Photo by Jamal Eid @jamal.eid / Rolling Loud
From its roots in the dynamic city of Miami in 2015 to moving all the way to Los Angeles—as well as across the globe—in its ninth year, Rolling Loud has made its mark as the biggest hip-hop festival in the world.
When Neel and I made our entry on Day 1, we were in awe of the transformation of Sofi Stadium’s Hollywood Park Grounds into its new form featuring large blow-up figures, a ferris wheel among other rides, countless vendors of every food you can think of, and three huge stages. While we admit the process of getting our wristbands and entering wasn’t the easiest, it was worth it as we entered the grounds right as the sun began to set, painting a golden hue across hundreds of festival-goers.
Our first mission was to get our ‘lay of the land’, which of course turned out to be a stop at Desto Dubb’s, aka the CEO of famed brand That’s A Awful Lot of Cough Syrup, carnival including classic games and rides like the Himalaya. To the left of the carnival was the Culture King’s basketball court, where it appeared a fairly intense game was occurring, in the midst of all the performances occurring.
Friday, March 15th
Sugarhill Ddot & DD Osama – Praneel Bonthala
The evening kicked off with a bang as Sugarhill Ddot and DD Osama started their set with chants and ad-libs from their crew behind them. The young duo is popular for a slew of tracks emerging from the surging popularity of New York drill, including “Baby Wait” and “Too Tact”. Bringing the new sound of the East Coast to the West, they drilled hype into their set! Starting their set with Chief Keef’s “Faneto”, an homage to the birth of drill music, set the tone for the rest of their performance.
Both artists, young and learning to navigate performance and the music industry, still put on an impressive show. Sugarhill Ddot and DD Osama were having just as good a time as the audience as they were dancing to “Outside”, a track dedicated to the sunny vibrant culture of Los Angeles. With their crew swaying behind them with their phones out, the young artists made an impression. With their stage as their own dancefloor, they filled the space with rhythm and bars.
BLP Kosher – Praneel Bonthala
Florida rapper BLP Kosher is not only an Internet sensation, but a sensation at Rolling Loud as well. We caught the very beginning of his set, but as an up-and-coming artist, he’s making waves fast. Making noise with the track “Special K” on Tiktok, I was excited to see how his performance would pan out.
Coming out onto the stage with the lyrics “I feel like Dwayne the Rock, Johnson & Johnson shots,” I instantly recognized the silly cleverness of his wordplay. Specializing in witty bars, he paced across the stage spitting some more of his iconic lines. As his first performance in a crowd this large, he delivered the lyricism the audience was excited to see. There’s only one way to go: up!
Lil Tecca – Praneel Bonthala
It’s Lil Tecca’s world and we’re just living in it. His performance was as explosive as his hooks are infectious, and he took over Rolling Loud. Despite only being 21, Lil Tecca has mesmerized the pop rap landscape for years with hits like “Ransom” and “Love Me” Clearly, his momentum has yet to halt. As soon as he ran up on stage the crowd surged forward, his “Heaven on Earth” tagline echoing across the park. What was unexpected, however, was the chaos that the crowd brought for him.
When “500lbs”, Lil Tecca’s iconic song of the 2023 summer, swept the stage, the crowd ebbed and flowed into multiple mosh pits that exploded in excitement when the chorus struck. Lil Tecca reveled in the moment as pyrotechnic fire blasts shot up across the stage.
Nicki Minaj – Savannah Ellerson
From hundreds of fans in pink, to the perfect time for a ‘Pink Friday’, Rolling Loud set the stage for Nicki Minaj’s only stop in Los Angeles during her Pink Friday 2 World Tour. When the gates opened, the Ethika Stage—where Nicki was set to perform that evening—was crowded with ‘Barbs’. Neel and I had a good idea to head to the Ethika Stage earlier than her 9:15 pm set time if we wanted even a semblance of a decent view.
At around 9:40 pm the crowd was restless and the DJ’s music shutting off as well as the screens turning black seemed to be our saving grace. The Queen had finally arrived for her hour-long, headlining set. Only, nobody could actually see Nicki. Instead, the screens changed once again to depict an animated video changing from dolls being made to Nicki’s ‘doll’ flying a plane to take her, and us as well, all the way to ‘Gag City’. After that enthralling beginning to her set, the crowd’s sudden cheers were a clear indication that the real Nicki had stepped on stage.
Nicki had no time for chatting, and kept it that way throughout her performance, instead she focused on providing us with performances of the best hits throughout her career. She began with songs like “I’m the Best” and “Barbie Dangerous”, and kept the Pink Friday momentum going with “FTCU” as her third track of the night. The jersey-club inspired track had Nicki, her backup dancers, and almost every fan in the crowd dancing. From then on, the set list was full of crowd-pleasers.
Complete with three outfit changes, Nicki ran through so many timeless classics from “Chun Li” to “Roman’s Revenge” to “Monster” to “Moment 4 Life”, and finally ending on the song that arguably skyrocketed her career: “Starships”. Nicki rounded out the first day of Rolling Loud with a bang – not only did she provide a concert, but she also provided an immersive experience proving to herself as one of the most esteemed in the world of rap. Whether you’re a casual fan or a die-hard Barb, Nicki Minaj made sure to remind everyone in the crowd why she is called the Queen.
