Click here for a playlist of the biggest songs at this year's Rock the Bells festival.The live summer blockbuster Rock the Bells has lasted nearly 10 years by catering to the notion that "classic" and indie rap acts keep the flame of real hip-hop alive. It's clearly a fantasy, but the fault lines remain — Southern rapper David Banner left the 2007 tour after the audience greeted him with boos on a few dates. For better or worse, it's still known as the old-school festival.
Still, no other event — save smaller packages like Atlanta's A3C Festival (which assembles a better range of regional styles) and L.A.'s indie-leaning Paid Dues Festival — offers a comparable experience. Unfortunately, stereotypes persist that rappers show up late (or not at all) to concerts, put on uninspired performances and often incite gang violence. Acclaimed headlining sets by Eminem at Lollapalooza and Kanye West at Coachella are just two recent examples that disprove this misconception. But there's enough random evidence, including Big Boi's guileless recent cancellation at San Francisco's Outside Lands fest despite Tweeting pics of himself backstage, to fuel the perception. Perhaps that's why people embrace Rock the Bells with such irrepressible enthusiasm: it's a chance for artists without the selling power of Eminem or Kanye to get their festival moment, too.
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