Preview: Rock the Bells Festival Celebrates Rap’s History

Since its rebirth, after LL Cool J successfully attained the rights to the name from concert promoter Guerilla Union (he wrote the song, after all — way back in 1985), Rock the Bells has evolved into an authoritative component of the hip-hop multiverse, especially for artists outside the mainstream eye.

So it should come as no surprise that this year’s festival, on August 5, at Forest Hills Stadium in Queens, is serving as a legitimate alternative to the big Hip-Hop 50 blowout taking place at Yankee Stadium on the culture’s accepted anniversary date, August 11, which commemorates the party that started it all, back in 1973.

“I’m doing this for Queens, for NYC, and for the hip-hop culture. There’s no better place for me to perform during this moment in hip-hop than my hometown,” LL Cool J said in a public statement, adding that the festival is a “testament to the power of the culture that changed the world.” It’s fitting that this show is happening in Queens, considering the age-old rivalry between that borough and the Bronx over hip-hop supremacy, in the mid-’80s. As MC Shan famously rhymed on “The Bridge” (1986):

You love to hear the story again and again
Of how it all got started way back when
The monument is right in your face
Sit and listen for a while to the name of the place

The Bridge, Queensbridge
The Bridge, Queensbridge
The Bridge, Queensbridge
The Bridge, Queensbridge

Hip hop was set out in the dark
They used to do it out in the park

And while Forest Hills is known more for the Ramones than for rap music, that sentiment can be felt in the cavalcade of names from hip-hop’s classic era convening this year at the 13,000-seat venue, in an implied salute to the area’s importance within the fabric of the art form.

Yes, the culture might’ve been birthed in the Bronx, at 1520 Sedgwick Avenue on that August day half a century ago, during a back-to-school party Cindy Campbell threw in the rec room of her apartment building, featuring her brother, Clive, who went by DJ Kool Herc. But the argument of the movement getting its legs in Queens is a valid one, especially considering how consistent the borough has been in terms of talent these past five decades, with such names as Kool G. Rap, A Tribe Called Quest, 3rd Bass, Nas, Mobb Deep, 50 Cent, Waka Flocka Flame, and Nicki Minaj (of course similar observations can be made about the Bronx). So for Rock the Bells to set up camp in Queens makes perfect sense, not to mention serving as a homecoming of sorts for LL himself, a proud son of Farmers Boulevard, in the St. Albans neighborhood of the borough.

Perhaps the most important element of Rock the Bells is the prevalence of women on the bill, which in itself proves the culture’s considerable evolution away from the gross misogyny found in rap music that unfortunately lingers to this day.

In scanning the artists on the colorful Rock the Bells concert poster, the first thing one might notice is the massive New York tri-state-area presence on the bill — especially in comparison to the Yankee Stadium Hip-Hop 50 concert, which prominently features acts from the West Coast (Snoop Dogg, Ice Cube) and the Dirty South (T.I., Lil Wayne), in addition to New York heroes such as Run DMC, Ghostface Killah, and EPMD. That said, some out-of-towners will also be on the Rock the Bells stage, namely Atlanta’s Ludacris and Compton’s Yo-Yo, not to mention the late addition of Philly’s legendary Roots crew, joining headliners LL and DJ Z-Trip for a much-anticipated grand finale.

But everyone else performing at Rock the Bells is local or regional. And for bona fide hip-hop nerds, the lineup is beyond ridiculous, flush with names that appear in any self-respecting fan’s tape collection, including such Golden Age greats as Rakim, Big Daddy Kane, Slick Rick (celebrating 35 years of the Great Adventures of Slick Rick), Method Man & Redman, Black Sheep, Brand Nubian, Lost Boyz, a Boot Camp Clik reunion, and the surviving members of De La Soul. The old school is also well represented, in a performance by the legendary Cold Crush Brothers, celebrating their 45th anniversary this year, as well as Run DMC (also a late addition to the festivities, along with the Roots).

Yet perhaps the most important element of Rock the Bells is the prevalence of women on the bill, which in itself proves the culture’s considerable evolution away from the gross misogyny found in rap music that unfortunately lingers to this day, in the music of Drake; DaBaby; and Tyler, the Creator, among others. The inclusion of some of hip-hop’s strongest female voices speaks to women’s key presence in the culture, since the beginning. Most noteworthy is Roxanne Shante, a pioneer of the legendary Queensbridge outfit the Juice Crew, who (along with Slick Rick and Run DMC) will be performing at both Forest Hills and Yankee Stadium. And along with the aforementioned Yo-Yo, fans can look forward to sets from such renowned ladies of the mic as the groundbreaking MC Sha-Rock, from Funky Four + 1; Monie Love; MC Lyte; Salt-N-Pepa; and the mighty Queen Latifah, who is, rightfully, up there at the top of the Forest Hills marquee as one of the headlining acts.

Indeed, that big gig up in the Bronx undoubtedly sounds like an exciting event, but serious fans will agree that Rock the Bells’ remarkable lineup promises to make for one epic Saturday, one that truly celebrates the history of rap in the New York City area. This is the festival hip-hop deserves. ❖

Ron Hart is the editor-in-chief of Rock and Roll Globe. As a freelancer, he has contributed to numerous publications, including Billboard, Spin, Rolling Stone, Pitchfork, Vice, and Relix, among others. Find him on X at @mistertribune.