Since its inception a decade ago, Rolling Loud has been mired in controversy. Few other festivals have a Wikipedia section titled “Notable events and incidents,” or allegedly books artists without them knowing . There was the Travis Scott lawsuit in 2019, the arrest of Fetty Wap on federal drug charges in 2021, and Kid Cudi getting pelted by objects during his 2022 set. Despite the allure of seeing every major player in hip-hop all in one place, some Rolling Loud attendees approach each one with apprehension. But this year’s
California edition — headlined by Ye and Ty Dolla $ign, Nicki Minaj, and Future and Metro Boomin — was largely uneventful, bolstered by non-performances and risk-averse booking (save for a Latino “special guest” slate that didn’t actually happen). Here’s what else unfolded — the good, the bad, the boring — in Inglewood this weekend. LOW: The Vultures Experience Ye x Ty Dolla $ign’s headlining set as ¥$ was made of two halves, each as much of a scam as the other. The first functioned as a listening session for their joint project Vultures 1 , meaning two dudes onstage walked around without microphones while the studio version of their album played. Fans initially seemed excited to watch Ye in person, but pauses for crowd response often went ignored; even the Backstreet Boys interpolation on “Everybody” couldn’t elicit a cohesive “yeah!” The back half of the “performance” consisted of greatest hits by both artists being played over the loudspeaker, without said artists present. As one attendee put it, “If I wanted to listen to the studio album I would’ve just turned on Spotify.” HIGH: The day laborers behind the Vultures stage One (lone) highlight from the ¥$ experience? The huge stage constructed in the middle of the festival grounds specifically for Ye and Ty’s set. Let’s just pray the people who built it were compensated fairly. WHOA: Metro x Future Return (with Travis) At the end of a blazing Sunday night headlining set from Metro Boomin and Future, the duo brought out Rolling Loud veteran Travis Scott to perform his track “FEIN” as well as two new songs from the forthcoming Metro x Future collab project. WHOA: The fits People use Rolling Loud to break out T-shirts you wouldn’t wear anywhere else. Some slogans I saw on tees this weekend include: “I eat pussy, free trial,” “I’m really vulnerable right now if any bad bitches wanna take advantage of me,” “wannabe pornstar,” and, perhaps the most outlandish, Haunted Starbucks’ “How to cook meth” hoodie. LOW: Special guests be gone … The promise of three prominent corridos tumbados acts on the lineup indicated a surprising interest in the connection between corridos tumbados and English-language hip-hop. However, the week of the festival, Junior H and Natanael Cano were removed from the rotation, with organizers citing visa issues and contact breaches. (The founder of Junior and Cano’s label said otherwise , calling the decision “RACIST!!!!!!” [sic].) Then, hours before its Saturday performance, Fuerza Regida withdrew due to a personal matter. An overall L for la raza. HIGH: … except for Chino Pacas The entire Mexican contingent wasn’t abandoned, though, thanks to a midday Friday set from Chino Pacas. Flanked by a full band, the 17-year-old
Singer brought Guanajuato to Rolling Loud, blazing through sierreño classics to a largely Latino audience, who sang every word. HIGH: KenTheMan shot, Kaliii chaser The most fun I had all weekend was at the Gopuff stage watching two up-and-coming artists effortlessly engage the crowd. KenTheMan breezed through a set of her sex-forward raps with ease, and Kaliii smashed a dude’s face into a cake modeled to look like her butt. Female rappers are the future! HIGH: Sexyy Red for president Speaking of, Sexyy Red showed up on stage twice over the weekend: once for her own commanding set and again with Chief Keef to perform their hit “Bow Bow Bow (F My Baby Mama)” alongside a slew of her own tracks. Both times, the crowd erupted. LOW: A gag-less #GagCity Earlier this month,
Nicki Minaj described her Friday night headlining set as her “#GagCity show on steroids.” What that apparently meant was shortened songs, too-long video interludes while full tracks played, and a setlist half the size of the one she’s using on her regular tour. (She later said she performed despite maybe having COVID .) HIGH: Nicki’s lone bright spot Okay, the visit to #GagCity was worth it just to hear Nicki rap the opening verse to “Moment 4 Life,” which was low-key magical. Sorry! WHOA: MC Abdul On Sunday, MC Abdul, a 15-year-old
Rapper from Palestine, performed deeply personal raps like “Shouting at the Wall,” which convey the reality of the war in
Gaza. In between tracks he remarked, almost incredulously, “You guys have no idea what I had to sacrifice for me to be here with you today.” It was a sincere, deeply affecting moment, especially from a festival that shies away from anything political. WHOA: The cult of Nettspend A late addition to the lineup, 16-year-old rapper Nettspend was one of the most hyped sets of the weekend. The young artist has coasted on internet virality and highly digital tracks indebted to Yung Lean, Auto-Tune, and the new wave of hyperpop. He took the stage in front of a crowd of rabid concertgoers, all firmly in his age range. The highlight was the live debut of an unnamed track that samples “Entombed” by Deftones, which Nettspend says he’s been trying to clear “for so fucking long.” HIGH: Post Malone in rock-star mode Post Malone’s headlining performance offered hard-core screams and snap dancing during “White Iverson,” a special appearance by Quavo, plenty of singalong moments (like the crowd joining in on “Too Young”), and a live debut of “Texas Tea.” Posty was a rock star up there, treating a headlining set at Rolling Loud like it was the biggest stage in the world. DELICIOUS HIGH: Family Style Food programming Dulanville. The Boiling Crab. Randy’s Donuts. Prince St. Pizza. A collaboration between Yeastie Boys and Pizza Hut. I ate good this weekend.