# Rock the Bells

Rock the Bells is an annual hip-hop festival that originally took place in Southern California only, but has since toured throughout the world. The concert features a line-up of high-profile alternative hip-hop artists, often headlined by a more mainstream artist. The first festival was held in 2004, featuring a re-united Wu-Tang Clan, who performed four months before Ol' Dirty Bastard's death. That festival is covered in depth by a 2006 documentary film also called Rock the Bells.

## Performances

LL Cool J delivered a standout performance that was enhanced with the presence of The Roots as his backing band, and DJ Z-Trip on the turntables. His set included a special tribute to the late DMX with Meth, Red, and Black Thought rapping verses in the song '4,3,2,1'.
Queen Latifah also delivered a memorable performance, reminding attendees of her lasting impact on the hip-hop culture. She performed classics like "Latifah's Had It Up 2 Here", "Just Another Day", and the theme song to her hit sitcom, Living Single. Special appearances from Rapsody, Remy M, MC Lyte, Yo-Yo, and Monie Love were also part of her set.
Rakim, often termed as the God MC, graced the festival with his classic hits like "Don't Sweat The Technique" and "Paid In Full".
Other performances included legendary artists such as Slick Rick, Swizz Beatz, MC Lyte, The Cold Crush Brothers each contributing to the overall success of the festival.

## Technical difficulties

The festival faced a few technical difficulties with the sound system that impacted performances and led to the cancellation of De La Soul's set.

## Cultural impact

The Rock the Bells Festival 2023 was not only a musical celebration but also a cultural one, highlighting hip-hop's impact and its evolution over the past five decades. The festival proved to be a platform for fans to experience the essence of hip-hop through performances by some of the genre's most iconic figures.

## Festivals

| Date | City | Country | Venue | Lineup |
| July 17, 2004 | San Bernardino | United States | National Orange Show | Wu-Tang Clan, Redman, Dilated Peoples, Sage Francis, Supernatural, DJ Nu-Mark of Jurassic 5, Eyedea and Abilities, Fantastik 4our, DJ Mark Luv, DJ Icy Ice, DJ Abel. |
| November 13, 2004 | Anaheim | United States | Anaheim Stadium Parking Lot | A Tribe Called Quest, Xzibit, Cypress Hill, Jurassic 5 – Special Guest, Little Brother, The CMA, Crown City Rockers, Self Scientific, DJ Revolution, DJ Mark Luv, DJ Icy Ice. |
| July 30, 2005 | San Bernardino | United States | National Orange Show | Nas, KRS-One – Special Guest, Redman, Raekwon and Ghostface Killah (Cuban Linx), Living Legends, DJ Qbert, Guru from Gang Starr, Cut Chemist from Jurassic 5, DJ Muggs from Cypress Hill, Non Phixion, Supernatural, The Visionaries, Oh No, Med, Percee P |
| August 5, 2006 | San Bernardino | United States | National Orange Show | Wu-Tang Clan, Lauryn Hill- Special Guest, Mos Def, Talib Kweli, Redman, De La Soul, Dilated Peoples, Living Legends, Aesop Rock w/Rob Sonic & DJ Big Whiz, Del the Funky Homosapien, Immortal Technique, B-Real from Cypress Hill, The Visionaries, Murs 3:16, Planet Asia, UGK, Dirty Heads w/ DJ Rocky Rock, Supernatural. Surprise performances by Black Sheep, DJ Kool and Sen Dog (alongside B-Real). |
| August 6, 2006 | Concord | United States | Sleep Train Pavilion | Wu-Tang Clan, Mos Def, Talib Kweli, Redman, De La Soul, Living Legends, Immortal Technique, Murs 3:16, Zion I, Supernatural, Planet Asia, Dirty Heads w/ DJ Rocky Rock. |
| August 5, 2023 | Queens | | Forest Hills Stadium | LL Cool J, Queen Latifah, Rakim, Slick Rick, Swizz Beatz, MC Lyte, The Cold Crush Brothers, The Roots, DJ Z-Trip, Meth, Red, Black Thought, Rapsody, Remy M, Yo-Yo, Monie Love |

