Live Review + Photos: Rolling Loud Day 1 featuring Rae Sremmurd, YG & Tyga, Nicki Minaj & More

Rae Sremmurd

A quarter past 6:00 duo Swae Lee and Slim Jxmmi, who go by “Rae Sremmurd,” took to the Ethika stage. They opened with their song “No Type” from their debut album SremmLife released in 2015, using the energy of the crowd to introduce their next song by dropping a lyric from it. Of all their smooth song transitions the most legendary was when the duo transitioned to their song “Come Get Her” by pointing out a girl in a white tank top in the crowd and singing the song’s lyrics “somebody come get her she’s dancing like a stripper.”

A clear source of the audience’s energy can be pinpointed to the use of ad libs by Slim Jxmmi. This allowed for ample attention the group gave to all sections of the audience. While Swae Lee sang and made his way to one side of the stage to interact with the audience, Slim Jxmmi took charge of the other side engaging the other half of the audience during the chorus of “This Could Be Us.”

Setlist

1. No Type
2. Come Get Her
3. No Flex Zone
4. Swang
5. This Could Be Us
6. Diamonds Dancing
7. Sexy
8. Not So Bad (Leans Gone Cold)
9. Sunflower (Post Malone & Swan Lee cover)
10. Sativa (Jhené Aiko cover)
11. Throw Sum Mo
12. Black Beatles
13. Powerglide

Anycia

The excitement continued with a performance by Anycia. Wearing a pink hoodie and shorts the artist matched both the audience’s style and energy. The sea of pink which made up the crowd was delighted to see the one dollar bills being thrown into the air for them to catch. While attending an expensive musical festival can be a lot to fathom for the average person, Anycia was incredibly socially aware and did not try to “flex” extravagant uses of her wealth. The artist mentioned tax season and was able to speak about it in a relatable way which was in no way pretentious. Anycia’s style of owning her upcoming and everyday struggles was met with admiration by the crowd which allowed for an authentic connection between them and the music.

Setlist

1. DROP TOP
2. Up, Lit (Freestyle)
3. BIG BODY
4. REFUND
5. SPLASH BROTHERS
6. BRB
7. Back Outside

YG and Tyga

Friday’s performance at Rolling Loud was not just a typical performance by YG. As hinted at by the screen on stage and later explained by YG himself it was the ten year anniversary of his first album “My Krazy Lif.e” The one and only word to describe YG’s performance is extravagant. From the pyrotechnics to the passion felt with every word he rapped, YG delivered on his ten years of legendary music.

Tyga’s performance had the entire crowd belting his lyrics like their lives depended on it. The setlist provided a healing moment for people in the audience to reconnect with their 2010 selves. Speaking of youth, Tyga brought his son King Kiro to the stage where the two jumped up and down with their hands up to the music.

Setlist – YG

1. BPT
2. I Just Wanna Party
3. Left, Right
4. Bicken Back Being Bool
5. My Nigga
6. Really Be (Smoking N Drinkin)
7. Who Do You Love?

Setlist – Tyga

1. Rack City
2. The Motto (Drake cover)
3. Ayy Ladies (Travis Porter cover)
4. Faded
5. Hookah
6. Uno (Ambjaay cover)
7. soak city (310babii cover)
8. Ayy Macarena

Setlist – YG & Tyga

1. Go Loko
2. I’m Broke
3. Toot It and Boot It
4. Make It Nasty
5. Bouncin’ on My Dick
6. Twist My Fingaz
7. Chosen (Bixst cover)
8. Don’t Tell ‘Em (Jeremih cover)
9. Loyal (Chris Brown cover)
10. New Song – Unknown
11. My Type (Saweetie cover)
12. Taste
13. BIG BANK
14. Ayo (Chris Brown cover)

PARTYNEXTDOOR

PARTYNEXTDOOR’s performance started with the sounds of rain coming from the speakers followed by an electronic sounding voice and a guitar. Jahron Anthony Brathwaite, going by the name PARTYNEXTDOOR, is signed to Drake’s OVO Sound record label, and performed his 2020 hit “Persian Rugs.” Going along with the electronic drum machine, the lighting on the stage was perfectly in sync with the snare patterns of the song.

Setlist

1. Persian Rugs
2. Wus Good / Curious
3. Break From Toronto
4. Right Now
5. With You (Drake cover)
6. LOYAL
7. Not Nice
8. Just Might (Summer Walker cover)
9. thirsty
10. TWIST & TURN (Popcaan cover)
11. Work (Rihanna cover)
12. Freak in You
13. Sex on the Beach
14. Members Only (Drake cover)
15. BELIEVE IT
16. Recognize
17. R e s e n t m e n t
18. Come and See Me

Nicki Minaj

Making it the second year she has come late to Rolling Loud, Nicki Minaj appeared at the Ethika stage at 9:41 pm. The artist was first seen standing at the top of a set of stairs on the stage, amidst the hues of pink. She began her performance with songs from her most recent album Pink Friday 2. It was during her second song that she removed her logn skirt and revealed that the iconic silver top was really a leotard. The fierce and powerful persona that was amplified by Minaj’s jaw-dropping outfit change was a great way to transition to the high energy song FTCU. After amassing viral attention on Tik Tok, getting to see the song performed live was definitely the highlight of many people’s nights. The steps which Minaj originally descended from flashed the words “who wanna” and then flashed “FTCU,” enhancing the already established strong woman in power persona Minaj emitted. Taking a step back from the extravagance on stage the sixth song of the night began with an arial view projected onto the screens furthest from center stage. An almost polyrhythmic tribal beat played, giving the audience a moment to reset and relax. Minaj’s voice was then heard throughout the entire stadium as she guided everyone through a breathing exercise while giving positive affirmations to the crowd.

Playing her iconic hit from the blockbuster “Barbie,” Minaj once again established that she is a confident and powerful woman who is not ashamed of her femininity. Moving away from her recent music, Minaj left the crowd with some of her most beloved songs from the 2010s. She reminded people of the reason the “Anaconda” music video has over a billion views and of why “Super Bass” was performed on Glee.

Setlist

1. I’m the Best
2. Barbie Dangerous
3. FTCU
4. Beep Beep
5. Press Play
6. Big Difference
7. Chun-Li
8. Red Ruby Da Sleeze
9. Barbie World
10. Roman’s Revenge (shortened)
11. Monster
12. Super Freaky Girl (shortened)
13. Anaconda (shortened)
14. Pink Friday Girls (shortened)
15. Super Bass
16. Moment 4 Life
17. Starships (shortened)

All photos by Brandy Hornback.