After a summer of anticipation, the first-ever Rolling Loud in Canada has come and gone, and like the end of summer, it resulted in a mixed bag of emotions.
On the one hand, hip-hop fans north of the border finally have a premier festival that's relatively accessible, with events like Drake's OVO World Weekend gatekept by ridiculous prices. Undoubtedly, seeing acts like Dave, A Boogie wit da Hoodie, Rae Sremmurd, Roddy Ricch, Lil Yachty, Polo G and Wizkid on a big stage is inspiring, considering acts in their class are usually relegated to theatres, nightclubs and smaller outdoor venues in Toronto.
But on the other hand, the weekend couldn't quite shake the gloomy, too-familiar-to-Toronto pessimistic cloud in the air, raining thoughts like, "This is a scaled-down version of Miami, L.A. and New York." With low-energy crowds in VIP and hyper-aggressive partiers in GA, in the words of Wu-Tang's Old Dirty Bastard, Rolling Loud Toronto was for the children.
That being said, the festival was still filled with many memorable moments. Here's what stood out.
Day one
Roy Woods
Seeing homegrown talent perform on a big stage should always bring a smile to your face, especially when their excitement to be there is infectious. Hitting the Uber Stage ahead of A Boogie and Dave. Roy Woods had a pretty tall task ahead of him as the first big-name act to hit the main stage on opening night. Thankfully he rose to the occasion, leaning on hits from his successful debut EP and album, 2015's Exis and 2016's Waking at Dawn. It also helps that he is originally from Brampton, ON, just west of Toronto, and is a member of Drake's OVO crew. He could shout those things out whenever the crowd needed a pop.
Lil Skies
You would think anyone who chose to see Lil Skies over headliners Dave and Rae Sremmurd did so because they really love Lil Skies — but apparently that's not the case. This was a stand-out moment of day one because of a viral video of his performance that circulated on social media, Lil Skies called the city out for being low energy, saying, "You paid all this fucking money for what? To just come here and stand like this? Y'all look weird as shit — you are not too cool to jump." Reactions to Skies' comments have been mixed, with many people blaming the lack of energy from the crowd on his performance and not the energy of the festival overall.
A Boogie wit da Hoodie
Although he did not call the crowd out, A Boogie wit da Hoodie is another act whose performance suffered from a low-energy crowd. Perhaps it was the announcement that Lil Uzi Vert, who was supposed to perform after him, had an issue at the border and would not make it that zapped the energy from the Uber Stage. But through it all, Boogie persevered and delivered a highlight set, coming out to Michael Jackson's "Remember the Time," which transitioned to Boogie's 2018 hit "Look Back at It." From there, with a smile on his face the entire time, he dropped hits like "Swervin" and "My Shit." It was an incredible reminder that A Boogie has an impressive catalogue.
Dave
There is no polite way of putting it: Dave is not the best festival act. With a catalogue and level of talent well deserving of his headliner spot, his music unfortunately didn't translate to the big stage. Although a thoughtful performer, his laid-back and gradually paced shows work much better at an intimate venue — where moves like picking someone from the crowd to rap a verse from one of his hits feel less awkward. However, there were some high spots from his set, with summer bangers "Location" and "System" awakening the crowd, but also giving the sense that he left a lot on the table by not performing more crowd favourites like "Voices," "Disaster" and "Law of Attraction."
Rae Sremmurd
The hands-down highlight of the first night, Rae Sremmurd, showed everyone at the Bet99.net Stage why they are festival vets. With certified hits tailor-made for a festival crowd like "No Type," "Black Beatles" and "No Flex Zone," the duo of Swae Lee and Slim Jxmmi did what they've been doing for almost a decade now: put on a great show. Even having not released an album in four years, they managed to steal the night.
Day two
Pressa
Day 2, arguably the strongest day of the festival, really only kicked off after Toronto's own King of Jane and Driftwood, Pressa, took the stage. He was most definitely on the lineup for the significant Gen Z presence at the festival, but even for fans outside of that age group, it's hard not to like Pressa. Energetic and charismatic, seeing him live automatically makes clear why your little cousin thinks he's the next big thing out of the city. If anything, this weekend he proved he's somebody to watch. As his stock continues to rise, don't be surprised if he's given much higher billing next festival season, especially if Rolling Loud returns to Toronto.
