Rock The Bells recently announced their lineup for their 2023 concert.
Scheduled for August 5, 2023 at the Forest Hills Stadium in Queens, the festival will feature performances by hip-hop legends like Queen Latifah, De La Soul, Slick Rick and Salt-N-Pepa. They will be joined by other artists who helped pioneer the genre later in its history such as Ludacris, Swizz Beats, Method Man & Redman, Monie Love and MC Sha Rock amongst others. More performers will be announced in the upcoming months.
With the performances, the Rock The Bells festival will also honor the 50th anniversary of the birth of hip-hop.
“This is a celebration for artists who paved the way and the legions of fans around the world throughout Hip-Hop’s 50th anniversary year,” said the president of the Rock The Bells festival, James Cuthbert, per a press release. “The stage is set for the overdue acknowledgment and celebration of our culture and the fans who live and breathe it.”
“This lineup represents icons and artists from various decades, cities and styles, ensuring fans have the best Hip-Hop experience possible.”
This year’s celebration of hip-hop marks the 50th anniversary of the night that the legendary DJ Kool Herc debuted a new technique that would build on the foundations of early hip-hop.
On August 11, while hip-hop existed in some form before, DJ Kool Herc’s back to school block party hosted alongside his sister, Cindy Campbell, was the setting where the musician debuted his innovative technique for the largest crowd yet.
Known as the “Merry-Go Round,” the technique created “the breakbeat” by elongating parts of the funk records using two turntables. With the turntables, Herc would use a crossfader on the mixer and loop one record with the other.
To celebrate the 50th anniversary of this event and the genre, the Rock The Bells festival will also explore the impact of hip-hop on other aspects of culture. With immersive experiences set, the festival will highlight hip-hop’s influence on fashion, art as well as food.
The return of the Rock The Bells festival marks the second year that the festival will be held. Last year, the inaugural Rock The Bells festival was hosted at Forest Hills Stadium; alongside LL Cool J, musicians Lil Kim, Busta Rhymes, Scarface, Rick Ross, Ice Cube and Jadakiss headlined amongst others.
“This festival is my way of showing love to the community of Hip-Hop and celebrating the incredible journey this culture has taken, going from DJ Kool Herc’s Sedgwick Avenue rec room, to the global phenomenon we all cherish today,” said LL Cool J in a statement when the inaugural event was held. “Getting to bring some of the most iconic and influential Hip-Hop artists to the same stage, in my hometown and the city that started it all, is an honor and I can’t wait for everyone to see what we have in store for them.”
