It took Rolling Loud nearly a decade to establish itself as a premier Hip-Hop festival. The team has worked their way into expanding the spectacle beyond the confines of the United States but still knows how to approach the specific cities they choose to hold the event in. It came as no surprise that 2023’s Miami stop—where the festival was born in 2023—featured a lineup as packed as the overpass fans had to walk across to Hard Rock Stadium.
Those who attended the July 21-July 23 event were treated to a diverse array of Hip-Hop, R&B, latin pop, and rock. While Playboi Carti, Travis Scott, and A$AP Rocky were no strangers to headlining a festival, they each found themselves in opportune moments to be in front of crowds. The “Magnolia” artist had fans hanging on his every word and social media post, the Houston enigma is preparing to release his long-awaited album Utopia, and the Harlem rapper is gearing up for a comeback of sorts with his forthcoming LP Don’t Be Dumb.
Each day proved to be similar to a rollercoaster; the buildup to the major moments had enjoyable, adrenaline-filled twists and turns. Fans may have attended for one of those three artists, but in-person anecdotes proved many of them walked away more pleased with artists who made up the “undercards.”
Central Cee
Image Credit: Rolling Loud/@JessicaPadover
Central Cee’s performance on night one (Friday, July 21) could not have come at a better time. The 25-year-old lyricist took the stage on the very same day that he got his biggest co-sign yet with Drake, rapping alongside him for an On The Radar freestyle.
The London entertainer has already amassed a huge following over the last year, but that almost five-minute video put him into a different stratosphere, raking in over three million views on the day of its release and exposing the bubbling act to fans who had not been in tune previously. Thus, it came as no surprise that fans sprinted over to the Sprite stage for his set. Cee delivered “Sprinter” and “UK Rap” from his Split Decision EP with Dave.
He also performed “Doja,” the song that made him a name worth checking for. Central Cee’s breath control and overall energy were impressive in that large setting. People may have been casual fans before Friday evening, but it will not come as a surprise if his streams spike from here on out.
Lil Yachty
Image Credit: Rolling Loud/@a_ciggs
Lil Yachty took the Sprite stage later in the evening with a reminder that no matter what direction he’s taken in his music in 2023, fans will always go up for the hits he’s delivered since 2015. Lil Boat ripped through tracks like “Broccoli,” “Minnesota,” “iSpy” and “From The D To A,” notably rapping the majority of his verse acapella.
Even the wildest attendees—including a person who moshed with a trash can in the air— respected when the Atlanta rapper requested a moment of silence for the late Juice WRLD. Yachty brought out the popular social media personality Kai Cenat to perform “AMP” before closing his set with the viral sensation “Poland” and his 2023 banger “Strike.”
Yachty’s Rolling Loud set proved that he can press that button and transport people back to a time when he was on top of the world. There are sharks in the water in this current music landscape, but Yachty’s vessel is forever fortified.
Playboi Carti
Image Credit: Rolling Loud/@HenryHwu
Playboi Carti headlined night one on the GoPuff stage and lived up to his brand of chaotic fun. The Opium Records founder raged through hits like “Long Time,” “Stop Breathing,” “Flatbed Freestyle,” and “*Wokeuplikethi*.” He even previewed the unreleased track “Pop Out.”
The set was more like karaoke for the fans with the Atlanta artist mostly providing ad-libs, but the experience remained seismic. He emerged from a car as flames burst from the stage and backup dancers bopped around him. Carti has established himself as a must-have for all festival stages, even without having released an album since 2020’s Whole Lotta Red. He was the ideal act to close the first night of an exciting event.
Jeleel!
Image Credit: Rolling Loud/@IzzyNuzzoPhoto
Jeleel! continues to campaign for a contract in the WWE while performing his animated tracks. At one point during his performance, he lept off of the DJ stand and hit a fan who tried to come onto the stage with a crossbody. He then paid homage to Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson by performing an elbow drop as the fan lay supine on the ground. This has become a commonality in all of his performances, but this may have been his craziest exhibition yet. With Jeleel!, you will always get fun music and theatrical acrobatics.
Travis Scott
Image Credit: Rolling Loud/@JessicaPadover
Travis Scott’s headlining set on night two was riddled with questions of whether he would perform anything from his new album Utopia. The Houston artist turned the stage into Egypt and came out with his feature on Lil Uzi Vert’s “Aye.” He later stood atop a large rock while performing a song called “God’s Country” which is set to appear on his forthcoming album.
Cactus Jack traveled back into his discography and performed his 2017 hit “Butterfly Effect” and the rage-ready “No Bystanders” before previewing another Utopia song titled “Lost Forever.” The 32-year-old enigma closed his set with the popular “Sicko Mode,” his new single “K-POP” and the multi-platinum “Goosebumps.”
The highlight came with him confirming that Utopia will release on July 28th and the accompanying film Circus Maximus will hit theaters that day. Fans were pleased with the appetizers that they got and a reminder that very few can provide a live experience like the Astroworld artist.
Latto
Image Credit: Rolling Loud/@ChrisAllmeid
Latto took the GoPuff stage on Sunday (July 23) fresh off of an exciting evening (July 22) celebrating the launch of her new Wingstop wing flavor, Lemon Herb Remix, and the new Latto meal. While Saturday night as all about wings, Sunday was all about thighs.