## Club tour

The concept was taken from the original, highly successful annual West-Coast hip-hop festival and transformed into a full-fledged United States tour.
| Date | City | Country | Venue |
| November 21, 2006 | Washington, D.C. | United States | 9:30 Club |
| November 22, 2006 | Myrtle Beach | United States | House of Blues |
| November 24, 2006 | Greensboro | United States | The N Club |
| November 25, 2006 | Hartford | United States | Webster |
| November 26, 2006 | Allentown | United States | Crocodile Rock Café |
| November 28, 2006 | New York City | United States | BB Kings |
| November 30, 2006 | Boston | United States | Avalon |
| December 1, 2006 | Providence | United States | Lupos Heartbreak Hotel |
| December 2, 2006 | Buffalo | United States | Buffalo Ballroom |
| December 3, 2006 | Burlington | United States | Higher Ground |
| December 6, 2006 | Chicago | United States | House of Blues |
| December 8, 2006 | Park City | United States | Harry O |
| December 9, 2006 | Denver | United States | Ogden Theatre |
| December 12, 2006 | Vancouver | Canada | Plush Nightclub |
| December 13, 2006 | Seattle | United States | The Showbox |
| December 14, 2006 | Portland | United States | Roseland Theatre |
| December 15, 2006 | Sacramento | United States | Empire |
| December 16, 2006 | San Francisco | United States | Mezzanine |
| December 20, 2006 | Los Angeles | United States | House of Blues |
| December 21, 2006 | San Diego | United States | House of Blues |
| December 22, 2006 | Anaheim | United States | House of Blues |
* Lineup
* Redman, Raekwon, Keith Murray, Supernatural, EPMD, Ghostface Killah, Pharoahe Monch, Smif-n-Wessun, Dirty Heads, DJ Kool.

## 2007 Festival Series

Rock the Bells 2007 had 3 major venues scheduled; July 28 and July 29 in New York, August 11 in San Bernardino, and August 18 in San Francisco. These select shows were headlined by a reunited Rage Against the Machine, and co-headlined by Wu-Tang Clan. The artists appearing in the shows appeared in rotating slots over the two-show weekend in New York, and selected performances for the remaining duration of the 20 shows, which were head-lined by the Wu-Tang Clan. Five cities also had a second stage called the Paid Dues Independent Hip Hop Stage. Rage Against the Machine was the festival's first non-hip hop act to be featured.
| Date | City | Country | Venue |
| July 26, 2007 | Mansfield | United States | Tweeter Center |
| July 28, 2007 | New York City | United States | Randall's Island*^ |
| July 29, 2007 | New York City | United States | Randall's Island*^ |
| August 2, 2007 | Atlanta | United States | Hi-Fi Buys Amphitheatre |
| August 3, 2007 | Charlotte | United States | Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre |
| August 4, 2007 | Miami | United States | Bayfront Park |
| August 7, 2007 | Dallas | United States | Smirnoff Music Center |
| August 8, 2007 | Houston | United States | Reliant Park |
| August 11, 2007 | San Bernardino | United States | Hyundai Pavilion at Glen Helen*^ |
| August 12, 2007 | San Diego | United States | Coors Amphitheatre (parking lot)^ |
| August 18, 2007 | San Francisco | United States | McCovey Cove (parking lot)*^ |
| August 21, 2007 | Salt Lake City | United States | USANA Amphitheater |
| August 22, 2007 | Denver | United States | Red Rocks Amphitheatre |
| August 25, 2007 | Minneapolis | United States | The Myth |
| August 26, 2007 | Chicago | United States | Charter One Pavilion |
| August 29, 2007 | Clarkston | United States | DTE Energy |
| September 1, 2007 | Honolulu | United States | Blaisdell Arena |
* Lineup
* Main Stage: Rage Against the Machine*, Wu-Tang Clan, Cypress Hill, The Roots, Public Enemy, Erykah Badu, Rakim, Mos Def, Talib Kweli, Nas, Black Star* (Mos Def and Talib Kweli), EPMD, Pharoahe Monch, Immortal Technique, Jedi Mind Tricks, David Banner, UGK, Supernatural, Rahzel, Murs 3:16.
* Paid Dues Independent Hip Hop Stage^: MF Doom, Living Legends, Felt, Sage Francis, Murs 3:16, Brother Ali, Cage, Mr. Lif, Living Legends, The Grouch & Eligh, Hangar 18, Blueprint, Lucky I Am, The Coup, Blackalicious, Ice Water Inc., Sen Dog from Cypress Hill, Hieroglyphics.

