Kendrick Lamar, Kanye West, and Future to Headline Rolling Loud Miami 2022
Rolling Loud
ASAP Rocky, J. Cole, And Future Will Headline Rolling Loud’s Inaugural Event In Portugal
After two years’ delay, Rolling Loud’s inaugural Portugal edition has a new date, July 6-8, 2022, and a new headliner joining mainstays ASAP Rocky and Future, who were carried over from the two previous lineup announcements for 2020 and 2021. This time, they’ll be joined by J. Cole after 2020 headliner DaBaby landed in hot water over his Rolling Loud Miami appearance in 2021 and Wiz Khalifa, the planned third headliner for the postponed 2021 edition of the Portugal fest, dropped out for unknown reasons.
If the festival doesn’t get pushed back again, it’ll be the first Europe-based edition of the popular traveling hip-hop event, which has also taken over its hometown, Miami, New York, Los Angeles, and the Bay Area in recent years. The most recent iteration of the festival was held in December 2021 at the National Orange Show event center in San Bernardino, headlined by J. Cole, Future, and Kid Cudi.
The new lineup for Portugal has made some changes down the flyer, as well. While names like A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie, Meek Mill, Playboi Carti, and Polo G have moved on, emergent stars like City Morgue, Don Toliver, Lil Baby, Sleepy Hallow, and more have joined the show. Meanwhile, a number of UK-based names remain billed to perform, with the addition of fast-rising newcomer Central Cee, whose second mixtape, 23, is set for release in February.
Tickets go on sale Friday, January 28. As usual, you can find more information on RollingLoud.com.
Rolling Loud’s Miami Presale Teaser Has Fans Convinced Travis Scott Is Headlining
Travis Scott, who was removed from a number of festivals’ lineups in the wake of the disaster at his own Astroworld Festival in November, may soon be returning to at least one fest’s big stage in 2022. At least, that’s what fans think after the Rolling Loud Twitter account teased the early-bird presale for the traveling festivals’ upcoming Miami event in 2022. “This early bird presale is for the ragers that trust the process,” read the tweet, purposefully adding the nickname Travis uses for his most enthusiastic fans.
This early bird presale is for the ragers that trust the process
— Rolling Loud (@RollingLoud) December 27, 2021
It didn’t take long for those fans to read between the line and begin expressing hopes for Travis’ return to the stage since first being dropped from the Day N Vegas lineup and eventually receiving pink slips to such fests as Coachella, as well as business partnerships with Anheuser-Busch and Dior. Travis has received criticism for his role in the Astroworld disaster and his responses to it after he hired a lawyer with past Trump connections as his defense in the upcoming combined lawsuit against him from over 3,000 plaintiffs.
Carti Friday
Travis Saturday
Kanye Sunday
Let’s do this— Isaiah Wilson (@IsaiahWballer) December 27, 2021
Pls tell me Travis is performing
— Sosa (@nycsosaa) December 27, 2021
Put Travis on!!
— Papi Chulo ➆ (@LxKxng) December 28, 2021
It wouldn’t be the first time Rolling Loud offered a troubled artist a path to redemption — or at least, revenue, given the unapologetic stances of the previously “canceled” rappers who performed on the festival’s stage. Rolling Loud’s organizers were close friends with the problematic XXXTentacion, who performed there while under investigation for accusations of horrifying abuse, and more recently, Rolling Loud backed DaBaby’s upcoming tour after his homophobic comments onstage got him censured by GLAAD, Elton John, and Dua Lipa — statements that ironically occurred during his Rolling Loud Miami performance earlier this year.
If Travis does perform, it seems there are still plenty of fans who would be delighted, even as at least 10 of his fans’ families mourn their unfortunate deaths at Astroworld. See some of the responses below.
aye @RollingLoud be the crazy fuckers we know n love & put travis on the miami lineup
WE NEED TO RAGE
— D.E.V
(@devtheprophet) December 28, 2021
What’s a rolling loud without Travis!? Y’all did a badass job handling crowd control in Miami for Travis 2021.