The Atlanta femme fatale kept the energy high with records like “It’s Givin” and “Muwop” before tapping into her TikTok bag with a performance of the “Thank You To My Man” viral sound. Red balls were sent into the crowd and attendees kept them soaring into the air for the remainder of her performance. The GRAMMY nominee twerked endlessly and mimicked fellatio with her microphone before bringing her friend Big Lexxi on stage to receive lap dances from her crew of backup dancers.
Ever the genius marketer, Latto stopped the performance to retrieve some of her Lemon Herb Remix wings to feed the crowd. She delivered her 2022 hit “Big Energy” before bringing out BabyDrill to perform “32 Freestyle.”
Finally, she rapped her 2020 cult classic “Bi**h From Da Souf” and recent single “Put It On Da Floor” with fervor. Between the music, the choreography, and her eye-popping outfit, the 777 artist kept the crowd’s attention with ease. It could have been a snowstorm and she still would have had both the men and women sweating.
Don Toliver
Image Credit: Rolling Loud/@ItchyEyePhotos
Don Toliver turned the GoPuff stage into his own Love Sick diner. The Houston crooner got the adrenaline going early with “Private Landing” and “I Can’t Save You” and kept the blood pumping through most of his set. He went back into his catalog of features, carrying songs like “Had Enough,” featuring Quavo and Offset, and Travis Scott’s “Can’t Say” all on his own.
The “Do It Right” artist didn’t want to have all of the fun by himself, and brought out NAV to perform their collaborations “Recap” and “Lemonade.” The highlight of the performance came when he sang the “No Idea” vocals over Aaliyah’s “One In A Million” beat, furthering the reality that he can find his own way to reimagine hits of yesteryear.
Don Toliver fittingly ended his set with his 2020 banger “After Party.” Remarkably, he wore a varsity jacket in 90 degree weather and maintained high energy throughout his set. Don may be love sick, but he was in no way hindered from having a good time with the Miami crowd.
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Offset
Image Credit: Rolling Loud/@JordanKnight
“Offset might have been better than [Lil Uzi Vert],” one fan said after leaving his set.
In large part due to employees setting up an elaborate stage design, the Migos member performed an hour later than planned. Finally, backup dancers flooded the stage while the 31-year-old stood atop what looked like a haunted house. He opened his set with “Ghostface Killers” before transitioning into his verse on Gucci Mane’s “Met Gala.” He immediately captivated the crowd by joining in the choreography with his dancers and sporting a Michael Jackson-esque outfit.
The “Legacy” rapper introduced his first guest, a shirtless Moneybagg Yo who reminded attendees that even two years later, he still has “Time Today.” ‘Set paid homage to the late Takeoff, whose pictures flooded the LED screens. He continued the MJ theme with a snippet of the Jackson 5’s “Never Can Say Goodbye” before kicking things up a notch with “Fight Night.” He then performed Take’s “Last Memory” and Migos’ “Narcos.”
The Father Of 4 artist transitioned into a special version of “T-Shirt” that included a Jersey club music beat break. A few songs later, a woman took the stage and danced on her own to The King Of Pop’s “Dirty Diana” before Offset took the wheel for “Motorsport.” One attendee wondered the entire set if Cardi B was present, and sure enough, ‘Set’s wife popped up to deliver her verse on the 2017 record.
The two then showed that they are a lethal husband-wife rapper duo by performing their 2019 record “Clout.” Offset ended his time by stepping onto an elevated platform and getting sent up near the top of the stage while Queen’s “Bohemian Rhapsody” played. The hitmaker performed “Bad & Boujee” before requesting one more show of love for Takeoff. The Rocket may be looking down on his group member from heaven, but Offset made sure to get as close to him as possible.
Bryson Tiller
Image Credit: Rolling Loud/@Kadeeeem
It was a bit surprising to see an R&B act go on so late for a primarily Hip-Hop festival, but Bryson Tiller has been defying the odds since day one. The Louisville poet reminded people how deep his bag is with performances of “Inhale,” “Sorry Not Sorry,” “Outside” and “Exchange.”
One minute, the most rabid fans were singing their hearts out, and the next the nearest damsel in distress caught his attention. He transitioned from “The Sequence” to a cover of “Maria Maria,” which naturally led into the 2017 hit “Wild Thoughts.” He kept up the features by performing H.E.R.’s “Could’ve Been” and Summer Walker’s “Playing Games.”
Bryson sent fans even deeper into their emotions by bringing out the legendary Mario for his hits “Crying Out For Me,” “Just A Friend,” “Main One” and “Let Me Love You.” Tiller’s “Don’t,” his seminal record, often signals the end of his show, and he certainly sang it as though he was leaving everything on the Sprite stage. He surprised the crowd by pushing through for the 2020 record “Sorrows” before ending on a tear-jerking note with “Right My Wrongs.”
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A$AP Rocky
Image Credit: Rolling Loud/@HenryHwu
People have questioned A$AP Rocky’s presence as a headliner for multiple Rolling Loud events over the last few years. One attendee even said “His new album probably sucks, I don’t care about missing him” as she left Offset’s performance. The “Fashion Killa” is well past his early 2010s prime, but still drew a large crowd to close the entire weekend.
He sported bedazzled shades and a baggy white sweater while performing some of his classic records and previewing new ones. The biggest piece of discussion from his set came with his performance of an unreleased song “Taylor Swift” where he seemingly took shots at Travis Scott.
Admittedly, it came off in poor taste. His forthcoming album Don’t Be Dumb has all the makings of what could be good music, and it would have been best to just let the music speak without needing the drama. Still, Rocky’s early hits will forever ring off and the people who stayed seemed pleased.
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