Latest news with #RollingLoudCalifornia
Los Angeles Times
16-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Los Angeles Times
ASAP Rocky returns to the stage — via helicopter — at Rolling Loud California
As usual, ASAP Rocky made a memorable entrance on Saturday night. Wearing dark sunglasses, walnut-sized diamond earrings and a T-shirt with a bulletproof vest printed on it, the rapper, style maven and professional wife guy began his headlining set at this weekend's Rolling Loud California festival by descending down a cable hanging from a helicopter suspended over the show's main stage as his song 'ASAP Forever' blared across the grounds of Inglewood's Hollywood Park. 'I'ma be honest with y'all — I'm so happy to see y'all right now, y'all don't even understand,' he told the crowd once he'd reached the stage. 'It was real hectic for a n— recently. It got real sticky real quick.' Saturday's performance was ASAP Rocky's first since he was acquitted last month in a high-stakes trial in Los Angeles in which he faced two counts of felony assault after being accused of shooting a former friend and collaborator near the W Hollywood hotel in 2021. The 36-year-old Harlem native made headlines throughout the trial, both for the extravagant outfits he wore to court and for the presence in the courtroom of his partner, the pop superstar Rihanna, with whom he shares two young sons. Yet a guilty verdict threatened to derail the career of a hip-hop A-lister who in some ways had already moved on from music. With a bleary, almost hallucinatory sound that blended elements of rap from New York, L.A., Houston and Atlanta, Rocky was a key figure in the 2010s dismantling of hip-hop's once-rigid style orthodoxies; his early music — singles like 'Peso' and 'Purple Swag' and his debut album, 'Long. Live. ASAP,' which topped the Billboard 200 in 2013 — laid crucial groundwork for many of the young disrupters who now dominate the genre (not least Playboi Carti, who's set to headline Night 2 of Rolling Loud on Sunday). As his inheritors have taken over, Rocky has focused on his fashion deals with Puma and Ray-Ban, on his acting gig in an upcoming Spike Lee movie and on his relationship with Rihanna, whom he frequently — and endearingly — turns up in public to cheer on, as at her Super Bowl halftime show in 2023. His most recent album, 'Testing,' came out nearly seven years ago, though he's been promising that a new LP is coming soon. All of which has left his place in music uncertain enough that Drake felt compelled to take a shot at Rocky during his recent feud with Kendrick Lamar. 'I ain't even know you rapped still 'cause they only talking 'bout your fit again,' Drake said in his song 'Family Matters,' 'Probably gotta have a kid again before you think of dropping any s— again.' This performance at rap's biggest festival franchise, then, wasn't just an opportunity for Rocky to celebrate his acquittal but a chance to reassert his musical standing — something of a tradition at Rolling Loud, which hosted Travis Scott in 2023 in the wake of his ill-fated Astroworld festival and which hosted Kanye West last year after a series of antisemitic remarks led many in the entertainment industry to sever ties with him. By the miserable standards of the latter gig — in which Kanye simply milled around a stage as his records played over the festival's sound system — Rocky's set Saturday was a success insofar as he had a microphone and he actually used it. But the show, which started an hour after it was scheduled and lasted only 45 minutes, still felt somewhat underwhelming (at least after the helicopter moment). He did a boisterous 'Riot (Rowdy Pipe'n)' that had guys jumping on cars as they waved upside-down American flags, and he jumped on a car himself for 'Tailor Swif,' in which he recounts his hard-won come-up; he brought out Skepta for 'Praise the Lord (Da Shine)' and did 'Highjack,' a 2024 collaboration with the folk-pop singer Jessica Pratt that shows he can still assemble unlikely combinations. Yet new songs like 'Stop Snitching' and 'Your Honor' — both clearly shaped by his experience in the criminal justice system — were pretty lumpy; neither had much of a chorus nor a coherent political argument, which is what he led you to expect by surrounding himself for the former with men holding flashlights and wearing tactical gear and by doing the latter from behind a speechmaker's podium. 'In America it's a lot of s— separating us right now, but when I look in this crowd, I see unity,' he said, which — OK. Rocky also skipped most of the striking old hits that established his place in hip-hop: no 'Peso,' no 'Goldie,' certainly no 'F— Problems,' which feels these days like a relic of a lost age given that it featured both Drake and Lamar. Indeed, given Rolling Loud's teenage and 20-something audience — not to mention the preponderance of young acts onstage including Sexyy Red and Peso Pluma — you can understand why he might not have called attention to his age. But here it wasn't obvious what he wants to do instead.