@RollingLoud
— Jenn Aubrey Gee (@88Lovemeharder) December 28, 2021
if Rolling Loud don’t put Travis back idk anymore
— KAKTii (@kristoferutanes) December 29, 2021
TRAVIS , CARTI, AND YE that would be the best lineup of all time
— carmi martucci (@carmituc) December 27, 2021
Fetty Wap Was Arrested In Newark Airport Due To An Outstanding Warrant
It’s been a tough year when it comes to legal trouble for rap’s best trap crooner, Fetty Wap. The New Jersey rapper was arrested at Rolling Loud this year on federal drug charges before he had a chance to take the stage. According to TMZ’s report of the allegations, federal authorities suspect Fetty of distributing cocaine, crack, heroin, and fentanyl across Long Island and New Jersey. Still, the rapper, born William Junior Maxwell II, was released on $500K bond shortly after his arrest.
Conditions of his bail included an ankle monitor, surrendering his passport, and letting officials know of any planned travel, but something went awry at the Newark Airport today and Fetty was arrested again. This seems to have nothing to do with his federal drug case, though, and is related to an outstanding New Jersey warrant involving a charge of public nuisance in North Bergen, New Jersey. According to TMZ’s sources, Fetty was booked but will be able to make bail for this minor infraction and be released. Hopefully he will be able to continue his holiday travel and see his loved ones, and not be stuck in jail due to an old warrant during the latest surge of cases in a deadly pandemic.
Fetty Wap is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music.
Rolling Loud California Still Held Some Surprises For The Long-Running Festival
After three iterations of Rolling Loud in the Los Angeles area with remarkably similar lineups, you’d think the traveling festival might be all out of surprises. But its latest iteration — this time, in a new location after a forced hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic — proves that the show’s organizers still have a few tricks up their sleeves, beginning with the new venue at the National Orange Show event center in San Bernardino.
One of the biggest surprises of the weekend was Kanye West’s guest appearance during Future’s headlining set on Sunday night, but Rolling Loud didn’t need big-name pop-outs to make an impression. Many of the billed artists at the Power 106 stage, such as KenTheMan, Teezo Touchdown, and Snot, were able to leave an imprint on the crowd as assuredly as the headliners’ special guests.
In particular, Chance The Rapper-co-signed Teezo Touchdown caught my eye as an unusual artist with a flair for the dramatic, who clearly puts a lot of work into his presentation — even if it’s a little off-putting at first. Teezo’s hype man, presenting himself as a boisterous coach character, did an almost 5-minute skit to begin the Texas artist’s set, which was a gamble given the short set times at Rolling Loud in general.
But Teezo, whose “gameday” outfits usually consist of an elaborate arrangement of nails — yes, like the kind from the hardware store — draped all over his football jersey (with pads!) and hair, backed up the eye-popping imagery with songs that the crowd clearly enjoyed. KenTheMan also left me with the sense that she’ll be climbing the Rolling Loud totem pole in due time thanks to her fun, engaging set.
@uproxx ye said its time to get a ya f’n bands up
#fyp #kanyewest #future #fbg #popculture #rollingloud #kanyetok
Ever since my interview with Latto for Uproxx’s latest cover story, I can’t unsee the performance disparity between men and women rappers and who’s expected to do what onstage. For instance, Teezo’s set wound up being the most elaborate one — for the most part, the other male rappers kind of just stood there, reciting their lyrics and occasionally stage diving or yelling at the crowd to open up a mosh pit.
Meanwhile, the women I saw — Ken, Rico Nasty, and Flo Milli — went all out, either bringing dancers or other bells and whistles to their sets. Certainly they were a lot more dressed up than the guys, who mostly opted for some combination of jeans and shirts — although plenty wore jackets as a concession to chilly desert temperatures (Saturday night saw lows in the 30s).
With the new venue, which was likely a concession to the pandemic planning needs of the usual LA venue in Exposition Park, the layout was cozy and the organizers did a pretty okay job of incorporating permanent structures like the Orange Pavilion into the festival. The pavilion was turned into the Loud Factory, packing in a skate park, basketball courts, a bar, and a screen displaying the live Twitch feeds fans could escape the weather and get off their feet at the picnic tables positioned inside without missing sets from their favorite artists.
