Celebrity Measurements

The Festival featured a legendary lineup of Hip-Hop icons, premium food vendors, and elevated experiential activations with Procter & Gamble, Walmart, Mars and more!

QUEENS, N.Y., Aug. 29, 2023 /PRNewswire/ — LL COOL J’s Rock The Bells, the global platform dedicated to elevating Hip-Hop culture from its roots to the modern day, sold out its annual Rock The Bells Festival celebrating 50 years of Hip-Hop for the second year in a row. Co-presented by Procter & Gamble and Walmart, the Festival featured epic performances by LL COOL J feat. DJ Z-Trip and The Roots, RUN DMC, Jungle Brothers, Black Sheep, Brand Nubian, Lost Boyz, Queen Latifah, Ludacris, Method Man & Redman, Swizz Beatz, Salt-n-Pepa, Big Daddy Kane, The God MC Rakim, Slick Rick, Boot Camp Clik feat. Buckshot and Evil Dee, Smif-N-Wessun, OGC and Rock & Bernadette Price, MC Lyte, Yo-Yo, MC Sha-Rock, Roxanne Shanté, Monie Love, Cold Crush Brothers.

“We’re truly grateful for the incredible support we received for the Rock The Bells Festival, especially in this monumental year as we celebrate 50 Years of Hip-Hop,” said James Cuthbert, President of Rock The Bells. “The Festival selling out for a second year in a row is a testament to the enduring power and impact of this culture and movement that has changed lives and influenced the world. Thank you to all the fans who made this Festival a success. We’re looking forward to the fans joining us at our next celebration.”

In a major tribute to the culture, this year’s Festival featured noteworthy acknowledgments and surprise performances from some of Hip-Hop’s prominent figures including Remy Ma, Rapsody, Big Boi, and Naughty by Nature (Treach and Vin Rock).

Beyond the special appearances, the Festival featured engaging experiences and activations with the Festivals brand partners. The Walmart Makers Studio, an extension of Walmart’s ‘Black & Unlimited’ platform, put the spotlight on emerging Black makers, collaborators and influencers who are shaping Hip Hop culture. The activation featured five curated modules: The Sneaker Salon, The Refresh, The Tagging Table, The Studio and The Stoop. Walmart also joined forces with Brooklyn-based African American visual artist Adrian Brandon to design co-branded festival merchandise exclusively available on NTWRK, North America’s leading livestream shopping platform.

Procter & Gamble brands offered a VIP Kings & Queens Day Spa where guests were invited to enjoy product demonstrations, touch-ups, samples, and photo opportunities with their brands Head & Shoulders, Old Spice, King C. Gillette, Next of Us (NOU), and My Black Is Beautiful Hair Care. And, their Charmin sponsored bathrooms provided comfort when nature called. Attendees also had the chance to interact with a mock subway car and station with M&Ms, the official candy of the Festival through Rock The Bells’ partnership with Mars.

“P&G was proud to partner with Rock The Bells and Walmart to create brand experiences providing everything Queens and Kings needed to stay fresh, festival-ready and entertained by local hip-hop culture artists such as cyphers, stepper showcases, and graffiti artists,” said Eric Austin, Senior Marketing Executive, Procter & Gamble.  “We are excited to continue our partnership with Rock The Bells to recognize and celebrate Black culture, music, content, and creativity.”

Additionally, attendees enjoyed an immersive shopping experience at the Rock The Bells Bodega where attendees were able to purchase limited edition Festival merch and win a limited edition LL COOL J Metro Card. The “Food That Slaps Market” is the first Hip-Hop inspired food court elevating artists and culinary creatives inspired by the culture. This year’s market was co-curated with the James Beard Foundation, which helped select several vendors through a public open search.

The Rock The Bells Festival was co-produced by The Bowery Presents. Upcoming updates and additional announcements can be found across Rock The Bells’ Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.

For Rock The Bells Festival media requests, please contact Skai Blue Media at [email protected].

About Rock The Bells
Rock The Bells is the preeminent voice for timeless Hip-Hop. Founded in 2018 by LL COOL J and Geoff Yang, Rock The Bells focuses on content, commerce and experiences that honor the CULTURE and the core elements of Hip-Hop — MCing, DJing, Breaking, Graffiti — and more. Rock The Bells is the bridge between OG’s and those inspired by their groundbreaking influences on the culture. Visit us at www.rockthebells.com, stream LL COOL J’s Rock The Bells Radio on SiriusXM Channel 43, and follow us on Instagram @RockTheBells.

About The Bowery Presents
The Bowery Presents, an AEG Presents company, is the leading East Coast concert promoter, whose mission is to bring the best artists to New York City, Boston, Philadelphia and beyond while providing an excellent concert experience for both fans and artists. Since its inception, The Bowery Presents has been a purveyor of true artist development and consistently strives to work with artists like LCD Soundsystem, Brandi Carlile, Gary Clark Jr., Khruangbin, Leon Bridges, Maggie Rogers and Lake Street Dive to grow from performing in intimate clubs to performing in sold-out arenas. As a trusted industry tastemaker, The Bowery Presents produces dynamic entertainment experiences at dozens of venues nationally, presenting thousands of shows annually. For more information, visit www.bowerypresents.com.

About Procter & Gamble
P&G serves consumers around the world with one of the strongest portfolios of trusted, quality, leadership brands, including Always®, Ambi Pur®, Ariel®, Bounty®, Charmin®, Crest®, Dawn®, Downy®, Fairy®, Febreze®, Gain®, Gillette®, Head & Shoulders®, Lenor®, Olay®, Oral-B®, Pampers®, Pantene®, SK-II®, Tide®, Vicks®, and Whisper®. The P&G community includes operations in approximately 70 countries worldwide. Please visit http://www.pg.com for the latest news and information about P&G and its brands. For other P&G news, visit us at www.pg.com/news.

SOURCE Rock The Bells