Rock The Bells, the global platform dedicated to elevating Hip-Hop culture from its roots to the modern day founded by LL COOL J, announced today the lineup for its upcoming Rock The Bells Festival. The festival, which sold out last year, is co-presented by Procter & Gamble and Walmart and returns to Queens, NY, on Saturday, August 5, 2023, at Forest Hills Stadium. Celebrating, curating and championing the 50-year culture, the legendary lineup includes Queen Latifah, Ludacris, De La Soul, Method Man & Redman, Swizz Beatz with special guests, Salt-n-Pepa, Big Daddy Kane, The God MC Rakim, Slick Rick, Fabolous, Boot Camp Clik feat. Buckshot and Evil Dee, Smif-N-Wessun, OGC and Rock & Bernadette Price with a Tribute to Sean Price, MC Lyte, Yo-Yo, MC Sha Rock, Roxanne Shanté, Monie Love, The Cold Crush Brothers, and more to be announced.
To creatively reveal the festival lineup, Rock The Bells produced and released a ‘Set It Off’ themed promotional trailer featuring LL COOL J, Mike Epps, Salt-N-Pepa, Slick Rick, and Yo-Yo.
When curating the lineup, Rock The Bells aimed to elevate and pay homage to the icons of Hip-Hop and highlight artists from cross-generations, starting with some of Hip-Hop’s earliest contributors like The Cold Crush Brothers. The festival will include a memorable melody set to honor the women of Hip-Hop with MC Lyte, Yo-Yo, Sha Rock, Roxanne Shanté, and Monie Love. This year’s Rock The Bells Festival will be the only opportunity for fans to experience this lineup of icons in one place.
“We’ve made it a priority to honor Hip-Hop culture! This is a celebration for artists who paved the way and the legions of fans around the world throughout Hip-Hop’s 50th anniversary year,” said James Cuthbert, President of Rock The Bells. “The stage is set for the overdue acknowledgment and celebration of our culture and the fans who live and breathe it! This lineup represents icons and artists from various decades, cities, and styles, ensuring fans have the best Hip-Hop experience possible.”
Rock The Bells is partnering with Procter & Gamble and Walmart, whose executives share the enthusiasm and importance of celebrating 50 years of Hip-Hop and its impact on the culture.
“Walmart is thrilled to sponsor Rock The Bells and celebrate this monumental milestone of Hip-Hop’s 50-year rise to prominence,” said Allison Rand, Associate Director of Brand Experiences and Talent Partnerships at Walmart. “Hip-Hop has helped shape American culture and communities across the U.S., paving the way for new forms of artistic expression. Walmart shares in this commitment to supporting the unrelenting vision and creativity of the Black community by extending a platform to Black artists, entrepreneurs and makers of all kinds.”
“Returning as a presenting sponsor of the Rock The Bells Festival is such an incredible honor for P&G and our brands like My Black Is Beautiful, NOU, Olay Skin, Old Spice, Head & Shoulders, Febreze, and more,” says Eric Austin, Senior Director, Global Brand Building & Media Innovation. “We share the same goal of supporting and investing in Black artists, content creators and their media platforms especially on the 50th anniversary of Hip-Hop. We are thrilled to be celebrating the impact this culture-defining movement has had on the world.”
The festival will provide immersive experiences underscoring Hip-Hop’s impact on fashion, art, and food as we reflect on 50 years of the culture and 100 years of Forest Hills Stadium. Fans can expect experiences highlighting the debut albums and hit singles of Hip-Hop’s pioneers, including the 35th anniversary of The Great Adventures of Slick Rick.
The celebration kicks off a week of live events, activations, and programming moments leading up to Hip-Hop’s Anniversary on August 11th. More details will be shared through the Rock The Bells Newsletter. Fans can access presale VIP packages and general and reserved tickets here.
The Rock The Bells Festival is co-produced by The Bowery Presents. Festival updates and additional festival announcements can also be found across Rock The Bells’ Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.