Meanwhile, with so many of my personal favorites like Cordae and Lil Nas X deep in album mode or committed to the Jingle Ball Tour, I got a chance to check out acts I might have ordinarily skipped, like Teezo. The mid-line artists at the Punx and Ciroc stages wound up offering the most entertainment value, as Kalan.FrFr and Drakeo The Ruler lived up to their billing, and undercards like Ty Dolla Sign perfectly set up the headliners, J. Cole, Future, and Kid Cudi.
Some notes, though: Sound issues plagued a number of acts, although they were quickly cleared up, so props to the sound and video teams. I wasn’t able to truly figure out the parking situation until the last day, but that may not be an issue at future iterations of the fest if my theory about the pandemic forcing the venue change pans out. The age limit on this year’s fest, despite being prompted by tragic events elsewhere, actually led to a more enjoyable fest for everyone. There was enough room to spread out, crowd crushes were basically non-existent, and there seemed to be a generally more respectful, chiller vibe than I got used to at previous Rolling Loud festivals. That one, maybe they should keep.
DaBaby’s Return To Rolling Loud Was Marred By Fans Throwing Drinks At Him
As if any more proof was needed that “cancel culture” isn’t real, DaBaby made his return to the Rolling Loud stage this past weekend at Rolling Loud California in San Bernardino. However, it wasn’t quite the triumphant comeback he and the festival’s organizers had perhaps envisioned. It seems that despite being welcomed back by the event’s producers with open arms, DaBaby wasn’t the fan favorite he’d been in previous years.
Fan videos posted to social media apparently captured the less-the-positive reception DaBaby received when his set was time was changed at the last minute on Sunday. Although he’d been scheduled to hit the Power 106 stage at 10:30, for some reason, he was moved to the Ciroc stage, where Future was billed to headline (Future apparently went on later). Whether it was his last-minute appearance that set them off — fans are notoriously fickle, as Drake learned at Camp Flog Gnaw Carnival in LA two years ago — or a reaction to the comments he made at his prior Rolling Loud appearance in Miami that got him in hot water, to begin with, is anyone’s guess.
Rolling Loud California attendees threw bottles at DaBaby before and during his “Rockstar” performance. pic.twitter.com/uDCqitphPq
— Drama For The Girls (@dramaforthegirl) December 13, 2021
However, you can clearly see bottles flying at the Charlotte rapper from the audience. While it isn’t the worst thing fans have thrown at him, it’s clear he isn’t held in as much esteem by rap fans — although, as he points out in the video, he’s still far from being “canceled.”
Rolling Loud Implements A New 18+ Policy In Response To The Astroworld Festival Disaster
After the 10 deaths at Astroworld Festival this year, it was clear to many observers that music festivals as a whole would experience some big shakeups in response. While fests like Day N Vegas and Head In The Clouds were able to continue as (mostly) normal, it looks like the first of those expected big changes has arrived ahead of the touring hip-hop festival Rolling Loud’s latest LA edition.
Posting an update to social media, the Rolling Loud organizers advised the festival’s new safety precaution for the upcoming event: An age limit. The new policy limits attendees to 18 years of age and up in an effort to prevent a possible repeat of Astroworld’s crush, in which a nine-year-old boy suffered injuries that eventually led to his death a few days later.
We welcome everyone to experience our festivals, however, in light of recent events, we will be implementing AN 18+ policy specific only to our upcoming 2021 California festival. We will be giving all ticket purchasers who are under the age of 18 the option to either roll their tickets over to next year’s 2022 California festival or receive a refund.
Refund or rollover requests must be made through the original purchaser’s front gate account during the period beginning November 23RD at 9 AM PST and ending November 26TH at 12 PM PST. Additional information will be made available on our FAQs at rollingloud.com/help.
Love ya’ll – we want everyone to rage safely. Here’s an important update for all our fans who are under 18 for RL California. pic.twitter.com/9iwjYEmS6p
— Rolling Loud (@RollingLoud) November 23, 2021
For now, it appears the change is temporary, but considering the fallout from Astroworld still has yet to completely settle, it’s possible we could see this change and similar ones become permanent for the foreseeable future. Rolling Loud is scheduled for December 10-12 at the National Orange Show Event Center in San Bernardino.
