Lil Uzi recently posted a story on their instagram saying he was confused as to why his name was on Rolling Louds lineup as a headliner - “I never said I was doing rolling loud”. This bombshell Uzi dropped is worrying- many fans are saying that this is the weakest Rolling Loud lineup “they have ever seen” , with other headliners being Nicki Minaj and Post Malone - other notable names on the lineup include Partynextdoor, Big Sean, and Don Toliver. Whether this is a communication error between Uzi and his team or just a complete lie by Rolling Loud- I believe it is indicative of a larger issue large rap festivals, and shows may be facing in today's cultural landscape: live rap show fatigue is setting in.
Recently Earl Sweatshirt and The Alchemist sat down with Complex and discussed “The Best and The Worst Things Ever” - this episode is on youtube. Alchemist was asked what he thought the worst trend in current hip-hop/rap was, and he responded with the fact that most rappers are rapping over their lyrics on stage- lip syncing essentially. “Take your vocals out of the beats, rap over the beats for christ sake”, Alchemist pleads during the video; and I completely agree with him. Anyone who has been to a rap show or seen a video of one in the last few years; hell, even decade, can see exactly what The Alchemist is talking about. You pay hard earned money to go to one of your favorite artists' shows, and when you get there its a glorified karaoke set that doesn't make for a memorable or enjoyable experience. In fact, superstar Lil Baby recently canceled seven shows of his Arena Tour as ticket sales dropped significantly. So, when you throw a three day festival filled with artists who do live karaoke, in a climate where live rap shows have been declining in popularity, a rap festival that has been going on for almost ten years straight doesn't seem too enticing.
R&B singer Mariah The Scientist recently discussed her struggles learning to perform live- she sat with Big Boy and talked about how she was roasted for her first performances because she was inexperienced; “Rolling Loud was my second ever performance in front of people”. You have to wonder how many other underdeveloped artists, who have little to no experience performing live, fill Rolling Louds lineup. As inflation skyrockets and people cant find jobs, I believe people are less willing to throw away hundreds of dollars to stand in a crowd and watch an artist (who may not even be around this time next year) struggle to work their way around a stage.
This brings me to my next point- I believe rap festivals like Rolling Loud need to have two year intervals between festivals, for many reasons. The need for huge headliners every year takes away from the power and the draw of a headliner. I believe a headliner is supposed to be someone that you rarely get the chance to see live, so headlining the festival should be the main draw for ticket buyers. But when you recycle headliners like Post Malone, who headlined in 2021, and is now headlining again in 2024, it takes away from the draw, in my opinion. Nicki Minaj headlined Rolling Loud New York 2022, and will be headlining again in LA for 2024. Artists like Travis Scott and Future have also made multiple appearances as headliners. One must be worn out by now. There is very little scarcity in rap stars as a result. Rolling Loud did make an attempt to make a good move in 2021 by getting Kanye West, who did not perform live since his 2016 Life of Pablo Tour, to headline. This was huge for festival goers, as they would finally get the chance to see Kanye perform live for the first time in five years. Unfortunately, Kanye West pulled out at the last minute, resulting in a huge disappointment for festival goers whose main reason for purchasing a ticket was to see Kanye live. Who knows, spreading festivals by 2-3 years may allow for some headliner shake up, and for superstars to seek out the Rolling Loud headliner spot again.
Finally, having a timespan between festivals allows for hot and rising artists to develop a fanbase and performance skills before being thrust onto a festival stage. The need or want to have a rap festival every year, from what I am seeing, is causing these organizers to grab artists that have slightly viral songs and throw them on stage in order to sell tickets, but let's be honest: Soak City is a cool song; the dance is fun, but no, I do not care to see 310Babii perform it live. Having Rolling Loud every 2-3 years allows for the culture to identify artists who have staying power and fans who want to see their catalog of music performed live.
One final thought: Lil Yachty recently said that “the state of hip hop right now is a lot of imitation; it's a lot of quick, low quality music being put out”. While this may have some fact to it, it's really the pot calling the kettle black; but that's besides the point. In a game of imitation, are these rap festival lineups of copycats and clones losing their allure? I tweeted about this rolling loud situation briefly, and a friend of mine responded with “Rap is so dead”. While I dont believe that to be true, only time will tell. If it is true, it feels like Rolling Loud is squeezing it for all its got.
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