### New York City dates

In July 2007, the Rock the Bells festival came to New York City, and this event became particularly noteworthy. Upon selling out the massive Randall's Island venue very quickly, the one-day stop in NYC was expanded to two days, and a number of new and exclusive guests were added to the bills. The festival included the full Paid Dues festival lineup performing on a second stage, reunited headliners Rage Against the Machine and Wu-Tang Clan, guest appearances during the show (including Scott Ian performing Bring the Noise with Public Enemy), a special performance of Black Star from Mos Def and Talib Kweli and one of the near-final performances of noted hip-hop luminary Pimp C.
New York City :
| July 28, 2007 | July 28, 2007 | July 29, 2007 | July 29, 2007 |
| Guerilla Union Main Stage | Paid Dues Independent Stage | Guerilla Union Main Stage | Paid Dues Independent Stage |
| Rage Against the Machine Wu-Tang Clan Public Enemy Cypress Hill The Roots Black Star EPMD Pharoahe Monch Doom Immortal Technique Jedi Mind Tricks Hosted by Rahzel, Supernatural and Hi-Tek and featuring Mike Relm, Icy Ice, C-Minus, DJ Rocky Rock and DJ Mark Luv | Felt Living Legends Brother Ali Sage Francis Cage Mr. Lif Grouch & Eligh Hangar 18 Blueprint Lucky I Am | Rage Against the Machine Wu-Tang Clan Public Enemy Cypress Hill Erykah Badu (did not perform) Rakim Mos Def Talib Kweli Pharoahe Monch Immortal Technique Boot Camp Clik UGK Jedi Mind Tricks Hosted by Rahzel, Supernatural and Hi-Tek and featuring Mike Relm, C-Minus and DJ Rocky Rock | Felt Living Legends Brother Ali Sage Francis Cage Doom Mr. Lif Grouch & Eligh Hangar 18 Blueprint Lucky I Am |

## 2008 Festival Series

2008 also marks the first year that Rock the Bells went global with four stops in Europe and one in Japan. Highlights of the series include a first time date in Toronto, plus a return to the Glen Helen Pavilion in San Bernardino where last year's show sold out with a capacity crowd of 45,000 people.
| Date | City | Country | Venue |
| July 19, 2008 | Tinley Park | United States | First Midwest Bank Amphitheatre |
| July 20, 2008 | Toronto | Canada | Canada Arrow Hall |
| July 26, 2008 | Mansfield | United States | Comcast Center* |
| July 27, 2008 | Columbia | United States | Merriweather Post Pavilion* |
| August 2, 2008 | Miami | United States | Bayfront Park |
| August 3, 2008 | Wantagh | United States | Jones Beach Theater* |
| August 9, 2008 | San Bernardino | United States | Glen Helen Pavilion* |
| August 16, 2008 | Mountain View | United States | Shoreline Amphitheatre |
| August 23, 2008 | Greenwood Village | United States | Fiddler's Green Amphitheatre* |
| September 6, 2008 | George | United States | The Gorge Amphitheatre* |
* Lineup
* Main Stage:A Tribe Called Quest, The Pharcyde- Special Guests, Nas, Ghostface and Raekwon, MF Doom, Rakim, Mos Def, Talib Kweli, De La Soul, Method Man & Redman, Immortal Technique, Dead Prez, Murs, Blue Scholars, Sage Francis, Little Brother, Jedi Mind Tricks.
* Bigbox Culture Club Stage*:Spank Rock/Amanda Blank, The Cool Kids, Kidz in the Hall, DJ Afrika Bambaataa, Flosstradamus, Wale, Santogold, Kid Sister, B.o.B, Tyga, Jay Electronica, Devlin & Darko, Ninjasonik, Blaqstarr, Tyler Pase, Plastic Little, The Pack.