Kaash Paige And Abby Jasmine Are Women In R&B Finding Their Own Place At Rolling Loud
Rolling Loud is known for bringing a huge cast of hip-hop acts from all over the world to one place so that music lovers can watch performances from their favorites and discover new artists in the process. In 2021, Rolling Loud has brought showcases to both Miami and New York with a third one planned for Los Angeles next month. Hip-hop’s biggest names which include J. Cole, Travis Scott, Bobby Shmurda, Roddy Ricch, Young Thug, Gunna, Lil Durk, Lil Uzi Vert, Playboi Cart, Lil Baby, and many more all performed at the festival this year.
With that being said, Rolling Loud also has room for R&B acts to bring their own unique energy to the festival. At last month’s New York festival, Kaash Paige and Abby Jasmine were two R&B singers who took the stage at the showcase and it comes after a strong period for them both. Paige shared her debut album Teenage Fever last year while Jasmine delivered a deluxe reissue for her album Who Cares? to close 2020. She also dropped her I Hate You 2 EP earlier this year.
We caught up with both singers at Rolling Loud to discuss their feelings towards returning to the big festival stage. We also discussed their growth as performers and what’s next for them in their respective careers.
I assume it’s been a while since you’ve performed at a festival this big, how did you enjoy your experience in returning to the big stage today?
Kaash Paige: Man, I’m just really appreciative of the moment. You’re right, during COVID we didn’t get to shine. A lot of the artists, like myself, I dropped my debut album during COVID and I didn’t get to perform how I wanted to. But this year, I got to tour, I got to be outside. I’m just grateful for everything and I’m just excited for next year.
Abby Jasmine: It was a crazy experience from start to finish. The anticipation leading up to it was crazy. You anticipate for weeks and weeks and weeks and weeks on a 15-minute moment. I was definitely on edge the entire time up until my performance. As soon as I got to the Rolling Loud, it was a little bit more real. That made me a bit more nervous, but as soon as I got on the stage, it was great. The crowd and dope, everybody came outside ready to have a good time. I’ve definitely done some shows where people just stand around, but the Rolling Loud crowd was dope.
What do you cherish the most about experiences like this?
KP: I think I cherish seeing every different section of the crowd, you see people that don’t mess with you, you see the people that mess with you, you see the n****s that’s like, “who is this?” You see motherf*ckers like, “Oh, I’m getting hip!” It’s really exciting because, in reality, it’s just work. I feel like this was probably the craziest Rolling Loud performance I’ve ever had, it was insane. I jumped in the crowd, they moshed everywhere, I didn’t expect the crowd to go that crazy. Yeah, I’m just in awe right now.
AJ: I think the biggest one for me is being able to share that experience with my friends, I consider them my chosen family. Sometimes I do shows out of state and they’re not able to make those performances. So being able to have all my friends in that one space and be able to turn up and look into the crowd and see my friends. Walking around backstage, I had my little Henny bottle, I was driving that thing around and we’re just having fun and doing sh*t that we do on a regular basis, but now we’re at Rolling Loud. It was just a really dope experience to be able to do that was my friends because we’re all from New York and we’d never been to a Rolling Loud.
You have both hip-hop and R&B in your discography, and being out here at a major rap festival, I wanted to ask: which one do you enjoy performing more?
KP: Nobody is really used to hearing an R&B singer at a festival for hip-hop. I think I just come out and let n****s know “I’m out here like God sent me.” I’m gonna sing these vocals, but I’m bout to turn up with y’all too. So I try to give them both of everything.
AJ: There’s a real big difference between R&B and rap crowds. There are certain songs I can play for R&B crowds that might not slide with the rap crowd because they’re there to turn up. They want to hear like, you know, lit sh*t. I feel like I do a really good job at trying to blend two as far as when I do sets. I always try to give the R&B crowds a little bit of some rap sh*t and I always tried to get the rap crowd a little bit of like R&B sh*t.
What song do you enjoy performing the most?
KP: I like singing “Love Songs” as my first song just because of course, people know me by that
AJ: I feel like the song that does well with both crowds is “Poland Spring.” That’s just a regular R&B joint, just a real feel-good song and it always does well with like crowds. So that’s one of my favorite ones to perform, and probably “On God” because every time I do that one, the crowd’s energy is crazy.
What do you think has made your onstage experience easier or more comfortable as you’ve grown as an artist?