Yahoo
14-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Playboi Carti Finally Drops New Album ‘I Am Music': Stream It Now
The wait is finally over: Playboi Carti has released his long-awaited third studio album, I Am Music on Friday (March 14) via AWGE and Interscope Records. Spotify has been assisting with the album rollout over the last month by putting up billboards around major cities such as Los Angeles, New York City and Miami that read, 'STREETS READY,' 'SORRY4 DA WAIT' and 'I AM MUSIC MF.' More from Billboard Playboi Carti Delays 'I AM MUSIC' Album Release by Three Hours Vice President JD Vance Loudly Booed While Attending Kennedy Center Concert Halsey Brushes Off 'Body Cops' Complaining About Her Push-Up Bra Photo Shoot: 'Can't Believe How Angry Everyone Is' I Am Music was preceded by one official single, 'All Red,' which reached No. 15 on the Billboard Hot 100 and No. 3 on Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs. The rapper (real name Jordan Terrell Carter) also released a handful of songs on his YouTube and Instagram accounts, including '2024,' 'BACKR00MS' featuring Travis Scott and 'H00DBYAIR.' He also performed unreleased songs during his headlining set at Rolling Loud Miami in December, including 'Lose You' featuring The Weeknd. Carti and The Weeknd's 'Timeless' collaboration from the latter's Billboard 200-topping album Hurry Up Tomorrow reached No. 3 on the Hot 100 last year, following their platinum-certified 'Popular' joint with Madonna. Carti is also headlining Rolling Loud California on Sunday, March 16. The festival posted on X earlier this week that his 2018 debut album Die Lit dropped the day before Rolling Loud Miami, and he's continuing the tradition by dropping I Am Music the day before Rolling Loud California commences the weekend. I Am Music arrives five years after his last LP, Whole Lotta Red. The 24-track project featured collaborations with Ye (formerly known as Kanye West, 'Go2DaMoon'), Kid Cudi ('M3tamorphosis') and Future ('Teen X'). The set topped the Billboard 200 and Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums, marking the rapper's first No. 1 on both charts. Listen to I Am Music below. Best of Billboard Chart Rewind: In 1989, New Kids on the Block Were 'Hangin' Tough' at No. 1 Janet Jackson's Biggest Billboard Hot 100 Hits H.E.R. & Chris Brown 'Come Through' to No. 1 on Adult R&B Airplay Chart
Axios
07-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Axios
Music festivals worth traveling to in 2025
The music festival season keeps stretching further across the year. The latest: The WorldPride Music Festival in D.C. and The Roots Picnic in Philadelphia both announced their summer lineups this week. The LGBTQ+ festival will feature Jennifer Lopez, Troye Sivan and ZEDD, and the hip-hop festival will include D'Angelo with The Roots, Lenny Kravitz and GloRilla. September's Oceans Calling in Ocean City, Maryland, announced its lineup last week, with Green Day, Noah Kahan and Fall Out Boy on the docket. Warped Tour is making its return for the first time since 2019 in three cities, with two already sold out. Tickets are still available for the final weekend in Orlando, Florida, in November. By the numbers: In 2024, North America accounted for over 40% of global music festival revenue, with a market size of $863.28 million. The market is expected to grow at 22.2% annually through 2031, according to market research. Here are 34 more music festivals in the U.S. worth traveling to this year: 🎙️ Hip-hop and R&B Rolling Loud California: March 15–16, Inglewood, California Dreamville Festival: April 5–6, Raleigh, North Carolina Essence Music Festival: July 3–6, New Orleans, Louisiana Broccoli City Festival: July 12-13, Washington, D.C. 🎸 Rock and metal Sonic Temple Art & Music Festival: May 8–11, Columbus, Ohio Cruel World: May 17, Pasadena, California Maha Festival: Aug. 2, Omaha, Nebraska Louder Than Life: Sept. 18–21, Louisville, Kentucky Shaky Knees Festival: Sept. 19-21, Atlanta, Georgia Riot Fest: Sept. 19-21, Chicago, Illinois 🎛️ EDM and electronic Big Ears Festival: March 27–30, Knoxville, Tennessee Ultra Music Festival: March 28–30, Miami, Florida Beyond Wonderland: March 28–29, San Bernardino, California Electric Daisy Carnival: May 16–18, Las Vegas, Nevada Electric Forest: June 19–22, Rothbury, Michigan III Points Festival: Oct. 17–18, Miami 🪕 Country and folk Two Step Inn Festival: April 5–6, Georgetown, Texas Stagecoach Festival: April 25–27, Indio, California Outlaw Music Festival: May–September, multiple stops nationwide Newport Folk Festival: July 25–27, Newport, Rhode Island 🎶 Multigenre Jazz in the Gardens Music Festival: March 8–9, Miami Gardens, Florida Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival: April 11–13 and 18–20, Indio, California RiverBeat Music Festival: May 2–4, Memphis, Tennessee Just Like Heaven: May 10, Pasadena, California Kilby Block Party: May 15-18, Salt Lake City, Utah Boston Calling Music Festival: May 23–25, Boston, Massachusetts Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival: June 12–15, Manchester, Tennessee Mountain Jam: June 20–22, Highmount, New York Governors Ball Music Festival: June 6–8, New York City Lollapalooza: dates are not yet confirmed, but usually fall on the last weekend of July or first weekend in August, Chicago Hinterland: Aug. 1-3, Saint Charles, Iowa Bourbon & Beyond Festival: Sept. 11–14, Louisville, Kentucky Austin City Limits Music Festival: Oct. 3–5 and 10–12, Austin, Texas When We Were Young: Oct. 18, Las Vegas Editor's note: This story has been corrected to note the dates for Lollapalooza are not confirmed.
