From the Streets to the Stage

The world's biggest hip hop music festival is almost here, and here's what you need to know. Rolling Loud is one of the most famous festivals following Coachella and Lollapalooza. Its location, while originating in Miami, Fla., has spread widely due to its popularity, making it a global fan fest for hip hop enthusiasts. It has thankfully made its way to Cali., and has been an annual event frequently taking place in LA. While it is known as a hip hop festival, it has now started blending more genres to attract a wider audience and appeal. 

One of this year's music festivals took place in Inglewood, Hollywood Park in March. The headliners featured A$AP Rocky and Playboi Carti, along with special guest Peso Pluma. Not to mention other top acts such as Ken Carson, Destroy Lonely, and many more. However, it wasn't always this popular of a festival. It originated as a small one-day festival, which was founded by Matt Zingler and Tariq Cherif, who had a history of promoting parties. Zingler and Cherif met in elementary school, and in high school they started hosting parties that leaned heavily on rap. 

The festival quickly started gaining popularity, soon being able to book major headliners such as Travis Scott, Kendrick Lamar, and more. 

PC: Isabella Nguyen ‘28

Another key trick was that Zingler and Cherif were focusing on one main genre of music style before branching out and expanding to more diverse genres. Now, Rolling Loud is known as “The Hip-Hop” festival. Every year, Rolling Loud becomes all the excitement and takes over social media with videos depicting fans moshing, surprise guest appearances, and cute outfits. However, it’s not just about the hype; Rolling Loud has helped shape hip-hop and has given new artists a name. Famous rappers today like Lil Uzi Vert got their first major exposure at Rolling Loud, and now the festival has become a major launch pad for new artists. 

With every year, Rolling Loud keeps getting bigger because of its new artists, new sounds, and new cities. Fans are already guessing in which state the next one will be held, and which artists will headline next. One thing is for sure: Rolling Loud continues to prove that hip-hop isn’t just music, it’s a movement.