KP: I just got off tour with Lil Tjay. Doing shows every single day just got me more comfortable to know that it’s gonna be tough crowds and it’s gonna be lit crowds. There’s gonna be moments where your mic’s not working or your sound’s not working. So it’s just being able to be prepared for those moments at all times.
AJ: To be very honest with you, live performances were not my strongest suit for a very long time because I felt like my priorities were always the music. Now I’m kind of seeing it for what it is. There are so many different elements to make music, like yes the music isn’t important, but live performances are something that I was really neglecting. I wasn’t paying much attention to it because I didn’t really have a lot of shows during the pandemic. So coming back, I got real humbled when I had a show and it was a sh*t show. I told myself, like, “Yo, this cannot happen at Rolling Loud. I need to be more prepared.” So I really went in on doing rehearsals and just all that type of stuff.
Did you check out other performances? Who did you enjoy the most? Who would’ve you like to see if you had the chance?
KP: I’m looking forward to seeing J. Cole. I need to hear that. It’s something about J. Cole’s aura that just draws me in. It’s not only the fact that he’s talking about real life, it’s the fact that I relate. He’s an artist that is [one of] the greatest of all time, but still tries to humble himself and put himself down. He be like, “Oh, I’m coming in third place” or I’m doing this or that, like n**** shutup. You’re the goat bro you know? I just relate because we’re all hard on ourselves, especially being artists.
AJ: Okay, so I only saw one performance and I’ll tell you why. The Hennessy caught up to me very early. I’m glad I wasn’t smoking because I would have been just passed out somewhere, probably. The Hennessy got to me real early. I remember very vividly, though, telling people to take me to go and see Asian Doll, I wanted to see Asian Doll so badly. They took me to see Asian Doll, I did go and see Asian Doll and I got to meet her afterwards, it was dope. Oh, I got to see a little bit of Kaash Paige’s set.
What’s the next chapter for you look like?
KP: The next chapter for Kaash Paige is let me finish these shows up this year, and top of the year, it’s my time and everybody’s gonna know Kaash Paige. It’ll be a lot of crazy music that’s dropping [at the] top of the year.
AJ: Well, right now I’m kind of on my little spiritual journey. This year’s been kind of rough. I thought last year was rough, but this year it’s definitely been a little rougher. [I’m] kind of on my spiritual journey, just trying to learn more about myself so I can put that into my music so that everything will keep being authentic. At the end of the day, I just want to be my most authentic self. I’m working on music, I should have something ready by the top of the year.
Rolling Loud Explains Why The Festival’s Organizers Are Backing DaBaby’s Upcoming Tour
Just a few months after he was censured over making questionable comments during a concert in Miami, DaBaby has bounced back, announcing his Live Show Killa Tour hitting 22 major cities over the next three months. The tour is presented by Rolling Loud, the festival where he initially got into trouble and started his comeback by appearing at the festival’s New York iteration this past weekend during his mentor 50 Cent’s headlining set.
According to TMZ, a representative for Rolling Loud says the festival’s organizers believe that DaBaby has learned his lesson and grown as a person. In the aftermath of the initial backlash against him, he was removed from several festivals‘ previously-booked lineups and publicly rebuked by a number of public entities, including his “Levitating” collaborator Dua Lipa, pop icon Elton John, and GLAAD, which issued a statement calling his words “inaccurate, hurtful, and harmful.”
During his Rolling Loud set in July, DaBaby tried to hype up the crowd, but his awkwardly-worded exhortation wound up coming across as homophobic and discriminatory. “If you didn’t show up today with HIV, AIDS, any of them deadly sexual transmitted diseases that make you die in two or three weeks, then put your cell phone light in the air,” he said. “Fellas, if you ain’t suck a n****’s dick in the parking lot, put your cell phone light in the air.”
Throughout the wave of criticism elicited by his statements, DaBaby either flat-out refused to apologize or egged on his detractors, although he did meet with a number of HIV/AIDs advocate groups. The incident extended into a bit in Dave Chappelle’s new Netflix special and became a hot topic of debate, but that didn’t stop LGBTQ nonprofit organization Relationship Unleashed from issuing a statement about both that spawned a mini-controversy of its own.