Tory Lanez
Regardless of what you think of the guy, it's undeniable that Tory Lanez has bangers. A last-minute addition to the lineup, which he deemed a "homecoming," the Brampton native ran through hit after hit after hit, giving the crowd no time to catch their breath. At times it felt like he was rushing through his catalogue, refusing to perform an entire song — even when the crowd wanted more "LUV," "Broke in a Minute" and "'87 Stingray" — but garnishing an extra 10 minutes on stage when he realized he was running out of time. Even as his Megan Thee Stallion shooting case continues to loom, the controversial rapper showed why he was there.
Roddy Ricch
The highlight of the second day, Roddy Ricch delivered one of the best performances of the entire festival. The perfect mix of a Gen Z fresh face and an established superstar with a Billboard No. 1 single in "The Box," Ricch delivered a set so good we would not be shocked if festivals start tapping him as a headliner next season. Ricch's renditions of hits like "High Fashion" and "Late at Night" were unique and different enough from the recordings that, if you're a fan, his set alone was worth the price of admission.
Future
Headlining the second day, and one hour late due to a shooting scare in VIP, Future delivered a headline-worthy set, performing a carousel of trap hits. If you've seen Future live before, his set was about what you expect: high-energy and production-heavy. Not particularly a noteworthy live performer, a Future set lives and dies by how excitable the crowd is. Luckily, the crowd at the Uber Stage was up to the task. With the only hindrance being the looming (but ultimately dashed) hope of friend and regular collaborator Drake showing up, it was a satisfying end to a strong day from Rolling Loud.
Day three
Chromazz
Making headlines for all the wrong reasons, Toronto's "First Lady," Chromazz, was booed off stage during her set, elevated from its original 4 p.m. slot on the main Uber Stage to a primetime eight p.m. slot at the second Bet99.net Stage. This was an organizational move that ultimately turned out to be a mistake given the crowd's reaction to her. It was one of the only real big blunders of the weekend (and especially unfortunate given how Rolling Loud Toronto was rightly criticized for its lack of non-male performers).
NAV
Brampton was in the house for NAV's set on the Uber Stage. This was a testament to how far the once meme'd rapper has come: like him or hate him, he's a certified hit maker with a catalogue of crowd pleasers. This is NAV's world; we're all just living in it.
Wizkid
Hands down the best festival performance, Wizkid closed off Sunday night with a bang, throwing a high-energy African party and giving the festival some much-needed variety. Dampened only by what seemed like issues with his mic, the Nigerian-born singer was also the only headliner to use a live band, greatly adding to the set. A memorable end to the festival, don't be surprised if organizers lean more on African artists next summer if Toronto is given another run.
On the one hand, hip-hop fans north of the border finally have a premier festival that's relatively accessible, with events like Drake's OVO World Weekend gatekept by ridiculous prices. Undoubtedly, seeing acts like Dave, A Boogie wit da Hoodie, Rae Sremmurd, Roddy Ricch, Lil Yachty, Polo G and Wizkid on a big stage is inspiring, considering acts in their class are usually relegated to theatres, nightclubs and smaller outdoor venues in Toronto.
But on the other hand, the weekend couldn't quite shake the gloomy, too-familiar-to-Toronto pessimistic cloud in the air, raining thoughts like, "This is a scaled-down version of Miami, L.A. and New York." With low-energy crowds in VIP and hyper-aggressive partiers in GA, in the words of Wu-Tang's Old Dirty Bastard, Rolling Loud Toronto was for the children.
That being said, the festival was still filled with many memorable moments. Here's what stood out.
Day one
Roy Woods
Seeing homegrown talent perform on a big stage should always bring a smile to your face, especially when their excitement to be there is infectious. Hitting the Uber Stage ahead of A Boogie and Dave. Roy Woods had a pretty tall task ahead of him as the first big-name act to hit the main stage on opening night. Thankfully he rose to the occasion, leaning on hits from his successful debut EP and album, 2015's Exis and 2016's Waking at Dawn. It also helps that he is originally from Brampton, ON, just west of Toronto, and is a member of Drake's OVO crew. He could shout those things out whenever the crowd needed a pop.
Lil Skies
You would think anyone who chose to see Lil Skies over headliners Dave and Rae Sremmurd did so because they really love Lil Skies — but apparently that's not the case. This was a stand-out moment of day one because of a viral video of his performance that circulated on social media, Lil Skies called the city out for being low energy, saying, "You paid all this fucking money for what? To just come here and stand like this? Y'all look weird as shit — you are not too cool to jump." Reactions to Skies' comments have been mixed, with many people blaming the lack of energy from the crowd on his performance and not the energy of the festival overall.