Saturday, March 16th
On Day 2, Neel and I felt more confident entering the festival, with our wristbands already attached to our wrists, and headed straight to the main stage to catch the mid-afternoon sets.
The sun may have been beaming down on us and my shoes may have already caused my feet to hurt despite just stepping towards our first set of the day, yet the atmosphere of Rolling Loud makes it so easy to forget the little things and focus on the larger picture at hand: the intersection of culture and music and how thousands of people met at Hollywood Park Grounds that weekend to appreciate it.
Larry June – By Praneel Bonthala
Good job Larry! Larry June’s set was one of our most anticipated sets of the day and was the first one we pulled up to. And he didn’t disappoint. Not only curating the perfect sound for a slow, sunny Saturday with his stoner rap songs and demeanor, Larry June had the entire crowd swaying and having a good time. His set wasn’t all just chill though – there were a few surprises. Most notably, he brought out his friend and recent collaborator The Alchemist, the legendary hip-hop producer who has worked with the likes of Eminem, Mobb Deep, and Curren$y. Although he’s famous for his production, he still took the mic from Larry June and rapped bars off of their collab track “60 days”.
Not only did Larry June bring out The Alchemist, at the start of his most popular track, “Smoothies in 1991”, he brought out UCLA student saxophonist Camille Kerani to play the sampled intro from Rose Royce. The live accompaniment breathed fresh air into the track, exuding richness.
Although we missed his set earlier in the day, we were excited to see Jordan Ward joining Larry June on the stage for “Won’t Wait”, their collaboration from last year. With infectious melodies and stage presence, Ward complemented June’s easygoing personality, making for a show as entertaining as it was incredible. The group’s chemistry on stage was enough to blow me away as an auspicious start to the day. Larry June even ended off with “Feeling Good Today”, a laid-back anthem celebrating that I’m sure resonated with everyone in the crowd that day.
BigXthaPlug – Praneel Bonthala
I was excited to see what Dallas rapper BigXthaPlug had to offer given his recent meteoric rise to fame in the last couple of years. Formerly incarcerated and seeking an outlet for creative expression, his tracks embrace his Southern identity with sounds tracing back to legends like Pimp C and Bun B. Opening up with “Big Stepper”, he lit the crowd up instantly. Seemingly spitting bar after bar without a break, BigXthaPlug didn’t look like he could be stopped.
Being the largest stage he’s tackled, BigXthaPlug controlled the performance like a veteran. Curating a set list that got the crowd rocking and jumping, he sustained the hype with tracks like “Back On My BS” and “Mmhmm”. BigXthaPlug brought out friend and collaborator Ro$ama for a huge assortment of different tracks, with the duo radiating with chemistry and energy. Feeling himself on stage, Ro$ama threw out ad-libs and accompaniments that made BigXthaPlug shine brighter than many of the other acts that night.
Robb Bank$ – Praneel Bonthala
Heading over to Robb Bank$’s set from BigX was quite the switch-up, but I was excited to see what was on the plate for the veteran underground Raider Klan rapper. Making some waves with “It’s Lifted”, a psychedelic and woozy banger featuring Trippie Redd, seeing Robb Bank$ was definitely on the checklist.
The love was definitely felt during Robb Bank$ performance. Running out on stage to a small yet fierce crowd of supporters, Robb Bank$ excitedly reached out to his crowd during his opening track “Making Love to Fans”. Digging into his deep vault of tracks, Robb Bank$ even ran his anthem “Threats” from 2013 with Denzel Curry. Robb Bank$ didn’t limit himself to the stage, jumping down into the crowd to dance and rap with everyone else at the end of his performance. A short but sweet performance ended with “Kase” blaring on the speakers and Robb Bank$ giving out hugs to those at the barricade.
Big Sean – Savannah Ellerson
Big Sean has carved his way into the hearts of many fans with his countless and timeless hits. His artistic style and flow remains unchanged, yet fits perfectly with every different song he’s on. This is what made me, among the hundreds of other festival-goers who crowded around, so excited for his set, scheduled for 6:25 in the evening.
At this time, the screens turned to black and speakers cut out, before playing the familiar deep bass notes of Big Sean’s “Paradise”. Beginning his set with a song nearly a decade old that electrified the crowd, Sean was able to use nostalgia to his advantage, a testament to his legendary hit-making status. To prove this even further, Big Sean seamlessly delivered a nearly 1-minute verse with no backing track—and what seemed like no seconds for breathing either—sending the crowd (and me) into a frenzy.
