. "Everybody, put a smile on your face and a party in your heart." It sounds like the hope of a kid who never got invited to parties. In the second half of the set, Brother Ali left and Slug brought out a full band. The music was gentler but no less poignant and pointed, especially during the hip-hop symphony "God Loves Ugly." Before his last song he urged the audience "to have sex tonight, OK." He wasn't being hard at all.