Rolling Loud Day 2 hit Miami with a vengeance Saturday (May 12) as 60,000 fans gathered in the shadow of Hard Rock Stadium to take in the festivities. Coming off the success of the previous day, the artists hitting the stage Saturday aimed to raise the bar even higher than before. Fans trekked through the gloom and muggy temperatures to see their favorite artists in action, though the crowd turnout was smaller than the previous day as many waited for the weather to improve. Sporadic periods of rainfall caused fans to throw on their ponchos and weather the storm.
As Day 1 came and went with several highlights, including guest appearances and more, Day 2 turned Miami Gardens upside down with epic performances and the return of a very special guest. With a headlining set by Travis Scott and performances by Metro Boomin, NAV and more, Day 2 was one for the books.
Let’s take a look at six highlights from the second day of Rolling Loud below.
Hip-hop’s New Generation of MCs Set the Pace for Day 2
For the last four years, Rolling Loud has embraced a new generation of hip-hop, and this year’s unapologetic, raw acts set the tone for the entire day. Trippie Redd, Lil Pump, Smokepurrp, and Lil Skies all had stellar sets filled with fans raging in mosh pits and jumping up and down to the booming records.
One of the driving factors behind the success of the new breed of MCs is their dedicated fan base, and Rolling Loud proved this young set of talent is here to stay with the incredible reactions to each of these rappers’ records as the ground shook underneath. Lil Skies held the festival in the palm of his hand with his fiery performance of “Red Roses” while Lil Pump filled the Miami Gardens air with “ESSKEETIT” and “Gucci Gang.” Smokepurrp and Trippie Redd shut down the Audiomack stage with their respective electrifying performances of “Audi,” “Ski Mask,” “Bust Down,” Lil Yachty-assisted “66” and more.
+*World Domination —— pic.twitter.com/9a0fJ9of6J
— Skies—— (@LilSkies) May 13, 2018
DJ Khaled Fills in for Gucci Mane’s Absence
After it was announced on Twitter that Gucci Mane was feeling ill and would not be taking the stage at Rolling Loud as previously planned, Miami native DJ Khaled took the reins and gave his hometown one hell of a party. Khaled’s set included many hits, including “Wild Thoughts,” “I’m On One” and “For Free,” along with older records like Wu Tang’s “Ain’t Nuthin To Fuck With” and JAY-Z’s “Jigga My N—-a.”
Khaled even got the crowd involved and encouraged them to rap along with Cardi B’s hit single “Bodack Yellow” a capella. The highlight of his set came when Khaled invited Puff Daddy to the stage and saluted the legendary hip-hop icon. “This is the proudest moment of my life seeing the culture like this,” said Diddy before handing the mic back to Khaled. Before leaving the stage Khaled asked the crowd to gather and let them know what was about to happen “will go down in the history books.”
.@DJKhaled got the WHOLE crowd singing @iamcardib a cappella!!! —- #RollingLoud https://t.co/8SWUswtSbX pic.twitter.com/CBQ4eYvKv5
— REVOLT TV (@revolttv) May 13, 2018
Meek Mill Surprises Rolling Loud with First Performance Since His Release
Cardi B had to cancel her Rolling Loud set — along with the rest of her spring and summer tour dates — due to her pregnancy, which left a huge void needed to be filled Saturday night. Rumors began to swirl that the special guest serving as Cardi’s replacement was either Meek Mill, who was just made a free man a few weeks ago, or Rae Sremmurd who recently dropped their triple-disc album SR3MM.
When the time came for the revelation of the special guest, DJ Khaled made his way back on to the stage. “Before I left this stage earlier I let you know, this night is a legendary night,” he explained. “Some peoples have dreams, some people have nightmares. Some people just have to go through a lot of shit, but the key is to overcome.” Once the crowd caught on to what Khaled was saying, Miami Gardens was flooded with Meek Mill chants.