A Boogie wit da Hoodie
Although he did not call the crowd out, A Boogie wit da Hoodie is another act whose performance suffered from a low-energy crowd. Perhaps it was the announcement that Lil Uzi Vert, who was supposed to perform after him, had an issue at the border and would not make it that zapped the energy from the Uber Stage. But through it all, Boogie persevered and delivered a highlight set, coming out to Michael Jackson's "Remember the Time," which transitioned to Boogie's 2018 hit "Look Back at It." From there, with a smile on his face the entire time, he dropped hits like "Swervin" and "My Shit." It was an incredible reminder that A Boogie has an impressive catalogue.
Dave
There is no polite way of putting it: Dave is not the best festival act. With a catalogue and level of talent well deserving of his headliner spot, his music unfortunately didn't translate to the big stage. Although a thoughtful performer, his laid-back and gradually paced shows work much better at an intimate venue — where moves like picking someone from the crowd to rap a verse from one of his hits feel less awkward. However, there were some high spots from his set, with summer bangers "Location" and "System" awakening the crowd, but also giving the sense that he left a lot on the table by not performing more crowd favourites like "Voices," "Disaster" and "Law of Attraction."
Rae Sremmurd
The hands-down highlight of the first night, Rae Sremmurd, showed everyone at the Bet99.net Stage why they are festival vets. With certified hits tailor-made for a festival crowd like "No Type," "Black Beatles" and "No Flex Zone," the duo of Swae Lee and Slim Jxmmi did what they've been doing for almost a decade now: put on a great show. Even having not released an album in four years, they managed to steal the night.
Day two
Pressa
Day 2, arguably the strongest day of the festival, really only kicked off after Toronto's own King of Jane and Driftwood, Pressa, took the stage. He was most definitely on the lineup for the significant Gen Z presence at the festival, but even for fans outside of that age group, it's hard not to like Pressa. Energetic and charismatic, seeing him live automatically makes clear why your little cousin thinks he's the next big thing out of the city. If anything, this weekend he proved he's somebody to watch. As his stock continues to rise, don't be surprised if he's given much higher billing next festival season, especially if Rolling Loud returns to Toronto.
Tory Lanez
Regardless of what you think of the guy, it's undeniable that Tory Lanez has bangers. A last-minute addition to the lineup, which he deemed a "homecoming," the Brampton native ran through hit after hit after hit, giving the crowd no time to catch their breath. At times it felt like he was rushing through his catalogue, refusing to perform an entire song — even when the crowd wanted more "LUV," "Broke in a Minute" and "'87 Stingray" — but garnishing an extra 10 minutes on stage when he realized he was running out of time. Even as his Megan Thee Stallion shooting case continues to loom, the controversial rapper showed why he was there.
Roddy Ricch
The highlight of the second day, Roddy Ricch delivered one of the best performances of the entire festival. The perfect mix of a Gen Z fresh face and an established superstar with a Billboard No. 1 single in "The Box," Ricch delivered a set so good we would not be shocked if festivals start tapping him as a headliner next season. Ricch's renditions of hits like "High Fashion" and "Late at Night" were unique and different enough from the recordings that, if you're a fan, his set alone was worth the price of admission.
Future
Headlining the second day, and one hour late due to a shooting scare in VIP, Future delivered a headline-worthy set, performing a carousel of trap hits. If you've seen Future live before, his set was about what you expect: high-energy and production-heavy. Not particularly a noteworthy live performer, a Future set lives and dies by how excitable the crowd is. Luckily, the crowd at the Uber Stage was up to the task. With the only hindrance being the looming (but ultimately dashed) hope of friend and regular collaborator Drake showing up, it was a satisfying end to a strong day from Rolling Loud.
Day three
Chromazz
Making headlines for all the wrong reasons, Toronto's "First Lady," Chromazz, was booed off stage during her set, elevated from its original 4 p.m. slot on the main Uber Stage to a primetime eight p.m. slot at the second Bet99.net Stage. This was an organizational move that ultimately turned out to be a mistake given the crowd's reaction to her. It was one of the only real big blunders of the weekend (and especially unfortunate given how Rolling Loud Toronto was rightly criticized for its lack of non-male performers).
NAV
Brampton was in the house for NAV's set on the Uber Stage. This was a testament to how far the once meme'd rapper has come: like him or hate him, he's a certified hit maker with a catalogue of crowd pleasers. This is NAV's world; we're all just living in it.
Wizkid
Hands down the best festival performance, Wizkid closed off Sunday night with a bang, throwing a high-energy African party and giving the festival some much-needed variety. Dampened only by what seemed like issues with his mic, the Nigerian-born singer was also the only headliner to use a live band, greatly adding to the set. A memorable end to the festival, don't be surprised if organizers lean more on African artists next summer if Toronto is given another run.