From then on, the Santa Monica-born rapper ran through his extensive discography, beginning with “Mercy” in which he collaborated with Kanye West, 2 Chainz, and Pusha T. In what felt like a conversation between friends and not a Grammy Award-winning artist addressing a crowd, he spoke of his dedication to performing at the festival, even going so far as to include how he fought through food poisoning to get to the stage that day as evidence. Moving on, Big Sean kicked off his other West collaboration “Clique” with a live band, featuring drums, bass, and synthesizer, everything about his set felt authentic. This is one of my personal favorite Big Sean verses, and it’s a song I’ve listened to since I was a kid. Now that I’m reaching adulthood and hearing the song live, I feel increasingly nostalgic knowing that I grew up listening to Big Sean and was able to hear the songs of my youth, teenage years, and now adulthood live.
Keeping the momentum going, the rapper performed his verse on YG’s “Big Bank”. At the end of the latter, he asked the crowd: “All my future multi-millionaires make some noise”, to which the crowd went wild—and I hope we are all future millionaires. To close out his set, Big Sean performed high energy tracks that literally set the stage on fire, from Chief Keef’s “Don’t Like” to Drake’s “All Me”. Right before his second to last song, which at the time of released reached the number one spot on U.S. Billboard’s R&B/Hip-Hop Chart, he teased “new music on the way, new vibes on the way” before the familiar melody of “I Don’t Fuck With You” began to play. The quintessential song of the set was arguably one of Big Sean’s most popular songs, “Bounce Back”. As the track faded, the drums made their final solo, and the fog bursted from the stage, Big Sean professed his love to the crowd and walked off. We love you too, Big Sean, and thank you for being a part of the soundtrack to our lives.
Flo Milli – Savannah Ellerson
Flo Milli is quickly establishing herself as one of the hottest female rappers of our generation, and her set at Rolling Loud 2024 certainly exemplifies this.
To kick off her set, Flo Milli walked on stage to her 2023 self-titled track “Flo Milli” which pays homage to hip-hop through sampling Lil Wayne’s 2008 hit “A Milli”. This track brings a new twist to a nostalgic classic, and achieves what I felt to be a representation of female innovation in rap. The 24-year-old artist played recent tracks, including “Understand” from her album “Fine Ho, Stay” which was released only a few days prior, in addition to her 2022 hits “Conceited” and “Bed Time”, both of which she was joined by back-up dancers. Flo Milli never seemed to be out of breath as she danced around the stage and moved onto her cover of “We Not Humping”.
Towards the end of her set, as 310babii’s (another Rolling Loud performer) “Soak City (Do It)” played, Flo Milli left the stage for her backup dancers to dance around and provide gifts to the crowd. Unfortunately, I wasn’t close enough to catch a gift, but the closing songs of Flo Milli’s sets made up for it. The Alabama-raised rapper closed out her set with her arguably three biggest hits, “Beef Flomix”, “In The Party”, and “Never Lose Me”, all of which I—like many others—screamed every lyric along to.
From TikTok virality to the Rolling Loud stage, Flo Milli is an artist we’ve seen evolve immensely since her 2018 breakout. Unlike other artists that may fail to break out of social media spheres, Flo Milli proves herself as an esteemed female rapper. Four years ago, I listened to “Beef Flomix” as a junior in high school driving with my friends wondering who this new artist is, and on March 16th I stood excitedly awaiting her set, among countless others. From her breath control to insane stage presence to dynamic beats, I’m predicting a few years down the line we’ll see Flo Milli’s name at the top of that setlist.
Summer Walker – Savannah Ellerson
Atlanta-born R&B singer Summer Walker has gone through extensive growth throughout her career, which arguably began when she signed to Interscope Records in 2017. Her vocals bring a captivating blend of emotional depth and range, both of which were brought to the Rolling Loud stage on Saturday.
When the entire stage relit with a blue light, a warm spotlight shone down on Walker, who laid on her side wearing a matching white dress and boots on what appeared to be a rotating, satin pink bed. As I watched Summer Walker, I felt captivated by her melodic vocals which played over smooth instruments.
Walker was joined on stage by everything from back-up dancers and singers, to candelabras, to flower bouquets, to a live band that performed the most beautiful guitar and drum solos I may have ever heard that night.
She began with her song “Constant Bullshit”, and as she moved through her 45-minute set, her confidence only seemed to grow. By the time she began singing her 9th track of the night, “No Love”, her voice was steadier and clearer than before. Closing out her set, Summer brought on Skilla Baby to perform “Bae” and a cover of Rob49’s “Mama”, which provided a slight change from the soothing R&B tracks that the main singer was originally performing. Skilla Baby successfully got the crowd hyped up, butthis excitement was incomparable to when Summer closed out her set in the crowd. During her last song of the night, “Insane”, Summer left her band and dancers behind on stage to walk through the crowd. She serenaded us, walking through fans, touching their hands, and even letting a fan sing a verse. The singer had fully immersed herself into the crowd, and we were fully captivated by her.
While I may not have been the biggest Summer Walker fan before the festival, Rolling Loud gave me the opportunity to find a new favorite artist to listen to—from when I’m in my feelings to feeling myself, Summer Walker has range, and she proved it on stage that night as well.
Successful days with a taste of some of the best in the industry, Rolling Loud Days 1 and 2 brought to life the vision and community these artists create, as they continue to pioneer the hip-hop and rap genres we know and love.