## 2008 International Festival Series

| Date | City | Country | Venue |
| October 31, 2008 | Prague | Czech Republic | T-Mobile Arena |
| November 1, 2008 | Amsterdam | Netherlands | Heineken Music Hall |
| November 4, 2008 | Stockholm | Sweden | Annexet |
| November 5, 2008 | Helsinki | Finland | Helsinki Ice Hall |
| November 9, 2008 | London | England | Indigo2 @ The O2 Arena |
| November 10, 2008 | Paris | France | Zenith |
* Lineup
* Nas, Mos Def, De La Soul, The Pharcyde, Supernatural & Scratch, Epmd.

## 2009 International Festival Series

| Date | City | Country | Venue |
| June 27, 2009 | Tinley Park | United States | First Midwest Bank Amphitheatre |
| June 28, 2009 | Clarkston | United States | DTE Energy Music Theater |
| July 5, 2009 | Toronto | Canada | Molson Amphitheatre |
| July 12, 2009 | Columbia | United States | Merriweather Post Pavilion |
| July 18, 2009 | Mansfield | United States | Comcast Center |
| July 19, 2009 | Wantagh | United States | Jones Beach Theater |
| August 1, 2009 | Burnaby | Canada | Deer Lake Park |
| August 2, 2009 | Calgary | Canada | Shaw Millennium Park |
| August 6, 2009 | Morrison | United States | Red Rocks Amphitheatre |
| August 8, 2009 | San Bernardino | United States | San Manuel Amphitheatre |
| August 9, 2009 | Mountain View | United States | Shoreline Amphitheatre |
Rock the Bells '09 :
| Main Stage | Paid Dues Independent Hip Hop Stage | Surprise Acts |
| Nas & Damian Marley Wu-Tang Clan (New York City only) Cypress Hill (Calgary only) Mos Def (Toronto only) Ice Cube (San Bernardino only) The Roots Common Busta Rhymes Big Boi EPMD House of Pain featuring La Coka Nostra Reflection Eternal Tech N9ne Dragon Fli Empire K'naan Raekwon Chali 2na The Knux | Rza Gza Slaughterhouse Slum Village Evidence & The Alchemist M.O.P. Psycho Realm Buckshot Necro Sage Francis Eyedea & Abilities Tabi Bonney Mystik Journeymen Mickey Factz B. Dolan Short Dawg Hosted by KRS-One, Supernatural, Murs and Pete Rock | Washington, D.C. Skillz AZ Styles P Pharoahe Monch Boston Krizz Kaliko Kutt Calhoun New York City Jadakiss Ice-T The Lox DJ Premier Styles P Method Man U-God Gravediggaz |

