Rolling Loud, by far has set the bar for every up and coming Hip-Hop music festival. I have never been in a room with so many different people who were all about the same thing. The vibe was more than welcoming, from the lack of security to the deep opaque fog that rose from the crowd. Everyone in attendance was there to roll up and be swallowed by the monster that is Trap Music. Trap Music is basically the marriage of Hip-Hop falling in love with Metal. Trap is all about lyrics that speak to everyones inner hustler, mixed with guttural heavy bass infused beats. The Trap culture has taken the country by storm, Rolling Loud knew what they had to capitalize on. For a brand new festival in its freshman year of existence I was more than impressed with what was delivered.
Denzel Curry, a newer less known artist truly blew me away. He is one of the local founding fathers of the trap scene and when he walked on stage he made sure everyone knew it. I was totally hypnotized by the powerful lyrics being delivered layered with the entrancing beat. By the end of Denzel Curry;s performance I can promise you everyone knew his name.
Curren$y who is a true OG in the Hip-Hop game, didn’t disappoint. His languid New Orleans drawl paired with his usual conscious rap content was such a perfect respite from the heavy bass and lyric repetition. Another performer that had me stunned was Action Bronson. Action Bronson decided to change up the situation and rapped over layered back tracks of the 1980’s pop hits. Any man that can lay down the most controversial and cutting edge lyrics over Don’t Stop Believing is A-OK in my book.
What would a festival be without a perfect guest appearance? With the Brit awards being the week before Rolling Loud, no one could really pin point which Hip-Hop heavy hitters would be in Miami. But what was delivered was beyond anyone’s expectations. While A$AP Ferg was literally bringing the house down, he pulled up one of his bestie’s…A$AP Rocky. Nothing will ever compare to that extreme excitement and the way the two just tag teamed the whole set. The A$AP Collective is really killing the game right now; from fashion, to music, to print publication. No one in the Hip-Hop industry is working harder than the A$AP Collective, and it was a pleasure and honor to be able to witness such an incredibly flawless performance.
Last but not least, can we please talk about how Juicy J (featured in the picture above) threw over $5,000 dollars to the crowd during his 45 minute set? It was the perfect conclusion to all of the twerking, burning, and vibing. Juicy J made everyone remember why we love big club bangers and how the Hip-Hop game has evolved. The Rolling Loud festival was an incredible showcase of hood rich meets white boy gangster. Dope Entertainment really has a success on their hands with this event and I hope I can attend it next year!
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