Rolling Loud New York 2021 Is Where The Kids Came To Rage
A cloud of rebellion and angst billowed through the subway doors of the 7 train leading to CitiField Stadium in Queens, where Rolling Loud was set to take place. Hundreds of kids roared down the subway stairs where they were met by ticket scalpers and lines to show proof of vaccination in exchange for a mint green wristband for a chance to see some of their favorite artists hit the stage live.
Rain, sleet, or snow (and it did rain), the weekend promised performances from some of the hottest bubbling rap acts such as Stunna Gambino, 22Gz, Young Devyn, Griselda, Armani Caesar, City Morgue, and of course, performances from some of the biggest names in the music industry including headliners 50 Cent, J. Cole, and Travis Scott.
The New York edition of Rolling Loud was an illuminating experience that delivered a space for young music enthusiasts to gather with their friends and listen to all the music their parents hate to love. Much like any festival, technical difficulties (A Boogie’s mic not working when 50 Cent brought him out) and artists not showing up to their set (like Chief Keef — who rescheduled for the next day) were par for the course. These are problems that I have learned to accept over the many years of attending festivals, including Rolling Loud.
Most of the performances at Rolling Loud are really about energy and vibes. A majority of these acts don’t really put on full-out shows, instead, it’s more like the artist vibing with the crowd to their own songs. City Girls had a fun set and the crowd was really with them singing along to their hits such as “Act Up” and “Pussy Talk.” Gunna, Lil Yachty, Moneybagg Yo, 42Dugg, and Lil Uzi Vert all put on the type of set that saw the artists mostly vibing with their fans from the stage. The more seasoned acts, such as J. Cole, Rick Ross, and Wale, gave more of a live performance that saw the crowds swelled up to the brim for their wealth of hits. Among the younger artists taking a chance at truly rapping live was Roddy Ricch, who also had a live band with him, but even he wasn’t immune to allowing the audience to vibe with him, especially during “The Box.”
.@YungMiami305 & @ThegirlJT ate @RollingLoud up!
pic.twitter.com/oaDINPFOf2
— UPROXX Music (@uproxxmusic) October 30, 2021
When it came to production, performance, and energy, a few acts stood out. Namely, 50 Cent, who put on a head-bopping nostalgic set. Ending the first night of the fest via Queens, Jamaica’s finest was smooth. The rap luminary also brought out A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie, A$AP Rocky, and DaBaby, which the crowd seemed to love. Who doesn’t want to see “In Da Club” or “Many Men” live from a living legend?
@uproxx 50 Cent had a FIRE set at Rolling Loud NY
#50cent #indaclub #rollingloud #rollingloudnyc
The following nights, however, the festival itself belonged to Playboi Carti and Travis Scott. They are clearly what Rolling Loud was made for. It is why we attend — to rage and nothing else.
God bless anyone who was front and center of the Carti set because I have been there and you have got to really be with the shits in order to survive that kind of energy. I can only imagine how wild things got when he brought out Uzi for “Shoota.” The flashing white and red lighting cloaked over his black vampiric silhouette was captivating and the rain just added texture to the entire set, while the chaos and madness were orchestrated by his guitarist. It was bewitching to witness in real-time.
@uproxx Can we get a tape?
#rollingloud #rollinglougnyc #uzi #playboycarti #shotta |
: @/_carlosperalta_ on IG
Travis Scott’s set was pure insanity. It was as if the entire festival swarmed to the Deleon Stage to catch his performance. I was situated somewhere near the middle-back of the growing crowd and at the stroke of the clock, the curtains came down and intense energy flowed through the crowd placing us all on the same frequency. The only thing to do was let go and go with the wave of the audience, instead of fighting it. Bodies bounced and dropped left to right. “I’m the highest in the room / Hope I make it outta here,” never felt so real.
@uproxx the energy during travisscott’s set @Rolling Loud was insane!
#fyp #rage #cactusjack #rollingloudnyc #utopia
There’s all this recent talk about how the metaverse is supposed to bring people to live shows without having to be physically present. I would like to see technology accurately replicate the kind of intensity that happens at a Travis or Carti show (throw Rocky, Uzi, and Ski Mask in that category too) because — sheesh!
Overall, Rolling Loud New York provided a huge cathartic release to a sea of kids pent up during the pandemic. Even as the event came to a close, the subway was no match for the hundreds of festivalgoers who filled up the 7 train, exiting Citi Field. That is where the party continued.
Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.