Rock The Bells Festival Recap

Rock The Bells Festival, THE hottest Hip Hop festival in the world, went down this past weekend, August 6, 2022, as LL COOL J took the stage in his hometown of Queens, NY, alongside some of Hip Hop’s most iconic and influential MCs, including Ice Cube, Rick Ross, Fat Joe & Remy Ma, Lil Kim, Trina, N.O.R.E. The Diplomats, Scarface Jadakiss, and more for the 2022 Rock The Bells Festival.

Over 13,000 fans descended on a SOLD OUT Forest Hills Stadium in Queens, New York, to take part in the day-long celebration of Hip-Hop culture, which also featured the first-ever all Hip-Hop food court experience with live SiriusXM broadcasts, graffiti demonstrations, and breakdancing performances.

Rock The Bells founder and headliner, LL COOL J, recapped Saturday’s event saying:“Rock The Bells Festival was everything I believed it could be – we had a whole day of celebrating timeless Hip-Hop culture and the artists that have influenced the world. From the food to the music and DJs, and to the breakers and art, people came from all over the world to party and create good energy. We reminded the world that Hip-Hop culture is not disposable. It’s important that the Kings and Queens of this culture are lifted up so people can recognize the profound impact that Hip-Hop has had on every corner of global culture. We achieved that today. We are the first global platform/company to put our entire focus on timeless Hip-Hop. We are the leaders of this new movement, and the sold-out stadium and response at our first Rock The Bells Festival showed the world that the fans are as excited as we are about timeless Hip-Hop! Thank you to everyone who came out, endured the heat, and celebrated the culture with us. To be continued! Timeless Hip-Hop is priceless!” – LL COOL J

Below are a few looks from the happening:

Rock The Bells Festival Crowd
Rock The Bells Festival Crowd
Rock The Bells Festival Crowd

During the festival, LL COOL J was also presented with a key to the city as Speaker of the NYC Council, Adrienne Adams presented the rap legend with a proclamation acknowledging his influence and impact on the culture.

Additional highlights from the evening include:

The debut of Bun B’s Trill Mealz Food Court, the first ever all Hip Hop food court experience which included a selection of food & beverage vendors from iconic Hip Hop artists, including Nas’ Sweet Chick, E-40’s Goon with the Spoon, Jadakiss & Styles P’s Juices for Life, Ghostface Killah’s Killah Koffee, Mia X’s Team Whip Them Pots and Bun B’s Trill Burgers.
The Empire State Building lit up the evening sky in Cyan Blue (RTB’s official color) to commemorate the historic event
Partial proceeds from the sold-out event went towards the Universal Hip-Hop Museum, located in The Bronx.
Fans experienced interactive sponsor activations and photo opportunities from Corona, Monster Energy, P&G, Gilette, Salesforce, and more.

A limited edition release of festival merch is available here. The line includes hats, sweatpants, hoodies, shorts, and t-shirts ranging from $30 to $60.

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About the Author

Dr. Jerry Doby Editor-in-Chief of The Hype Magazine, Media and SEO Consultant, Journalist, Ph.D. and retired combat vet. 2023 recipient of The President's Lifetime Achievement Award. Partner at THM Media Group. Member of the U.S. Department of Arts and Culture, the United States Press Agency and ForbesBLK.