What is Rolling Loud?
Rolling Loud is not just any set of concerts; it is one of the largest music festivals for hip-hop and rap. It was established by Matt Zingler and Tariq Cherif. It originally started as a party featuring southern and Midwestern rappers, but in 2013 they began hosting events every summer in Miami. In 2015 they hosted the first Rolling Loud with big names like Schoolboy Q and Juicy J. They also hosted up-and-coming stars such as Travis Scott and Kendrick Lamar as they began having major success in the Miami area. Afterwards, they began to expand, and in 2017 they moved to San Bernardino and Mountain View, California. This was Rolling Loud’s first step to global success. With headliners like Lil Wayne, Travis Scott, and Future, they reached a larger audience and began their first success abroad. After years of success in the United States, Matt and Tariq expanded internationally, starting in Australia. This is how a little festival made by high school friends became one of the biggest stages a music performer can perform on.
Line Up
The Big Changes: Rolling Loud made major moves for 2026. After 10 years in Miami, the festival shifted its only US stop to Camping World Stadium in Orlando, FL for May 8–10, 2026. No Miami, NY, or California dates this year.
Co-founders said Orlando gives them “space, infrastructure and accessibility” and lets them “build the ultimate flagship experience.” Destroy Lonely even compared it to Coachella-level status.
The Lineup: 75+ artists with 3 headliners representing different forces in hip-hop:
• Friday: Don Toliver — pushing his OCTANE project
• Saturday: Playboi Carti — 6th time headlining Rolling Loud
• Sunday: YoungBoy Never Broke Again — first-ever Rolling Loud headlining set, dropping before his Slime Cry album
Other major acts: Chief Keef, Sexyy Red, Pooh Shiesty, Destroy Lonely, BossMan Dlow, Nettspend, EsDeeKid, SahBabii, TiaCorine, Skaiwater, OsamaSon. UK artists like EsDeeKid and Fakemink are also on the bill.
Bonus: Live Nation also dropped a teaser for Rolling Loud the Movie; Owen Wilson plays a dad who loses his 13-year-old son in the crowd at Rolling Loud with Travis Scott headlining. Cameos from Sexyy Red, Ty Dolla $ign, and Ski Mask the Slump God.
Rolling Loud also hit Australia in March and returned to India.
2026 Orlando
This year Rolling Loud took place in Orlando, Florida (the first time the festival has been held there) since its birthplace is Miami. More than 75 artists performed, with tickets ranging from $259–$799 and up to 60,000 people attending, making it one of the most anticipated events in Florida this year. As of writing this, it has wrapped up. There were so many amazing performances, but here are some standouts. Headliner Don Toliver performed tracks like “Gemstone” and electrified the crowd with a surprise feature from Yeat. Headliner Playboi Carti performed mostly songs from his latest album, I AM MUSIC. The underground also shined, with electrifying sets from Bleod, Nettspend, and 9Vicious. EsDeeKid performed in a medieval castle set, and 2Slimy delivered a political performance. Rolling Loud was filled with surprises. Many hip-hop fans who attended were content with this year’s performances, but let’s hear from our peers at HMSA.
Peer Response
At HMSA there were many mixed responses to Rolling Loud. In my personal opinion, the festival was great since most of my favorite artists delivered strong performances.
Many found the festival unappealing, with comments like, “This year’s lineup was mediocre” and “I found the lineup disappointing,” coming from Angela Gonzalez and Mia Correa from the sophomore class.
Some felt their favorite artist underperformed, such as Layla Correa from the class of 2028, who stated, “Fakemink is a terrible performer.”
But many also felt their favorites outperformed expectations. Jude Laos and Emilio Hera from the class of 2028 both said 2Slimy’s performance was exhilarating and exactly what they anticipated. Azooz Mohamed and Oneza Faisal both praised their favorites, with Azooz saying Bleod’s performance was “so turnt up” and Oneza saying Two-Hollis and Nettspend’s performances were “healing.”
In conclusion, Rolling Loud started as a little house party and evolved into a multimillion-dollar industry performing across the world, helping artists launch their platforms to a larger audience while capturing the hearts of hip-hop and rap fans everywhere.
