9.24.2022

Rolling Loud New York 2022: Friday Recap

Nicki Minaj Headlines, Playboi Carti Brings Out Kanye West, Lil Tjay Shines In his First Performance in Months, Plus More From a Busy Day in Queens

(Credit: Rolling Loud / @alyyypas)

THE RECAP:

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 the Big Apple for Rolling Loud New York 2022 kicked off with a bang on a beautiful Friday in Queens. The Barbz were out in force to witness their queen Nicki Minaj in all her pink-hued glory, as she closed out the night in style and brought out special guests including Lil Uzi Vert and G Herbo. Meanwhile, on the D’usse stage, Playboi Carti welcomed Kanye West for an energetic performance of “Off The Grid.”

Nicki’s big night closed out an action-packed day at Citi Field, marked by performances from some of the biggest names in rap. Icons like Carti and Chief Keef inspired an ocean of mosh pits, while underground heroes like Yung Lean and Danny Brown made their presences felt. Lil Uzi Vert made the rounds on Friday night, performing his own set and hopping onstage with Nicki and Keef.

The festival brought an array of hometown heroes, including Lil Tjay, who performed his first concert since recovering from his hospitalization earlier this year, and NY drill ambassador Fivio Foreign, who brought out special guest Ice Spice. As always, the festival boasted a bevy of rising stars, including Bktherula and SleazyWorld Go, and the first-ever Rolling Loud performance from dancehall star Skillibeng.

Check below for photos of some of the most memorable moments from the festival, view a full complement of photos at the Dropbox below, and be sure to follow Rolling Loud on Instagram for even more highlights.

Stay tuned throughout the weekend for more, including headlining sets from A$AP Rocky and Future, and check out the livestream on Twitch, YouTube, and RollingLoud.com

View photos of Rolling Loud New York 2022 (please credit all photos to Rolling Loud / @photographer): https://www.dropbox.com/sh/6faks23pkl37d3g/AACMUKZkOwPOzSfk4docsLfca?dl=0

View full performance clips at https://www.youtube.com/c/rollingloud

Buy Rolling Loud merch: shoprollingloud.com

For all other inquiries, please contact Michelle, Kerry, or Kevin

NICKI MINAJ:

The longtime Queens resident returns to her home borough for a showstopping set
(Credit: Rolling Loud / @itchyeyephotos)

PLAYBOI CARTI:

Playboi Carti tore it up under the lights, bringing out Kanye West for “Off The Grid”
(Credit: Rolling Loud / @HenryHwu)

LIL TJAY

The Bronx-born superstar performs in his first live set since his hospitalization earlier this year (Credit: Rolling Loud / @jamesbaxter)(Credit: Rolling Loud / @amrinprasad)

Tjay and Fivio Foreign stand up for NYC (Credit: Rolling Loud / @jamesbaxter)

LIL UZI VERT:

Rolling Loud regular Lil Uzi shuts it down with speedy raps and energetic movement
(Credit: Rolling Loud / @itchyeyephotos)

FIVIO FOREIGN

Brooklyn-born drill ambassador Fivio Foreign shines during an energetic set
(Credit: Rolling Loud / @ChrisAllmeid)

CHIEF KEEF:

Sosa supplies a steady supply of mosh pit fillers, including fest favorite “Faneto”  (Credit: Rolling Loud / @olivercovrett)

Lil Uzi Vert watches Chief Keef’s set from the photo pit (Credit: Rolling Loud / @olivercovrett)

Uzi tires of watching Keef’s set from the pit and hops on to perform (Credit: Rolling Loud / @olivercovrett)

ROWDY REBEL:

Rowdy Rebel excites his hometown crowd with new hits and old favorites (Credit: Rolling Loud / @itchyeyephotos)

BIA:

The “WHOLE LOTTA MONEY” hitmaker made noise during her own set and later hopped on stage with Nicki Minaj (Credit: Rolling Loud / @snap_ll)

DANNY BROWN:

CHECK! (Credit: Rolling Loud / @srodriguez92)

YUNG LEAN:

Influential Drain Gang chieftain Yung Lean makes his first Rolling Loud appearance since 2018 (Credit: Rolling Loud / @olivercovrett)

SKILLIBENG:

Dancehall’s hottest rising star makes his Rolling Loud debut (Credit: Rolling Loud / @olivercovrett)

RISING STARS:

BKTHERULA (Credit: Rolling Loud / @HenryHwu)

BABYTRON (Credit: Rolling Loud / @JIVE)

SLEAZYWORLD GO (Credit: Rolling Loud / @izzynuzzophoto)

ARMANI WHITE (Credit: Rolling Loud / @JAMESBAXTER)

YOUNG DEVYN (Credit: Rolling Loud / @ChrisAllmeid)

LOLA BROOKE (Credit: Rolling Loud / @kadeeeem)

SCENES FROM THE FESTIVAL:

(Credit: Rolling Loud / @itchyeyephotos)

(Credit: Rolling Loud / @alyyypas)

(Credit: Rolling Loud / @alyyypas)

(Credit: Rolling Loud / @alyyypas)

Critical Praise:

“Rolling Loud has become the biggest hip-hop festival in the country” – Variety

“From niche hip-hop festival to must-play event for some of the biggest stars in music.” – Pollstar

“Until Elon Musk involuntarily envelops society into a physical cloud universe, Rolling Loud will be the closest experience to actually living inside your streaming app.” – Complex

“Rolling Loud’s annual New York edition is always something special, but this year’s Halloween-weekend extravaganza (not to mention the first post-pandemic) brought seriously spectacular energy to Queens’ Citi Field.” – Highsnobiety

“Rolling Loud is a lifestyle brand. They are more than just the shows. They have built a community with their consumers and are building new channels to maintain continuity” – Forbes

“In four and a half years — beginning small in Miami, and now promoting Coachella-sized events around the country — Rolling Loud has established itself as a playground for the young…This time last year, many of the rappers now drawing crowds of several thousand were barely known.” – The New York Times

The Background:

Founded by 5-time Billboard Hip-Hop Power Players Matt Zingler & Tariq Cherif as a one-day Miami show, Rolling Loud has grown into a global festival phenomenon, putting on shows on both coasts and in multiple countries. Rolling Loud is the premier festival brand in hip-hop, known for its expert curation of wide-ranging lineups that reflect the state of the genre.

The festival returned from a 18-month hiatus with the sold out Rolling Loud Miami 2021, bringing in over 85,000 fans per day to Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, FL. With headliners like Post Malone and A$AP Rocky, Rolling Loud Miami 2021 was a triumphant return for live rap music, and a coming out party for risers and new superstars eager to play in front of a festival crowd. Rolling Loud hosts its biggest event to date with Miami 2022 in July, headlined by Kid Cudi, Kendrick Lamar, and Future, before returning to NY and debuting in Toronto in September 2022.

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