After attending 2016's edition of Matt Zingler and Tariq Cherif's passion project Rolling Loud in Wynwood, Miami, I was excited to see how the organizers could outdo themselves in a much larger venue. Taking place at the Hard Rock Stadium, Rolling Loud 2018 was everything we expected it to be and more, giving the fans surprise guests during nearly every set with performers going their absolute hardest to wow the audience. While headliners J. Cole, Future, and Travis Scott were expected to put on insane shows, many of the lower-tier acts showed out to make a name for themselves as well.
Earning the title as the biggest hip-hop festival in the world, a short tenure in Miami has helped build Zingler and Cherif's baby to an astronomical level. This year was no exception. With expansions in Southern California and the Bay Area, the Rolling Loud co-founders have their eyes set on the rest of the world. While they may soon be expanding their project to the U.K. and Asia, Rolling Loud will always call Miami its first home. After Cardi B and Kevin Gates, unfortunately, could not make it to the festival, several spots were open for surprises and, trust me, the organizers made the most of their connections in a short amount of time.
The list below details our ranking of the five best sets from this past weekend, including moments that had us hyped, some that made us fear for the lives of the performers (we're looking at you, Uzi) and several points that will surely go down in the history books.
Honorable Mention: Fat Nick
Who Killed It At Rolling Loud 2018? Top 5 Performances
When we think of the special guests that performed at this past weekend's Rolling Loud festival, one notable appearance comes to mind. While Saturday's surprise guest will go down in the history books, hometown artist Fat Nick brought out a few of his friends to help him create memories for the Miami crowd. Riding around town in a pink horse-drawn carriage, Fat Nick solidified his self-proclaimed "sweetheart" status by going extra hard during his Sunday show. With a list of surprise appearances including Pouya, Bexey and a flurry of Florida favorites, the Miami native's set brought some much-needed energy to the main stage early on Sunday. Following up cupcakKe on the High Hemp stage, Nick's command of the crowd earns him an honorable mention on our list as the rapper ordered four different mosh pits and hosted a touching tribute to his late friend Lil Peep. Bringing out Peep's go-to producer Smokeasac, the pair performed "Benz Truck" and "Awful Things" near the end of his set, eliciting emotion and creating moments of nostalgia for the crowd.Who Killed It At Rolling Loud 2018? Top 5 Performances
While he was not expected to make it to this year's edition, would the Miami date of Rolling Loud really be complete without Florida's XXXTentacion? Performing at last year's affair, the controversial rapper was unfortunately not on this year's bill. However, his former buddy Ski Mask the Slump God was and if X was going to appear during any set, it was going to be this one. Our fifth best set of the weekend belongs to Ski Mask the Slump God. Fresh off the release of his long-awaited Beware The Book of Eli, Ski brought out a flurry of guests in Danny Towers, Chxpo and others but the most star-studded of them all was XXXTentacion who had many rushing over to the main stage once he was overheard on the microphone. Their relationship has been questionable as of late with the two speaking out on a disbanding of their friendship but they decided to make up for the sake of Rolling Loud Miami. Performing "Take A Step Back" together, the duo had the bass booming and the crowd jumping as they impressed in their on-stage reunion.
Who Killed It At Rolling Loud 2018? Top 5 Performances
The inclusion of Lil Uzi Vert should be self-explanatory at this point. I mean... that jump. Directly before leading into "444+222," Lil Uzi Vert cemented his status as a modern-day rock star, one-upping himself from last year and diving into the crowd from an unbelievable height. At this point, seemingly insurmountable stage dives have become somewhat of a Rolling Loud tradition for the Philly native, performing high-flying antics every time he takes the Miami stage. All Uzi fans left the venue happy after the "Money Longer" rapper tossed himself off the top of a building, only to land on top of the crowd for a crowd-surfing session. If you thought it was scary watching Uzi jump from that height on the live-stream, it was even more terrifying to witness it live. Many concertgoers around me wondered aloud if the star was even still alive but as he broke out into the Luv Is Rage 2 cut, it became clear that he was fine, simply overdoing himself during his performance yet again.
3. Future
Who Killed It At Rolling Loud 2018? Top 5 Performances
For the third straight year, Future shut things down at Rolling Loud. Once Lil Wayne had unfortunately no-showed at the Audiomack stage, fans were told to rush over to the High Hemp stage to enjoy the end of their night with a Future performance. Many, including myself, were more excited to see Weezy who was slated to perform at the same time as Fewtch simply based on already having been treated to many performances by the Atlanta superstar in the past. Future quickly proved that it doesn't matter how many times you've seen him live because he will always take things to a "New Level." Performing his A$AP Ferg collaboration on top of DJ Esco's new "Light Show" and "Move That Dope," Future went back in time in addition to performing his current favorites. He didn't come alone though as the "March Madness" singer had one of the most star-studded guest-lists of the weekend, bringing out Nicki Minaj, Chris Brown and Young Thug. This was also the first time that many had the chance to hear Future utter his meme-worthy line "La-dee-da-dee-da/ slob on me knob" live from "King's Dead." Because of all of this, Future takes home the bronze spot in our top performances.2. J.I.D.
Who Killed It At Rolling Loud 2018? Top 5 Performances
Performing during broad daylight is never ideal for any artist scheduled for a festival appearance. Sometimes, you need to make due with the hand you have been dealt, which is exactly what J.I.D. did during his main stage set on Saturday. For the fans that showed up early to the festival after a late night out on the opening night (shoutouts to Uber for making most people wait upwards of two hours for a ride) they were treated to a stellar introduction to Dreamville's J.I.D. For those familiar with the Atlanta rapper, his inclusion so high on our list will likely not be surprising and if you are wondering why he takes our number 2 spot, we urge you to head out to a J.I.D. show. The "DiCaprio" artist brought a certain amount of energy that the early birds needed on Saturday afternoon, getting festival-goers lit at the main stage for the first time of the day. Bringing out Earthgang for "NEVER," J.I.D. also performed an extensive freestyle that impressed the crowd, keeping them hype throughout his acapella wordplay.
1. Meek Mill
Who Killed It At Rolling Loud 2018? Top 5 Performances
When Cardi B and Kevin Gates were forced to cancel their appearances at this year's Rolling Loud due to a pregnancy and travel restrictions respectively, many wondered who Zingler and Cherif would contact to fill in such high-profile spots. With little time to book a replacement, the organizers came up with the perfect names. Hometown favorite DJ Khaled took one of the appearance slots and, near the end of his DJ set, he alluded to the next "surprise guest" being so big that it will go down in the history books. Leaving fans to wonder who exactly would be following Khaled, the "Top Off" musician took the stage again, with Diddy no less, to speak about "dreams and nightmares." Obviously, the crowd went absolutely insane at the mere mention of one of Meek's projects with his name being thrown around as a favorite to perform in the surprise spot. Much like Khaled had promised, Meek made history, coming out for his first performance since being released from prison. Starting his set with "On The Regular," the audience stayed hyped throughout his performance in a bittersweet moment that gave many in the crowd goosebumps. While many are deserving of the top spot at Rolling Loud 2018, Meek Mill takes it home due to the mere context of his appearance.About The Author
<b>Managing Editor</b> <!--BR--> Alex Zidel began working at HotNewHipHop as a Staff Writer in February 2018 before becoming the Managing Editor in June 2019. <strong>Favorite Hip Hop Artists:</strong> Kid Cudi, Kanye West, Young Thug, Frank Ocean.
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