With Rolling Loud officially over there are plenty of memorable performances to talk about, even a couple of days removed from the festival. From the many cameos, to the new material that was debuted, there was an absolute excess of incredible live acts. For those unable to attend this year's festivities, you may have caught some of the round-up, however we're highlighting the top 10 performers from the entire weekend further.
As a general disclaimer, I did not see every act on the bill despite spending upwards of 6 hours at the festival daily. So if your favorite performance isn't on the list, there's a chance that I didn't get a chance to catch it myself, but that's what next year is for right?
If you haven't already, check out our top 16 festivals to attend this summer, as a hip-hop fan. Let us know if you were at Rolling Loud 2017, what your favorite performance of the festival was in the comments.
Photo: Kmhairstmedia via Rolling Loud
Lil Wayne
While the performances certainly got crazier as the weekend went on, night 1 belonged to Mr. Carter. Despite his set almost ending abruptly when a fan rushed the stage around 3 songs into Tunechi's performance, security, however, successfully handled the situation and fans were again treated to classics like "Go DJ" & "Mrs. Officer" before Weezy emphatically reminded his adoring crowd that "I aint shit without you."
Action Bronson
Everyone's favorite bearded rapper was in his element as he played classic cuts while introducing some new music from his forthcoming album, which he announced recently is coming within a month. The ever-hungry emcee at one point also affectionately referred to himself as "295 pounds of Wagyu beef" much to the delight of those in attendance familiar with Bronsolino's culinary skills. Bronson even received a few unsolicited flashes from some of his more adoring female fans, which prompted Action to question what was being shown on the projectors behind him, asking the crowd, "What are you guys watching, are they showing wrestling or something behind me?"
Robb Bank$
With his debut studio album Falconia on the way, Robb treated fans to some new material, including the title track. The hometown favorite interacted with the crowd in a way few artists could match this weekend, Robb basically forced his crowd to match his intensity with every bar. The "Pressure" emcee impressed throughout and even blessed fans with a cameo from fellow South Florida favorite, Wifisfuneral.
Jazz Cartier
Long revered for his incredible live performances, Jazz Cartier was at his best on Saturday. He performed many of his standout tracks and fan-favorites such as "Red Alert," "Tempted" and "100 Roses" while crowd-walking and scaling various on-stage equipment. No cameos needed, Jazz has become a masterful one-man act over the years and Saturday was no exception.
Denzel Curry
If anyone had better visuals than Kendrick Lamar, to support their live performance, it was Denzel Curry. The hometown "ULT" rapper went full Super-Saiyan in a performance that was reminiscent more of a Dragon Ball-Z character than a rapper in his hometown. Denzel, as always, was a man possessed on stage and the crowd loved every second of his captivating set. He's not usually one to deliver a sub-par live performance, and his Rolling Loud set was no different, easily making him one of the best performances of the past weekend.
XXXTENTACION
Polarizing Miami rapper XXXTENTACION took to the stage Saturday for what was without a doubt the biggest set of his life, so far. Unflinching in face of the pressure, X delivered one of the most energetic performances of the weekend that included cameos from fellow South Florida natives Ski Mask The Slump God and Robb Bank$. While the highlight was predictably the performance of his breakout hit "Look At Me," X had the crowd in the palms of his hand from the outset.
The trap trio that is on their way to becoming the biggest group of our generation almost didn't get to perform this weekend. Despite the immense hype surrounding their set, they were originally slated to perform at the smaller of the two stages. Not surprisingly most of the 40,000 people in attendance quickly swarmed the stage and surrounding area. When it was announced by host YesJulz that Migos wouldn't be performing due to "unsafe conditions" the eager crowd quickly let their feelings be felt. After an hour delay and a stage switch, though, everyone was soon losing their collective minds to live renditions of "Handsome & Wealthy," "Get Right Witcha" and a special performance of "Slippery" featuring fellow nawf Atlanta icon Gucci Mane.
Playboi Carti
The most fun set of the weekend to me. Playboi Carti brought the whole team out for his set as he performed cuts from his self-titled debut album. What Carti may lack in lyrical depth he more than makes up for with his live performance. Cash Carti brought out fellow crowd favorites ASAP Rocky ("New Choppa") and Maxo Kream ("Fetti") to perform alongside him. Miami's milly rock was felt around the world for Carti's hour-long performance.
Kendrick Lamar
I, like many others, went into the weekend expecting Kendrick Lamar to have the most memorable show. On any other weekend, it would have been just that. His performance was stellar and included some of the most impressive animated visuals I've ever seen. His balanced mix of classics and new material kept the crowd engaged throughout. Kendrick may very well be the best rapper of our generation, but at least, this weekend, there was another rapper that was the more entertaining, and therefore better, performer...Click through to find out.
Having never understood why Lil Uzi Vert often refers to himself as a "rockstar," his live show left me convinced that he's one of the best performers of our generation. Forty thousand people watched in unified disbelief as Uzi scaled the soundboard tent and proceeded to do a massive flip off of the 20+ foot high structure into the crowd. Beyond his own acrobatic antics, Uzi brought out some talented guests to assist him, with ASAP Rocky and Playboi Carti joining him on stage.