This weekend’s Rolling Loud festival in Inglewood took a dramatic turn with the last-minute booking of Kanye West. The rapper’s new chart-topping duo with Ty Dolla Sign has a No. 1 single (“Carnival”), a bestselling album (“Vultures 1”) and the consternation of local Jewish groups after years of West’s antisemitic diatribes.
Would he show up at all? Would he say something incendiary about Hitler? Would he do the most unexpected thing — put on a normal show without incident? Sadly, West’s performance (or non-performance), during his headlining set to kick off the 10th anniversary of the festival turned out to be a dud.
But if West’s return left you cold, Rolling Loud is still an agenda-setting festival, and the rest of the bill has many worthy acts beyond one controversial booking. Nicki Minaj, Post Malone and Future with Metro Boomin are set to headline (and Nicki is no slouch when it comes to eyebrow-raising banter). Here are nine of the most interesting acts on the undercard:
Sexyy Red
Sexyy Red became infamous for deliriously racy bars on tracks like “Pound Town.” But she aced two video performances with perfect comic timing, on the gender-screwy “Daddy” with Tokischa and a memorably pregnant turn on “Rich Baby Daddy” with Drake and SZA. Her sudden, eyebrow-raising stardom now looks durable and multifaceted.
DD Osama
New York drill is in a grim spot after the death of Pop Smoke — both obsessed with violence and social-media drama, yet unable to produce major new stars. (It’s not a good sign when one of the genre’s most visible new figures is the risable troll Lil Mabu). DD Osama, a 17-year-old New York rapper, overcame his brother’s murder to emerge as the city’s most talked-about young star, with ambitions toward more rangy and brutally personal music.
Luh Tyler
The sound of young Florida is fully embodied in this raspy voiced, preternaturally chilled Tallahassee newcomer. Luh Tyler takes cues from his home state’s humid, funk-soaked aesthetics for witty, unbothered tales of getting baked, chasing girls and fully enjoying his new stardom.
Veeze
Veeze tosses off spit-take one-liners with abandon — try not to cackle at “That drank all in my belly like Winnie the Pooh.” On “Ganger,” his breakout LP, he finds his bearings through all sorts of production styles, from bossa nova to stoner loops to wild vocal treatments, but his laconic delivery hides dense thickets of allusions.
2SDXRT3ALL
It’s pronounced “Too Solid Dirtball,” and you’d better get used to it, because this 18-year-old Atlanta native is the rising star in the city that defines modern hip-hop. Drawing on the icy glares of 21 Savage and Young Nudy, but with a growly, punkish urgency, who can’t relate to a mixtape titled, simply, “F- School.” “ADLIBGOD,” his major-label debut, raises the stakes considerably.
03 Greedo
Alongside the late Drakeo the Ruler, 03 Greedo defined a jittery era in L.A. rap, when some of its brightest local stars were targeted by law enforcement and nearly broken by incarceration. A whole genre, “nervous music,” came out of that fraught moment, but now 03 Greedo is free after five years in a Texas prison and making up for lost time.
Fuerza Regida
Rolling Loud caught some heat from the acclaimed SoCal Latin label Rancho Humilde’s founder Jimmy Humilde after two of his acts lost spots on the lineup (the fest blamed visa issues and radius clauses). But Fuerza Regida, the San Bernardino superstars of música Mexicana, are still high on the bill and leading the charge for Mexican music on the U.S. pop charts.
That Mexican OT
One of the rowdiest young showmen in rap, Houston’s new champion delivers rough-and-tumble Tejano tales with the sweaty panache of Bun B and Paul Wall. He’s a hit on TikTok and it’s easy to see why: his shows have the cheerful chaos of a backyard barbecue right when the mezcal hits.
KXLLSWXTCH
Zoomers have turned Nirvana preppy, but they have also delivered KXLLSWXTCH, an O.C. singer and sorta-rapper who loves the corroded gloom and dark allure of grunge. His songs are guitar-based and rock-structured but slot right into the harsh worldview of his trap-oriented peers.
