Rolling Loud California 2023 Recap: Epic Performances From The World’s Largest Hip Hop Festival
Rolling Loud California 2023 packed in dozens of performances over three action-packed days, bringing rap superstars, respected OGs, and the hottest rising stars to Hollywood Park for an unforgettable weekend.
In the shadow of the state-of-the-art SoFi Stadium and under an endless stream of planes flying into nearby LAX, the California festival had a special vibe from the start, with fans and artists alike knowing well that the whole world had their eyes on hip-hop’s biggest stage.
Saweetie at Rolling Loud // Photo by @alyyypas_
Day 1
The festival’s first action-packed day brought performances from some of the most exciting names in rap, including Playboi Carti, who debuted a new song and performed with the energy and spectacle that befits a headliner. Beyond King Vamp, the day included sets from fan favorites like Chief Keef, Ski Mask The Slump God, and Tyga.
Artists from Carti’s OPIUM label made a splash, with back to back sets from Destroy Lonely and Ken Carson. Dark trap icons Bones, Xavier Wulf, and Eddy Baker shared the stage, while leading ladies like Saweetie, Bktherula, and Kamaiyah made their presences felt. Bringing in hundreds of artists and tens of thousands of fans to events in cities around the globe, Rolling Loud is rap music’s most iconic stage.
The world’s largest rap festival’s return to Los Angeles County, Rolling Loud California 2023 kicked off with a bang on a beautiful Friday in Hollywood Park, the state-of-the-art entertainment complex in the heart hip-hop historic Inglewood.
Destroy Lonely at Rolling Loud // Photo by @simonchasalow
Day 2
After eight years of unforgettable moments and career-defining sets, Rolling Loud can still surprise. The second day of Rolling Loud California 2023 was one of the most memorable in the festival’s history. As the glorious L.A. sunset faded into night, the stars came out. Don Toliver got the party started, bringing out the one and only Justin Bieber and acclaimed singer-songwriter James Blake to perform songs from Toliver’s new Love Sick album.
Justin Bieber and Don Toliver at Rolling Loud // Photo by @HenryHwu
Lil Wayne performed a stacked set, hosted a Young Money reunion starring his protege Nicki Minaj (and Young Money signee Gudda Gudda), and performed his hits with 2 Chainz, including “Duffle Bag Boy.” As the historic night came to a close, Travis Scott made his return to the stage, with a new set design and an array of his best songs.
Day 3
Sunday was another banner day for the world’s largest rap festival. Closing out the festival, and opening “March Madness,” with a bang, Future performed his fan-favorite hits and brought out special guests like A$AP Ferg and Present. Lil Uzi Vert brought the house down with his usual energy and his new top-ten hit “Just Wanna Rock.”
Lil Yachty was one of the day’s most talked about artists, performing material from his genre-bending album Let’s Start Here. Trippie Redd brought out some high-wattage special guests, including Roddy Ricch, and DDG. Earlier in the day, fans enjoyed historic performances from some of the most exciting names in the genre, including Ice Spice‘s first-ever festival set and Central Cee‘s U.S. festival debut.
Ice Spice at Rolling Loud // Photo by @THEMCDUB
In 2023, Rolling Loud expands its empire even further, returning to Los Angeles for Rolling Loud California, debuting Rolling Loud Thailand, its first-ever Asian festival, and staging three European shows including Rolling Loud Portugal, and the inaugural editions of Rolling Loud Rotterdam (NL) and Rolling Loud Germany. Founded by Matt Zingler and Tariq Cherif, Rolling Loud continues to deliver the most exciting live experiences in rap, with no plans to stop innovating anytime soon. Rolling Loud California was a bold first step in the festival’s most ambitious year yet.
