Ludacris beats a retreat, but other acts put bob and sway into Winterfest

They bob to that beat, sway to it and sweep their upheld hands to it.

They did all that and then some at the Collier County Fairgrounds on Saturday, where a disappointingly small crowd showed for the first ever Hip Hop Winterfest.

By the time the first act took the stage around 4 p.m. -- the gates opened at 2 p.m. -- about 500 people were scattered over the fairgrounds, though most were close to the stage.

Anthea and Asher Lee, a sister and brother visiting Miami from England, drove over for the festival.

Naples was in no way on the vacation radar for this black music radio DJ and software consultant. So why the extra 100 miles on top of the cross Atlantic journey?

"Ludacris," they said together.

Their trip was in vain.

Although Ludacris was seen at the Coastland Center earlier in the day, he failed to show for the concert, and promoters sent the crowd home around 8:15 p.m.

The headliner drew many of the crowd to Saturday's event, the tickets for which were $50.

But ready to take the stage were Ivy Queen, Ying Yang Twinz, Youngbloodz, Fat Joe, T.O.K. and Mr. Easy, to name a few.

And they all have that solid beat.

"It's a happy beat," said Miriam Camacho, 19 and a Naples resident who attends Edison Community College.

And her friend, Tania Solano, 20, added the event was a nice change. "Naples is boring."

Her friends nodded and groaned their agreement.

Hip-hop is more than music. It is clothing, language, a whole subculture, but the root of it all is the music. It is often a complex layering of voice parts over an solid, infectious beat that had even sheriff's deputies swaying somewhat, if unconsciously.

And the underlying theme is "if you got a good lyric, stick with it."

"Where Brooklyn at? Where Brooklyn at? Where Brooklyn at?"

You get it.

Hip hop originated in the South Bronx section of New York around the mid-1970s and has thrived in the black and Puerto Rican communities, though it has more recently gained wider acceptance.

But not everyone in the vicinity of the fairgrounds Saturday was there for the tunes and a good time.

A young man in a pickup flying the rebel flag flew down a dirt road along the concert fence line a few times.

And some at the event felt the number of sheriff's deputies patrolling on foot, horseback, with dogs and in helicopters was oppressive.

"I feel more scared than secure," said John Smith, 20, a Fort Myers resident.

He and two friends had set up chairs midway down a long field that could've held thousands but didn't.

Rick Forges, 27 and a Miami resident, said he'd never seen the same level of security at a Miami event.

"It's going to intimidate the people who are here to have a good time," he said. "I know these people are doing their jobs, but this feels like President Bush landing in Baghdad."

Sheriff's deputies said they were there in force -- about 70 total -- because the promoter had told them to expect a crowd of 7,000 to 10,000.

"We're not hassling them," said Cmdr. Nancy Reed. "They're a good bunch."

She said if things didn't pick up as the evening wore on, she planned to send some of the deputies home.