Saturday, Rap legend LL COOL J brought out the genre’s most revered acts to his hometown, Queens, New York at The Forest Hills Stadium. With a roster filled with rappers, who for the most part, all had over 20 years of experience, it was easily one of the best authentic hip-hop festivals every produced.
The star-studded line-up included Busta Rhymes, Lil Kim, Ice Cube, Fat Joe, Remy Ma, and Rick Ross along with rap groups like The Lox, Dipset, Onyx and Digable Planets.
While each act provided the mostly middle-aged crowd powerful and engaging performance, there were a few that edged out the rest.
Though Rick Ross was seemingly the newest of all the performers listed, rap’s biggest boss set the performance expectations of the crowd exceptionally high as he ran through many of biggest records.
Needless to say, Busta Rhymes and Lil Kim gladly accepted and surpassed the challenge, each giving masterclasses on the art of performing with the latter reminding the world why she would always be one of the genre undeniable queens.
Busta, whose career spans over 30 years, followed up with a incomparable string of unquestionable hits, many of the biggest in the history of the hip-hop including “Jump,” “Woohah,” and even verses from classic remixes like “Scenario” and “Flavor in Your Ear”.
LL Cool J closed out the day of breathtaking performances with one of his own performing several of the crowd’s favorite songs from the 80s through the 2000s including “My Radio,” “I’m Bad,” “Mama Said Knock You Out,” and “I Need Love”.
“I remember going to my first major rap concert as a teenager in the mid 80s. LL was opening for Run-DMC. So, to see him still performing at the top of his game in 2022 was an amazing thing to watch,” Be’n Original, publisher of Urban Magazine.
Outside of the music, there was another star of the night. Bun B’s Trill Burger was a main attraction at Rock The Bells. The pop-up eatery had a seemingly never ending line throughout entire festival. Recently declared the best burger in the country, people were willing to miss their favorite acts for a chance try one for themselves.
Despite the relentless heat, the Rock The Bells festival was a lifetime event for those who came of age with music youngest genre. It is a must-see for all of us fortunate enough to witness the hip-hop culture’s growth from its humble beginnings.
Look for more spectacular images from the event in our August issue, arriving on the 15th.
