One of hip-hop’s leading festivals, Rolling Loud is expanding internationally. Festival organizers have announced that the multi-city festival will be heading to New York and Hong Kong. According to Rolling Stone, New York’s version will take place at Citi Field on October 12th and 13th and Hong Kong’s on October 19th and 20th at West Kowloon Park. The festival will be one of China’s only hip-hop infused festivals. Just last year, China haChina’s state media regulator, the State Administration of Press, Publication, Radio, Film, and Television of the People’s Republic of China, banned hip-hop culture and people with tattoos from appearing on television. Many leaders of the music industry in China were for the ban, mentioning that it is not to suppress hip-hop altogether, only in mainstream media.
According to Billboard, Shanghai-based Stephen Dowler, director of the independent dance music streaming service DianYinTai in China, took a different approach on how to view the ban. He stated, “The government is flexing its muscle to guide hip-hop in China to project positivity while filtering out the negativity.”
From the rapper’s perspective, it appears China has been in and out of this for years. In an article from CNN, Chan Kwong-yan, popularly known as MC Yan, a Hong Kong rapper from the group LMF, said he was banned from performing in China 20 years ago for his controversial lyrics. He said, “When it’s out of control or too many people involved, then the government will come out to re-educate people.”
Tickets for New York will go on sale Friday, July 12 at 10 am eastern time with Hong Kong’s on-sale date to be announced at a later date. Fans can purchase New York passes here.
The festival also takes place in Sydney, Miami, Los Angeles, and Oakland throughout the year. Oakland’s 2019 lineup was recently released with headliners Migos, G-Eazy, Future, and Lil Uzi Vert. Other acts include Juice WRLD, Megan Thee Stallion, Playboi Carti, and SOB X RBE. It will take place September 28 and 29 at the Oakland Coliseum Grounds. Passes are on sale now. Only festival dates for the Los Angeles version has been released, with it taking place December 14 and 15 at the Banc of Calfornia Stadium grounds. The lineup has yet to be announced but according to festival organizers, more details will be announced Monday along with additional details for New York’s version.
Miami held it’s Miami version in May including performances from YG, Cardi B, Rick Ross, and Rae Sremmurd. The festival made headlines as there was a false report of an active shooter, causing panic and a stampede resulting in multiple injuries for festival goers. Festival co-founder, Tariq Cherie, later stated that there were several people that got into a fight at the festival which caused others to believe there had been a shooting.
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