After a stunning visual introduction, Philly’s own Meek Mill made his return to the stage with an energetic performance of “On The Regular.” Meek mentioned how good it felt to be back and free in front of all his fans. Knowing what the crowd came for, Meek ripped through several favorites including “Glow Up,” “Ima Boss,” and “1942 Flows.” The 45-minute set included appearances by Tory Lanez and rising Atlanta artist Gunna. To cap it all off Meek performed the ultimate fan favorite “Dreams and Nightmares.”
Y’all know @MeekMill gotta get “Litty” again with his boy @torylanez!! #RLMIA2018 @RollingLoud pic.twitter.com/zAq4MTUO7e
— Tony M Centeno –?– (@_tonyMC) May 13, 2018
Migos Proves They’re the Best Rap Group in the World
Migos are synonymous with festivals, as some of their best performances have come from those type of stages. Rolling Loud was just another notch in their collective belt as fans were treated to the ideal turn-up. The Atlanta trio wasted no time digging into their crates playing a band of hits including “T-Shirt,” “Deadz” and “Bad and Boujee.” Migos gave it up to the Day 1 fans by performing “Hannah Montana” and “Fight Night” and even brought out Lil Yachty for the electrifying “Ice Tray.”
It’s not unusual for concert-goers to start strong but become fatigued as the set goes on. That wasn’t the case with Migos. A rabid fanbase, a vast selection of hits and the stunning visuals displayed across the screens showed exactly why Migos are the best and hottest rap group in the world.
Wiz Khalifa Flexes Through the Best Sounding Set of The Night
Serving as one of the three closing acts of the night, Wiz Khalifa put Miami Gardens on a vibe Saturday with one of the more sonically pleasing sets of the festival. The Taylor Gang leader, accompanied by the Kush & Orange Juice band ran through a selection of hits from various periods in Wiz’s illustrious career. Day 1 fans jammed to Kush & Orange Juice cuts like “Mesmorized” and “The Kid Frankie.” “Something New” and “Young, Wild & Free” was rapped harmoniously while “Phone Numbers,” “Campaign,” and “Taylor Gang” banged through Miami Gardens. The transitions between records were flawless as Wiz’s live band brought the show to another level sonically. A highlight of the set came when Wiz tossed a giant inflatable RAW brand joint into the audience symbolizing the passing of joint. The set closed with a moving performance of “See You Again” and a spectacular fireworks show.
Travis Scott Delivers with Explosive Closing Set
Travis Scott took to Twitter before his set at Rolling Loud to tell in attendance to come “ready to rage.” Scott’s live shows are the wildest, highest-octane thrill rides, and his new setup amplified that. Travis opened with two colossal cubes with screens that moved up and down beside him with DJ Chase B suspended on top of the cubes. Travis performed a never-before-heard track presumably off his next studio album Astroworld. Before going into the next record, Travis stood in front of the crowd demanding the formation of several mosh pits. They obeyed as “Mamacita,” “4 AM,” “Through the Late Night” and more blasted through the towering speakers on stage.
Wanting more out of the most pits Travis reminded the crowd that “we did not come here to watch a concert, baby. I came here to see the motherfuckin’ blood. Wider. Wider. WIDER. If you scared, the back is way back there.”
As some fans couldn’t handle the wild ride, Quavo assisted La Flame through a medley of their collaborative album Hunco Jack, Jack Huncho. A highlight came when a fan managed to get on stage with Travis and rap along with the Astroworld rapper. Travis took in the moment and reminded the kid there was only one way to leave the stage. The kid jumped into the crowd and surfed through a wave of hands with “Watch” beaming through the venue. The set ended with fiery performance of “Goosebumps” and a reminder that “Astroworld coming sooner than my motherf—in’ dick can get hard.”
Travis Scott playing some new unreleased music at Rolling Loud 2018 (LONGEST VIDEO) pic.twitter.com/vjTSx90fm6
— FTP FLAME (@FTPflame) May 13, 2018