## 2010 Festival Series

On the evening of May 24, 2010 Guerilla Union held the Rock the Bells Launch Party at Key Club in Hollywood, CA. The launch party featured surprise guest performances, and the official announcement of the 2010 season lineup. New to the festival this year is a "Classics" theme; the headlining acts will be performing the following classic hip-hop albums in their entirety: A Tribe Called Quest performing Midnight Marauders, Snoop Dogg (with Warren G, Tha Dogg Pound, The Lady of Rage and RBX) performing Doggystyle, Wu-Tang Clan (entire group, with Boy Jones – first son of Ol' Dirty Bastard) performing Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers), Rakim performing Paid in Full, KRS-One performing Criminal Minded, Slick Rick performing The Great Adventures of Slick Rick, and DJ Premier and Lauryn Hill as special guests. Unannounced guest appearances included The Madd Rapper, Large Professor, Busta Rhymes, Skyzoo, Swizz Beatz, and Nas.
| Date | City | Country | Venue |
| August 21, 2010 | San Bernardino | United States | NOS Events Center |
| August 22, 2010 | Mountain View | United States | Shoreline Amphitheatre |
| August 28, 2010 | New York City | United States | Governor's Island |
| August 29, 2010 | Columbia | United States | Merriweather Post Pavilion |
Rock the Bells :
| Main Stage | Second Stage |
| Snoop Dogg with Warren G, Tha Dogg Pound, The Lady of Rage and RBX A Tribe Called Quest Wu-Tang Clan (with Boy Jones, ODB's first-born son) Lauryn Hill Rakim KRS-One (with Black Moon) Slick Rick DJ Premier | Street Sweeper Social Club Murs & 9th Wonder Wiz Khalifa Clipse Immortal Technique Brother Ali Jedi Mind Tricks Supernatural DJ Muggs with Ill Bill DJ Rocky Rock Big Sean Yelawolf Hosted by Peter Rosenberg, D. Schwartz and K-Salaam |

## 2011 Festival Series

On the evening of May 24, 2011 Guerilla Union once again held the Rock the Bells Launch Party. Rapper Supernatural revealed the lineup for this year's edition of the festival. Keeping in the spirit of the 2010 artists, the more prolific acts on this year's festival will be performing a selection of "classic" albums in their entirety. These include Lauryn Hill's The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill, Nas' Illmatic, Erykah Badu's Baduizm, Cypress Hill's Black Sunday, Mos Def & Talib Kweli's Black Star, Raekwon's Only Built 4 Cuban Linx..., Mobb Deep's The Infamous, Gza's Liquid Swords, Souls of Mischief's 93 'til Infinity, Black Moon's Enta da Stage and Masta Killa's No Said Date. Additionally, Currensy and Mac Miller will be appearing exclusively on the west coast dates while Evidence will appear only on the East Coast. More recently, rapper Common has been added to three shows, performing his album Be.
| Date | City | Country | Venue |
| August 20, 2011 | San Bernardino | United States | San Manuel Amphitheater |
| August 27, 2011 | Mountain View | United States | Shoreline Amphitheatre |
| September 3, 2011 | New York City | United States | Governor's Island |
| September 24, 2011 (CANCELLED) | Mansfield | United States | Comcast Center |
Rock the Bells '11 :
| Rock the Bells Stage | 36 Chambers Stage | Paid Dues Stage |
| Nas with AZ, Pete Rock and DJ Premier Ms. Lauryn Hill Erykah Badu* Cypress Hill Black Star Common* Random Axe* Hosted by Peter Rosenberg | Raekwon + Ghostface Killah Mobb Deep Genius/Gza Black Moon Mac Miller* Currensy* Childish Gambino Masta Killa Killah Priest Hosted by the Rza, Supernatural and Boy Jones | Immortal Technique Doom Slaughterhouse Big K.R.I.T. Souls of Mischief Evidence* Blu + Exile + Fashawn Macklemore & Ryan Lewis* Freddie Gibbs Roc Marciano Hosted by Murs |
* *Denotes that the artist will be appearing only in select cities

