Rolling Loud Teams With Live Nation For Hong Kong Edition

– Rolling Loud Hong Kong

Live Nation Electronic Asia will present global hip-hop festival Rolling Loud in Hong Kong for the first time. The city’s first-ever two-day outdoor hip-hop festival will take place at Art Park at West Kowloon Oct. 19-20.

Founded in Miami in 2015, Rolling Loud has become arguably the world’s biggest hip-hop festival brand, featuring performances by the likes of J. Cole, Future, Lil Wayne, A$AP Rocky, Travis Scott, Young Thug, Post Malone, Migos, Cardi B, Kendrick Lamar, Kodak Black, Lil Uzi Vert, 21 Savage, Lil Yachty and Lil B in previous years.

Earlier this year, leading Chinese hip-hop artists were invited to participate in Rolling Loud Miami for the first time, signaling the rise of the Asian influence, including Bridge, K Eleven and JO$H, members of the leading Chongqing rap/hip-hop music label GO$H, and the acclaimed “Hip-hop Poet” Jony J.

“Fans of hip-hop in Asia can now rejoice as we are thrilled to be bringing Rolling Loud to Hong Kong! Get ready for two days of good times and even better music,” reads the statement from the Rolling Loud team.

Live Nation Electronic Asia Managing Director Jim Wong commented on hip-hop as a worldwide mainstream commodity and cultural phenomenon, “It has taken over local youth culture everywhere, particularly in Asia, and Asians are one of the major crowds leading the hip-hop culture in the world. We are now ready to bring Rolling Loud to my beloved city, Hong Kong and take the Asia hip-hop music scene to the next level.”

The teaming of Live Nation with the previously staunchly independent festival has raised some eyebrows in the concert promotion community.

On the same day last month Rolling Loud announced its Bay Area lineup for September 28 and 29, headlined by Future, G-Eazy, Migos and Lil Uzi Vert, Goldenvoice announced their own giant “Day In Vegas” hip-hop festival with headliners J. Cole, Kendrick Lamar, Travis Scott and Tyler, the Creator slated for November 1-3 at the Las Vegas Festival Grounds. The two bills also share Migos and Lil Uzi Vert among many other overlaps.

Rolling Loud founders Tariq Cherif and Matt Zingler have always aimed to make the event more than just a “music festival” which now sprawls across multiple locations from its Miami base.

“Rolling Loud used to be something that we had to explain to people,” Zingler told Pollstar in an April cover story interview. “It’s defined now as a concert but what people are going to realize soon is that Rolling Loud is a lifestyle. And soon when you say the word you’re not going to know if you’re talking about movies, media, merchandising, you won’t know what it is, it will just be a lifestyle. It is hip-hop, in my opinion.”

Smith Durogene – Rolling Loud
Tariq Cherif and Matt Zingler, photographed at the Cleveland Hotel in Miami April 2.

As Cherif told Pollstar back then, hinting at a global move, “On the business end, everything is turn-key and ready to go. That’s how high the demand is on the buyer side on the ticket side and everything. The barriers are bureaucratic, with challenges of getting artists into the country, different local laws and insurance and permits and all of that.”

Asked previously if they’d consider selling to a major concert promoter like Live Nation or AEG:

“You’d be stupid not to read an offer,” Cherif said. “We’ll read the offers. Can’t promise what will happen after that. We like being independent, it’s great, but we got kids too. Matt has expenses, (laughing).”

“We’re not stubborn, we’re just reserved,” Zingler added. “The reality is that we’re not really looking to sell. When you’re trying to buy something that’s not really looking to sell, you lose a little leverage.”

The full line-up and ticket details for Rolling Loud Hong Kong are promised soon.