## 2012 Festival Series

From early May to June, Guerilla Union unveiled the full lineup for the latest Rock the Bells festival series. It was also revealed that this year's festival will consist of three, two-day weekend events, with two shows on the west coast and one in the east.
Rock the Bells '12 :
| San Bernardino | Mountain View | Holmdel |
| Nas Bone Thugs-n-Harmony Kid Cudi Wiz Khalifa J. Cole Atmosphere Common Ice Cube Method Man & Redman DMX + Eve Jadakiss Wu Block (featuring Raekwon + Ghostface Killah + Jadakiss + Sheek Louch + Styles P) Dipset Kendrick Lamar Currensy Sean Price Deltron 3030 Hit Squad 2 Chainz Tyga Pusha T Immortal Technique E-40 & Too Short DJ Quik Naughty by Nature Salt-N-Pepa Big Daddy Kane Lance Robertson & Friends Yelawolf Murs + Fashawn Prodigy Zion I + Grouch + Eligh Schoolboy Q Ab-Soul Future Dom Kennedy YG Watsky Jay Rock* Hosted by Rza & MC Supernatural | Nas Bone Thugs-n-Harmony Kid Cudi J. Cole DMX + Eve Mac Miller Atmosphere Common Ice Cube Method Man & Redman Wu Block (featuring Raekwon + Ghostface Killah + Jadakiss + Sheek Louch + Styles P) ASAP Rocky Dipset Kendrick Lamar Deltron 3030 Hit Squad 2 Chainz Tyga Pusha T Immortal Technique DJ Quik Mix Master Mike Naughty by Nature Salt-N-Pepa Big Daddy Kane Lance Robertson & Friends Yelawolf Murs + Fashawn Slick Rick Zion I + Grouch + Eligh Schoolboy Q Ab-Soul Dom Kennedy Action Bronson Watsky Jay Rock Hosted by Rza & MC Supernatural | Nas Bone Thugs-n-Harmony J. Cole Big Sean Common Ice Cube Method Man & Redman DMX + Eve + Jadakiss Wu Block (featuring Raekwon + Ghostface Killah + Jadakiss + Sheek Louch + Styles P) Dipset Currensy Sean Price Deltron 3030 Hit Squad 2 Chainz Tyga Pusha T Immortal Technique DJ Quik Mix Master Mike Naughty by Nature Salt-N-Pepa Big Daddy Kane Lance Robertson & Friends Yelawolf Murs + Fashawn Prodigy M.O.P. Slick Rick Zion I + Grouch + Eligh Schoolboy Q Ab-Soul Future Dom Kennedy Action Bronson Watsky Jay Rock Hosted by Rza & MC Supernatural |

## 2013 Festival Series

On May 14, Guerilla Union held a launch party in Los Angeles. At that event they announced performances by Black Hippy, Big K.R.I.T., Brother Ali, Chase & Status, Common, Bone Thugs-n-Harmony (including a virtual performance by the late Eazy-E), Currensy, Danny Brown, Dilated Peoples, Dizzy Wright, Dom Kennedy, E-40, Earl Sweatshirt, Hit-Boy, Hopsin, Immortal Technique, Jhené Aiko, Joey Badass and the Pro Era, Juicy J, Jurassic 5, Kid Cudi, Lecrae, Logic, Mimosa, Rakim, Riff Raff, Snow Tha Product, Talib Kweli, Tech N9ne, Too Short, Tyler, The Creator and Wu-Tang Clan (including a virtual performance by the late Ol' Dirty Bastard). Other performers added by the start of the festival included ASAP Mob, Girl Talk, J Cole, Jurassic 5, KRS-One, Deltron 3030, Slick Rick, Doug E. Fresh, Chief Keef, and a New York only headline performance by Pretty Lights. The 2013 series was hosted by Murs and Hot 97's Peter Rosenberg. To mark the 10th anniversary of Rock the Bells, Wu Tang Clan was meant to reunite, but Raekwon and Ghostface Killah did not make appearances. Originally the series was scheduled for eight dates, two nights each in San Francisco, Los Angeles, Washington D.C., and New York City. However, due to poor sales, the east coast shows were canceled.